One of the most time-consuming and gratifying aspects of blogging is photography. Anyone who has eaten with me (while I am blogging) is familiar with the constant presence of my camera lens nosing around in his or her meal. The last several months my camera has been filled with images other than those captured in my kitchen, which is slightly more entertaining than the various stages of pork schnitzel.
This morning I was treated to a montage of the past year -- wedding photos, fishing trips, numerous Tuli photos, and the best, honeymoon photos. We had to suspend our Samoan honeymoon due to the "accident." Amazingly, my wounds closed just in time for the trip and not a soul mentioned the gnarly scar peaking out from my teensy bikini (purchased pre-bullet wound). Samoans are glorious people.
My doctor was unsure whether the metal scattered through my leg and rump would set off the metal detector at the airport. As the Great Samoan Hunter and I stood in line next to business men and families in the security line, I sweat bullets (I can say that with truth now) for fear that my arse would start beeping. Imagine explaining that to the TSA agent? Well, sir . . .
I preemptively wore my most modest, full coverage big girl panties in the event that I had to pull my drawers down to show the proof. Thankfully, no alarms beeped, and I scooted right through sans a second glance.
I promise to post more photos of our ten days in paradise, but until then, this was the view from our fale (beach bungalow):
As the world woke up today and collectively said "TGIF!," I am preparing for my Monday. Yesterday I spent most of my day in town running errands and the mandatory grocery trip. We live forty-five minutes from the nearest grocery store so I have become a master at pantry meals. I keep a constant stock of canned beans, various shapes and sizes of pastas, and frozen veggies on hand for the inevitable empty fridge. The following dish was one such meal. I was down to my last wrinkled tomato.
This meatless meal came together in the time it took the water to boil. I served this easy dish with a healthy side of cottage cheese -- my pre-lactose-sensitive belly has transformed into a dairy-eating machine. This baby loves her some dairy. You could easily manipulate this to suit your family's tastes, add meat, add other veggies, change the pasta shape. The leftovers are great the next morning too scrambled in eggs. That may be a strange pregnancy thing though. Happy Friday (or Monday) all!
Low sodium beans. Swelling is such a fabulous pregnancy side effect.
Saute one sliced shallot and garlic clove, chili flakes as well as a handful of halved tomatoes in olive oil.
Add the drained and rinsed beans (any type will work).
Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and toss everything together.
My poor garden got nuked by a late freeze. It is slowly coming back.
I threw in some chopped parsley and basil.
Still a little rusty on the photos. Tasted great though!
Quick and easy pasta with beans
2 can beans (any type), drained and rinsed
1 box small, bite-sized pasta
1 large shallot, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
handful cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 tsp red chili flakes (more or less)
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
fresh herbs and parmesan cheese for garnish
Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute shallot, garlic and chili flakes until fragrant. Add the tomatoes to the pan and smoosh them a bit to release their juices. Save about a 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Add the drain beans and pasta to the pan along with the pasta water. Saute to combine. Serve with parmesan cheese and herbs, as well as a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Enjoy!
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