After work on Friday, I came home to find Courtney in the kitchen whipping up something delicious before she headed off to work for the night. I had some leftover ingredients from another meal this week, so I decided to follow her lead. I ended up making..
Ziti with Goat Cheese, Squash and Peas
Ingredients:
1/2 box ziti or another other short pasta
1 medium yellow squash, sliced
3/4 cup frozen peas
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 oz. Goat cheese
Olive oil
S & P
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss sliced squash in olive oil and S & P. Roast for about 15-20 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to the instructions on the box. With about two minutes left, add the peas to the pasta. When time is up, drain both the pasta and peas and add them to a large bowl. Add the squash, lemon juice, Parmesan and Goat cheeses to the pasta and toss to coat. Make sure the cheese is all melted together. Serve warm.
The pasta is really creamy because of all the added cheese, but the calories are not as bad. Goat cheese has fewer calories than most cheeses, so you don't have to feel all that bad about eating that second helping!
The rest of Friday night was very low-key and involved the extremely bizzare movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. It was really weird, and kind of hard to follow. But, it was Heath Ledger's last movie before his untimely passing, so I had been interested in seeing it. I thought I could handle the "strange," but this was a bit out of my league.
Saturday was a day for sleeping in, even if it was only until 10:30am. I woke up, worked out and decided that even though it was almost noon, breakfast foods were calling my name. I ended up with this:
After looking at the photo again, I immediately texted my mom the picture with the caption, "I am my father." This is true, because up until Christmas, I could not for the life of me cook a sunny-side up egg. Then, one day, I just asked him. And ever since I have been making them for myself all the time. But it was THIS Saturday that I realized my plate looked exactly as it did every weekend when I was growing up. My dad always made me sunny-side up eggs, bacon and toast cut into triangles. The saying really is true that you become your parents eventually.
I shopped all afternoon on Saturday and found lots of fun things in Target, Old Navy and Barnes and Noble. I went a few other places, but for reasons of Adam's upcoming Graduation and the gift I had to buy, I can not discuss them quite yet.
Saturday night, I ended up with friends at the W Hotel near the White House in a very cool bar called POV. POV is short for "point-of-view," and boy is that an understatement! It has the most AMAZING view of the Washington Monument I have ever seen. It was worth all the lines to get in, I'll tell ya that.
Sunday was deemed "nap day." And it was just that. Adam came into town late in the afternoon just as Courtney had begun preparing her legendary Louisiana-style Red Beans and Rice dinner. You could smell the sausage all the way down the hall. A-MA-ZING! After a few hours, it was ready and we all (Court, Randan, Brendan, Adam and I) all sat family-style and chowed down. I can't tell you how good it was, and I don't think my photo would do it justice, but I attempted. Please forgive me.. there is rice under all those beans and sausages! And the cornbread muffins were to die for!
I also made Lemon Bars for dessert and they were divine! They were perfect for the warm weather because they were lighter than a normal dessert. I attempted to take photos of the process, so I could be more helpful for those trying to recreate the recipe. It is a bit difficult, well it was for me at least. But they came out amazing, so definitely give them a try!
Lemon Bars
Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for dusting
Pinch of salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
For the filling:
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Juice of 2 medium lemons
Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the crust. Cut in the butter until you have a crumbly consistency.
*If you find that it is softer and more dough-like, add a few tablespoons of flour to the mixture and keep beating. Add until it is crumbly.
Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish. You may have to dip your fingers in some flour so the mixture will not stick to them as you press it into the dish. Bake the crust for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the filling. Pour this mixture over the crust and bake for 25 more minutes. Once it is finished baking, let it rest for about 30 minutes before cutting. The filling should be soft while the top will be a thin, crunchy layer. Serve with a dusting of confectioner's sugar!
I always love weekends like this, and I am so excited that the weather has FINALLY started to be warm all day and so breezy at night! I can't wait to start grilling all the time, and soon the pool will open at CP and it really will be the official start of summer.
This week will be another low-key one since I will be in Hampden-Sydney this weekend for Adam's Graduation!!! I get to meet more members of his family and enjoy H-SC one last time! It's so bittersweet for me, and I can only imagine how different life will be come Fall when I won't be visiting anymore. But, I am so happy to have met Adam and been able to experience all that H-SC has. It will forever be a special place in my heart.
I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!
