Tacos for me, Tacos for you

Well, last night's dinner didn't happen. I realized I had forgotten an ingredient, and then the more I thought about it the less I felt up to making a mess in the kitchen. So I made a sandwich instead. In thinking of how I would have liked to have something to post today I remembered that I never wrote about the dinner that Steph and I made together a while back. We created quite a feast, but my main contribution was the recipe for the Shrimp & Corn Tacos. This recipe is super yummy, and of course is from my favorite source of inspiration, Martha Stewart.

Shrimp & Corn Tacos
Recipe from Martha Stewart; Serves 4
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, (seeds and ribs removed, for less heat), minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 10 oz. frozen corn kernels, unthawed
1/2 lb. large peeled and deveined shrimp, cut into 1/2" pieces
12 6" corn tortillas, heated according to package instructions
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup green or red salsa
1/2 cup sour cream
Lime wedges, for serving

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion, jalapeño, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and corn; cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is heated through and tomatoes are soft, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately with tortillas, cabbage, salsa, sour cream, and lime wedges.

My Notes: I often like to take the easy way out (as you may have noticed by now), so I often will use 1/2 lb. of the small salad shrimp you can buy in the freezer section. They are already the perfect size so it saves me some time. Also, I've yet to be convinced that I need cabbage on my tacos. We typically just toss some cheese and salsa on. In the picture you might notice some guacamole which is also delicious as a topping. We served our tacos with some spicy black beans, lime & cilantro rice and sipped on some sangria with our dinner.

Strong To The Finish

Popeye would be proud. Last night I made Spinach Lasagna. Josh has been a fan of this recipe for a while. I had forgotten how easy it actually is, especially when I put the spinach to drain in the fridge overnight. I rig a little set up with a bowl, a sifter, some plastic wrap, and another bowl and then by the time I get home from work all it needs is a little extra pressing and I'm rid of most of the excess moisture. This is also a great go-to recipe when you're entertaining vegetarians for dinner and don't have a clue what to serve. Easy and basic enough that it should appeal to everyone at the table and it can be assembled ahead of time and popped in the oven at the right moment. This is a Martha Stewart recipe and one of the first things I made when we started trying to eat healthier. Martha calls it Vegetable Lasagna, but considering the only vegetable in it is the spinach I think that name is a little misleading. Oh, and I'm fully aware my picture probably isn't all that appetizing, but have you ever tried to take a fabulous picture of lasagna? Even Martha's picture isn't all that pretty to me.

Spinach Lasagna
Recipe from Martha Stewart; Serves 8
4 cups (32 oz.) whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 10 oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
6 cups store-bought or homemade tomato sauce
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 lb. (4 cups) fontina cheese, shredded

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add spinach, and stir well to combine.
• Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or dishes. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Before baking, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
• Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.

My notes: I typically halve this recipe. Their portion sizes are kind of large, we usually get more than 4 servings out of one 8" x 8" pan, so a 9" x 13" is really just too much for the two of us. I use part-skim ricotta instead of whole, and buy the 15 oz. container when halving the recipe. That's technically an ounce short of half, but are we going to quibble over tiny details? I almost always use Hunt's canned tomato sauce because it's often on sale for $1. I also use shredded mozzarella cheese instead of fontina. It's easier to find and I in fact often need it for making pizza so it's just easier to buy one cheese instead of two. On the top layer I usually sprinkle some grated parmesan along with the mozzarella cause the hubby loves his parm.

Oh, and a note on draining my spinach. I take one bowl, and put my fine-mesh sifter over it. My sifter has little pegs to help it sit atop a bowl, which is nifty. Put the spinach in the sifter, put a layer of plastic wrap over it, and then put a bowl on top to help press down the spinach. Then I just leave it in the fridge overnight until I get home from work and let gravity do most of the work for me. I'm sure I'm not the first person to do this, but it's a big part of making this recipe a quick one, so I thought I'd explain it.

A Better Monday

Monday night's dinner was exactly what I was looking for. I hadn't made anything spicy in quite awhile after Josh's bout with acid reflux, so it was about time I made something full and flavorful. I'd been craving something like this for sometime now, but I didn't really know if this recipe was going to hit the spot. But it did, and it's going to hit that spot again at lunchtime when I ravenously devour my leftovers. This recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis, but I found it via Dine and Dish. I don't watch much Food Network, which I'm sure sounds just absurd for a food blogger to write. I usually just can't stand many of the personalities that are on there- specifically Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee, but lots of people tend to bug me. I usually stick to PBS for my food television. Anyway, since I almost never tune into FN this is the first Giada recipe I've made. It is really good though, so I may check out one of her books soon.

Rigatoni with Sausage, Peppers, and Onions
Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis's Everyday Pasta
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian turkey sausage
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced
2 yellow onions, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Marsala wine
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 pound rigatoni pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pan.
• Keeping the pan over medium heat, add the bell peppers, onions, salt, and pepper and cook until golden, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and basil and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir until incorporated, then add the Marsala, tomatoes with their juice, and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Bring to a simmer.
• Cut the sausages into 4 to 6 pieces each. Return the sausages to the pan. Simmer uncovered until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes.
• While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and add to the thickened sauce; toss to combine. Spoon into individual bowls and sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

My notes: I made several adjustments to the recipe. Usually I follow most things pretty faithfully, especially when it's something I've never attempted before. But because I had a deep yearning to have this recipe come out a specific way I meddled a bit. First, I couldn't get turkey sausage, so I used pork. I mean, I looked, but even the gigantic meat counter at Central Market didn't have any. I used petite diced tomatoes because the hubster isn't partial to giant hunks of tomatoes, and because I wanted the tomato part to be a little more sauce-like. I used green bell peppers because 1) they're cheaper, and 2) offer more color contrast with the tomatoes. I ditched the Marsala wine and substituted half a can of water instead. I'm sure it adds a great flavor, but it wasn't the flavor I was looking for. And I definitely used the optional red pepper flakes.

A Nice Sunday Dinner

I decided to throw together something pleasant and delicious for dinner last night. It was also a bit indulgent, as we hardly eat such a large meal. So while I was at the grocery stores getting all the ingredients for this week's menu I also picked up a large top round steak that was really lovely, a bunch of asparagus, and some red potatoes. After a little thinking I decided I would cook the steak with a rub in my grill pan, roast the asparagus and make buttermilk smashed potatoes. Since I bought one large steak I cut it in half for cooking, and then we decided to split one half between the two of us. Josh will be enjoying the leftover steak and potatoes for lunch today and tomorrow. We gobbled up all the asparagus. Below are the little tidbits you might need to know to prepare this meal.









All Purpose Spice Rub
Recipe from Everyday Food; Makes 1 1/4 cups
1/3 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (optional)

• In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients, using your hands to break up the sugar. Store in an airtight container, away from heat and light, up to 6 months.

Roasted Asparagus
1 bunch asparagus (appx. 1 lb.)
olive oil
minced garlic
coarse salt and ground black pepper

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Clean, dry and trim the asparagus. Lay on baking sheet in one layer. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss with tongs to coat evenly. Add 1-2 cloves minced garlic, plenty of coarse salt and ground black pepper. Toss again.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes. Serve.

I've featured the Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes before. I rely on this recipe because I absolutely hate to peel potatoes. Although this time I think I overcooked them just a bit.

We had our meal with a nice Merlot. Red Bicyclette isn't a fancy wine, but it is an enjoyable one. And their website offers up recipe ideas to compliment their wine selection!




Stay tuned because I'll be making almost all new recipes this week!

Easy Peasy

I was searching for a nice simple recipe to use up some of my frozen peas and I definitely found it over at Checkered Napkins. This recipe was really easy, really quick, and really delicious. So, since the recipe is so fast I won't waste a lot of time chattering about it.

Penne with Ricotta and Peas
Recipe from Checkered Napkins
1 lb. whole wheat penne
8 oz. part-skim ricotta
1/2 cup grated parmigiana reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen green peas (not baby peas)

• Put a large pot of water to boil. Salt water well, and cook pasta according to package directions. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta, grated cheese, salt, and pepper. When pasta has about 3 minutes left to cook, stir and scoop out about a cup of the cooking liquid. Whisk enough liquid into ricotta mixture to make a sauce consistency.
• When pasta is about a minute away from being done, toss in the frozen peas. Drain pasta and peas, then toss with ricotta mixture. Serve up with more parm, if desired.

My notes: I made this with what I had, regular penne and shredded Parmesan. I like the difference in texture between the more smooth ricotta and the shredded cheese. I also added a little garlic powder, and next time I think I'll add even more. All in all this recipe was great and I'll definitely be using it again.

Seeing Red

I was originally going to make this cake as a Sugar High Friday event entry, but alas things just didn't work out the way I had hoped. In fact, I wasn't going to bother blogging about it at all, except that Josh is crazy about the darn thing. He has had a piece every night he's gotten home from work. Don't tell anyone, but tonight he had two! I agree that the cake is mighty tasty, although I'm not 100% over the moon for the frosting and cake combo. Anyway, I made the cake and icing last Friday night, but once they were each done it was late, so I wrapped everything up and stuck it in the refrigerator. Saturday I leveled the cake layers, got them stocked and put my crumb coat on. That was a little rough, thanks to my laziness in preparing the baking pans with only grease. The outside of the cake was a bit crumby, so I had my doubts about the crumb coat working at all. Well, I popped it back in the fridge, but then ran out of time. I left early Sunday morning for Louisiana for Uncle Sammy's funeral, and didn't get home till late Monday night. So the cake I baked Friday night wasn't completed till Tuesday afternoon. Which only adds to my surprise at Josh thinking it is so great. I pulled this recipe from my grandmother's recipe boxes. It's signed at the bottom with the name of her best friend and former neighbor, so it's not quite a family recipe. And it's almost common knowledge at this point that this cake doesn't actually have it's roots at the Waldorf Astoria, but I'm keeping the title all the same.

Waldorf Red Cake
Recipe from Pat Gilliland; Makes 2 9" cakes

1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/4 cup red food coloring
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon vinegar

• Cream shortening, sugar and eggs. Make paste of cocoa and food coloring and add to mixture. Add buttermilk and salt alternately with flour. Then add vanilla. Lastly add soda and vinegar.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes in 2 9" pans.

My notes: I ended up baking my cakes for about 35 minutes. Also, I used one small bottle of red food coloring, which wasn't quite 1/4 cup. As you can see there wasn't any problem telling what kind of cake it is, so you could definitely use less coloring. I made a basic cream cheese frosting for this cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 8 oz. block cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla

• Beat the butter on medium for 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat for another 2 minutes.
• Sift the confectioners sugar and add to butter and cream cheese. Beat for 2 minutes.
• Add vanilla and beat until well blended, light and fluffy.

My notes: Here in Texas, especially in the summer, this frosting can't stand up to much so this cake has to be kept in the refrigerator.

Soup's On

Last Friday night I made this delightful soup. It was really easy, pretty quick, and a nice light substitute for our usual Chipotle outing. This soup is great for summertime, but I think this could definitely carry over through winter too. It could be great served up with some quesadillas for a heartier meal, but we were plenty satisfied enjoying it with some tortilla chips. This is also nice because it makes up just 2 servings. Perfect for the pair of us, but also something great to throw together for dinner and have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Southwestern Corn Chowder
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 2
1 tablespoon butter
1 scallion, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 10 oz. package frozen corn kernels
1 14.5 oz. can reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk

• In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add white part of scallion, carrot, chili powder, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until scallion is soft, about 2 min. Add potato, corn, broth and milk.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until potato is easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 15-20 minutes. Stir in green part of scallion, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 day.

My notes: Like I said, this soup was very enjoyable. I was glad to actually stumble upon it on another food blog. I had overlooked it in one of my Everyday Food issues, as it was wedged between several pages of ads. I think next time I might add a little red pepper flakes to spice it up just a tad more. Again, I think this would be a great accompaniment to other tex-mex/southwestern dishes. Please note that this includes chicken broth, so not quite vegetarian, but it is a nice no-meat meal all the same.

In Memory

My Uncle Sammy passed away this past Friday morning. I just got back last night from the trip to Louisiana for the funeral. I told Aunt Carol how I named my pancakes after our annual trip to their farm, and she got a kick out of that. So, I thought I would put a link up to that recipe in memory of the good times we had at Uncle Sammy's. You can revisit Labor Day Pancakes here.

Running Behind

This week hasn't turned out exactly as I planned. I had to empty the kitchen cabinets for the pest control to come by for the yearly treatment. And then I had to put it all back. I've got everything back in order except for the pantry, which I will probably procrastinate on until Friday. It's put a bit of a crimp in my cooking plans. But I'll be trying out two new recipes this weekend, so I'll have something more entertaining to post about than my dishes. They're pretty though, aren't they. I like nice clean, crisp white dinnerware.

Marriage Meme

Lindsey tagged me for this marriage meme, so what could I do but oblige. I'm posting this on both my blogs, fyi.

Where did you meet your husband?
Josh and I met in 1997 at the movie theater we both worked at, at the ticket drop to be exact. We were both working usher shifts. His friend Andrew got him a job at the theater. I actually liked Andrew a bit, but he quit when I was out of town one weekend. When I came back to work, there was Josh.

What was the first thing you said to your husband?
I don't remember exactly, but I probably said hi. I know shortly thereafter I asked if he had cleaned a specific theater, cause that's when I found out that no one had explained to him that he was supposed to do that! I do remember that I laughed so much as we cleaned theaters together that night.

Where was the first kiss? First date?
Josh and I were friends first and sort of fell in love with each other without the other one really knowing it. He was going out with my friend, who was also a co-worker, so I never made any moves. Eventually, as we grew closer and closer through our friendship we sort of figured out that we needed to be together. So, I guess maybe when we were hanging out in his room listening to music and he held my hand could be our first date. He took my hand and held it in his for a long time, with neither of us saying anything, as we listened to the Rolling Stones' song Angie. We didn't really discuss it much later either, but after that moment we knew we had to be together and he broke up with his girlfriend.*
It took us a little while to get around to kissing. When we started going out Josh had just gotten his tongue pierced, and he had a bad case of bronchitis. Not exactly perfect make-out conditions. In fact, Josh told me he loved me before we even had our first kiss. But that first kiss was in his bedroom. I don't remember specifics, but I think While My Guitar Gently Weeps might have been playing. I guess it seems strange that I don't remember it that well, but we've kissed a lot since then. :)

Did you have a long courtship?
Brother, you've got no idea! Josh and I met April 5th, 1997. We were dating mid-March 1998, and officially boyfriend/girlfriend April 4th, 1998. We got engaged March 19th, 2005. And we just got married October 6th, 2006. I know a lot of people stop celebrating any 'dating anniversary' when they got married, but I refuse. I put a lot of time in and I'm gonna commemorate it darnnit! In fact, one of the reasons I chose our wedding date is because we now have an anniversary every 6 months. :)

Where did you get engaged?
We got engaged at a club. That probably sounds weird. Josh proposed at a Chemistry Set show at a club called The Moon, which is just a few minutes from our apartment. Almost all our friends and family were there. Including that guy Andrew (see first answer). I honestly hadn't seen him since he quit the theater, which was 8 years prior. But Josh told him about the surprise he had planned and he was so excited to come. It was the second best surprise of the night. To help distract me we went out to dinner with my cousin Angie before the show. As all our parents began to file into the club I had a sneaking suspicion, especially since I knew he had the ring. Towards the end of the show they coerced me up on stage to play shakers on the last song. This had never happened before, so I was pretty sure I knew what was coming. The song has a big build-up ending, but in place of that Josh came out from behind the drums and proposed. Everyone cheered, it was totally awesome, and when I got down from the stage they had one last surprise. The band had learned my favorite Neil Young song, Helpless. Spent the rest of the night talking to all our friends who had come out for the event and having random girls tell me they almost cried.









Where did you get married?
We were married at the YWCA in downtown Fort Worth. It's a historical building with beautiful architecture. And the rental fee you pay goes directly to their programs for women and children, so it's even more beautiful because of it.
















How did the reception go?
Pretty darn good, aside from my caterer being crazy. We got to catch up with friends we hadn't seen in a long time, danced, laughed, and even cried a teeny-tiny bit. We put a lot of work into
our wedding and people noticed- we got compliments on the flowers Steph and I did, the table runners Mom made, and the music- every single song being hand-picked by the two of us.
























How was the honeymoon?
Umm, like the most awesomest ever! We got married on a Friday and left for New Mexico on Sunday. As long as Josh and I had been together (see answer 4), we had never been on a vacation just the two of us. We spent two nights at Casita La Joya, 25 miles south of Taos, which was an absolute pleasure and just what the doctor ordered after months of stressful wedding prep. Then we stayed 4 nights in Santa Fe. We ate some of the most delicious food and saw some incredible sights, including snow on the ground! That seemed like a miracle since it was in the 90's when we left Texas. I think about and miss Santa Fe almost everyday and I can't wait to go back.

























*That whole girlfriend thing probably sounds bad, but he had broken up with her a few weeks earlier. She convinced him to get back together, but that he could see other people- knowing full well that it was me he intended to see. And pretty much after our first 'date', he broke up with her completely. And all we did was hold hands. I'm not some kind of high school home wrecker or anything. :)

Thinking

Feeling a little low in the inspiration department. There seems to be fewer and fewer vegetarian recipes in my Everyday Food issues, and my list of recipes to try seems to contain an increasing amount of meat dishes. Trying to balance things out is getting a little hard. And taking into consideration that half the time Josh will be eating the meal the next day can complicate things. I need to start pushing myself to move out of my comfort zone. There are so many different things I've never cooked with. So many vegetables out there that I've never even tried. How do you convince yourself to push your food boundaries? As soon as I figure that out I might actually have something interesting to put here.

Light and Easy

For last night's dinner I went with something simple and light- wheat pancakes with fruit salad. I followed Jane's pancake recipe and they turned out delicious. These were so good that I ate them just as they are. No syrup, no butter, no sugar- just slightly sweet pancakey goodness. The fruit salad was just something I sort of tossed together. I used 1 green apple, half a pear, a handful of cherries, 1 kiwi, a handful of strawberries, 1 drained can of mandarin oranges, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of sugar and some lime juice. Chop everything into bite sized pieces, except for the oranges, and toss together. I let it chill in the fridge while I made the pancakes.

Wheat Pancakes
Recipe from This Week For Dinner
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

• Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together. Mix wet and dry together- not too much, you want lumpy batter. Cook on medium heat until bubbles are bursting and edges look partially dry. Flip and cook until done.

My notes: Jane's recipe calls for whole wheat flour, I used white whole wheat. White whole wheat still has the whole grains, but is lighter than regular whole wheat. Next time around I'm going to try them with all white whole wheat, and we'll see how that goes.

My Local Farmer's Market

I know, I know- I've clearly been slacking on posts lately. But Thursday night I ate leftover Broccoli Spaghetti, then there was Chipotle Friday, and Saturday we had old school chicken tenders and mac & cheese. So as you can see there wasn't much worth elaborating on. Well, I could go on for hours about Chipotle, but I don't cook it, I just eat it.

Yesterday we stopped by our local farmer's market. Also known as the In-Law's backyard. I know that I have mentioned several times before about the goodies we have gotten, but recently I realized that the rewards I was reaping from their hard work deserved more attention. We stopped by to borrow the Pop-In-Law's truck to move some furniture and I started snapping some pics of the garden in all it's mid-day glory. In the spring there was plenty of greens and the like- romaine, spinach, broccoli, snap peas, carrots, cabage, etc. Early summer was marked by very large zucchini and squash. And now here we are in late summer, or mid-summer in Texas, and we have all these pretty things:







Bell Peppers- these are red ones, but they are growing yellow and green too.









Poblano Peppers- grown especially for chiles rellenos, mmmm






A basketful of okra, some of which are currently residing in my refrigerator and have an appointment with my skillet later this week.






An ear of sweet corn enjoying the summer sun. That's right, my pop-in-law is successfully growing corn in his suburban backyard.






And here's Josh beside the corn to give some perspective. Josh is 6'. I didn't measure the corn, but you get the idea.

Broccoli Spaghetti

Thought I would do a quick write up on tonight's dinner. No pic, the camera wasn't cooperating this evening. This recipe came from Real Simple. I found it online, but it's from the February 2004 issue, if you happen to have a that issue lying around. It seemed like a great way to use the leftover rotisserie chicken I had after making a chicken & spinach pizza Monday night.

Broccoli Spaghetti
Recipe from Real Simple; Serves 4

1 pound spaghetti
1 large head of broccoli (1/2 pound)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded (2 cups)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• Cook spaghetti according to the label directions and drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
• Meanwhile, cut off the broccoli stalk, peel it, and thinly slice it crosswise. Cut the remaining broccoli into small florets. Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, broccoli, and half the salt and cook until the garlic is lightly browned and the broccoli is fork-tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
  
• Add the pasta, the shredded chicken, the reserved pasta water, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and toss well. Drizzle with the remaining oil before serving.

My notes: I totally forgot to add the red pepper flakes, d'oh. It still tasted good, and maybe it's better I forgot the flakes since I don't need to make anything too spicy for Josh. Also, I bought a bag of fresh broccoli florets to save myself some time. That usually works to my advantage because Josh prefers florets over stalk pieces. I just cut some of the larger florets down. I've been buying a lot of rotisserie chickens lately for different uses, and they have been especially handy while Josh has been sick- providing a quick source of tasty protein that won't cause him any difficulty. At the rate I've been buying these I can definitely see myself making these recipes again.

PS: The Minneapolis bridge situation is terribly sad and tragic, so please say a little (or big) prayer for all the people affected.