GAH.

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

GAAAAHH.

GGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SO…

Yeah… this dish was kind of hard. I found the recipe in a certain cookbook-which-shall-remain-unnamed-out-of-due-respect-for-the-chef, but as is our custom here on YPH, I have chosen to present it the way I saw and experienced it in my mind. I got lost somewhere around step 2, and pretty much had to improvise from that point on- so here’s my version. It looks nothing like the picture in the book. But hey, it’s pretty good. Buckle up…

Creamy Pasta with Corn and Bacon and Stuff in it, Suitable to Cook for the Pope or Somebody

(most ingredients optional)

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 pound of fettuccine pasta
• 6 ears of corn
• The Lost Ark of the Covenant
• a couple of small peppers (I used 3 bell peppers- I think that’s what they were, anyway, I don’t know, man)
• Garlands of fresh herbs and spices (1 handful each of fresh thyme, basil, and parsley, chopped)
• The Nobel Peace Prize
• Chicken stock OR beef stock OR dry white wine
• 6 strips of bacon
• Half and half
• Hot sauce
• The Crown Jewels of the British Empire
• Olive oil
• Parmesan cheese

1. Boil a pot of water for the pasta.
2. Then do that. Boil that pasta.
3. While that’s happening, remove the leafy bits and those little bleeping string thingies from the corn. Cut the kernels of corn off the ears into a large bowl. This takes several millennia.
4. Toss in the peppers with the corn.
5. Take about a fourth of the corn mixture and set it aside. (Got all this so far?)
6. Drizzle the olive oil in a skillet and cook the bacon in it.
7. Once the bacon is crispy, pour in 1/2 a cup of the stock/stock/wine and most of the corn (the bigger amount, not the smaller one. Confused yet? Me too.)
8. Forget to put int the salt and pepper.
9. Check on the pasta. Trust me, it’s a good idea at this point- just drain it whenever it’s done…
10. Toss the small amount of corn with 1/2 a cup of half and half into the blender and liquify it.
11. Pour the creamy stuff you just made into the skillet with the bacon and all that other stuff.
12. Stir the skillet mixture together, and also stir in a dash of the hot sauce.
13. Simmer all of that for about 5 minutes. Remember the salt and pepper sometime around minute 4.
14. Toss the herbs together with the pasta, and flop it into the skillet.
15. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese. Feeds several hundred.

L probably told me something important that would make this whole thing a lot easier, and I probably totally missed it. I think I’ll double check next time, and ask her for some help.

-J

FALL…

…is here.

We have been waiting for fall…cool weather, decorations, all things pumpkin and apple cider related. Yum.

To welcome the season that shall arrive quickly, we made a wreath on our door this afternoon.

How we made this:

*one foam wreath

*roll of burlap (ours was about 3 in. wide)

*bunch of fake flowers (whatever you like- we liked the size and color of these)

*a wooden letter (and perhaps some paint, if you like the chevron look we made)

*wide ribbon (again, whatever you like- we chose orange wire ribbon with gold polka dots and and brown/white patterned ribbon)

….we also made some warm, hearty foods. Well, food…but made in TWO ways.

FOOD(s) 1:

Ratatouille over Baked Potatoes

You will need:

*2 baby eggplant

*2 baby zucchini

*a red and a yellow bell pepper

*2 onions

*can of diced tomatoes

*2-3 stalks celery

*olive oil

*salt and pepper

*oregano, parsley and basil

*potatoes (baked in the oven)

1. Chop all the vegetables into about the same size pieces (diced-ish)

2. Drizzle olive oil into crock pot.

3. Dump in everything else, with an extra drizzle of olive oil.

4. Go to the farmers’ market for 5 hours while this cooks on high.

5. Serve over baked potato (we paired a lovely red wine with this for lunch).

FOOD(s) 2:

Roasted Vegetable Soup

You’ll Need:

*leftover ratatouille (no potatoes necessary)

*chicken stock (1 cup)

*provolone cheese (or whatever type you may want on top)

1. Purée ingredients 1 and 2 in a blender.

2. Heat in pan.

3. Serve with cheese on top.

We enjoyed both of these this weekend, and they were each great in their own way!

 

-j and l