Cherry Lemon Sundrop + Frozen Cherry Lemon Sundrop Ice + NC State Glass == Absolutely AMAZING!!!!
LaBranda and I have been holding on to some gift cards and money that were gifts from our wedding. With $100 to spend at Williams-Sonoma, we decided to hit up the store and at a minimum purchase a Cuisinart 16 cup Food Processor. When we arrived at the store, we found out that Williams-Sonoma had increased their professional discount that they extend to chef’s to 20% off. We ended up buying more than the food processor (as you can see below). You know you have spent a lot of money in the store when they give you a giant reusable bag to carry your purchases. We haven’t used the food processor yet, but we did use our new All-Clad Copper Core 3-qt Saute & Simmer Pan last night. You know it is an amazing pan when you can cook on low heat and keep the contents amazingly hot!
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LaBranda and I made Pasta Primavera last night that was inspired by a recipe from Simply Recipes as well as one from the Food Network. We kind of combined the two, made our own touches and here is what we came up with.
Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 3 carrots, cut into 2″ x 1/2″ strips
- 2 zucchini, cut into 1/4″ discs
- 1 yellow squash, cut into 1/4″ discs
- 1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
- 1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 – 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 pound Campanelle
- 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Salt and fresh ground pepper
- Parmesan Cheese, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water, 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning, and 2 tbs. of salt to a boil (for your pasta).
- Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Lightly saute the garlic then add the vegetables, remaining 2 tsp. of Italian seasoning, 1 tsp. salt, and 2 tsp. pepper to skillet. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender.
- While cooking the vegetables, add the dry pasta to the boiling water and follow the cooking instructions for the pasta. You want to time it so that the pasta is done soon after the vegetables.
- Add the tomato sauce to the vegetables and bring to a simmer. Add the cherry tomatoes and simmer for another 3 minutes.
- Once the pasta is ready – cooked but still firm, or al denté – drain the pasta and put directly into the skillet with the vegetables. Toss everything together and adjust seasoning to taste.
Quick Notes
You can use any shape or style of pasta that you like. We wanted to try the Campanelle and we ended up liking it quite nicely. Other recommendations would be Farfalle or Penne.
Top with Parmesan cheese, if you like.
Number of servings (yield): 6
Culinary tradition: Italian
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Much of mine and LaBranda’s gift registry consisted of things for guest bedroom, bathrooms, artwork, but predominately things for the kitchen. With LaBranda being a chef and I very much falling into the foodie category, it only stands to reason that we take great pride in our kitchen and the utensils in which we use.
One problem we’ve had is that we were quickly running out of cabinet space. To help with that we purchased a pot rack and with my dad’s help last weekend (thanks Dad!) we got it installed and freed up most of one of our larger cabinets. Hopefully this will give us the room we need!
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A few of my friends recently purchased new DSLR cameras and were looking for some help in learning their equipment. While I don’t consider myself a photography expert another photographer friend and I decided we should arrange a group photo shoot day to just go and photograph something and have fun. There was a big auto expo in Raleigh Valentine’s Day weekend so we thought it’d make a good Saturday morning excursion. I think everyone had a lot of fun and we got to see some really cool cars!
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