Thanks for all the interest in my plan for spring meals around here. I do plan on sharing recipes as I make them, not that I'll be making anything too complicated. Last night we had a simple pasta with broccoli. The only reason it is even worth mentioning is due to the ease of preparation. I cooked the broccoli and the pasta together at the same time. My pasta was some kind of macaroni or tube. I threw it in maybe two minutes before the broccoli. You will find the full recipe below.
Also, I wanted to share our new living room find. Remember how I said I hated our sofa? Not only was it really ugly, it was super uncomfortable. No sooner did I write about it than I came across this beauty in a furniture consignment store for under $100. This couch was meant for me! The pattern, the mustard, apricot, and chartreuse color scheme. Funny enough, that is probably why it was priced so low. They assumed no one in their right mind would want a sofa like this one. They were wrong! Pattern-on-pattern is one of my favorite ways to decorate, so this find was so exciting.
Oh, and a word about layering pattern over pattern. If you are going to decorate this way, I recommend using at least three different patterns. Sometimes by using only two the room ends up looking accidental, but once you layer in three or four it becomes harmonious in the chaos.
I hope you have a great day!
Pasta with broccoli
1 head broccoli
1 pound pasta
4 rashers bacon, chopped (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced
parmesean
feta (optional)
a few glugs olive oil
dash of nutmeg
salt & pepper
In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Salt heavily, as if you're making sea water, and add the pasta. Two minutes later pour in the segmented broccoli. Meanwhile, in a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil. Add bacon and cook until almost ready. Add in garlic and turn off the burner.
The pasta and broccoli should be ready after about 6-8 minutes. With a large spoon, ladle the pasta and broccoli into the skillet with the bacon. It's ok to have some pasta water; the starch helps make the sauce. Add in the parmesean and nutmeg and toss the pasta a bit. You are ready to take it to the table. I lay out red pepper flakes and feta cubes so people can add as they choose.
You could do this with any vegetable as long as you keep in mind its cook-time.
