December 12
Crock Pot Pasta
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- Crockpot Tomato-Vegetable Sauce [View Recipe]
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Ingredients
- 1 small onion (peeled)
- .5 large bell pepper (rinsed)
- 1 medium parsnip (rinsed, peeled)
- 1 stalk celery (rinsed)
- 1 large carrot (rinsed, peeled)
- 28 ounces tomatoes (drained)
- 3 sprigs thyme (cleaned)
- 3 sprigs parsley (cleaned)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 clove garlic (smashed and peeled)
- salt & pepper
Instructions
We prep the vegetables, chopping them and adding them to our 2.5 quart crockpot. We have about ½ cup of onions, ½ cup of red pepper, 3 tablespoons of parsnips, ¼ cup of celery, and ¾ cup of carrots. We stir in the tomatoes, herbs, and garlic, turn to high, cover, and cook for 4 hours.
We taste the sauce for seasoning, adding salt and pepper and pour into a large bowl. We remove the bay leaf and the stems of the herbs, and then purée using our immersion blender. We serve the sauce over cooked pasta.
- Sautéed Broccoli Rabe [View Recipe]
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Ingredients
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe
- salt & pepper
- 1 clove garlic (peeled and smashed)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- red pepper flakes
Instructions
We start by heating a large pot with water over high heat. We will first blanch the broccoli rabe.
We clean our broccoli rabe well in a colander, cutting off and discarding the thick stems. We then chop it coarsely on our cutting board. When the water is boiling, we add salt and the broccoli rabe. We cook for just a couple of minutes, we want it bright green and just tender.
We drain in the rinsed colander and sprinkle with cold water. We pat it dry while we heat a large pan with olive oil and the garlic clove.
We add the broccoli rabe to the garlic and oil and toss with tongs. After a couple of minutes, we season with a little more salt and some freshly ground black pepper, removing the garlic clove. We serve the rabe with crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy contrast to the "bite" of the vegetable.
- Chorizo
- Fresh Farmers' Market Bread
After enjoying the last farmers' market until May, we had ourselves a typical winter Sunday afternoon—card games, football, laundry and a few errands.
We were able to stop at Office Depot for an "organizer" that our daughter insisted on getting. One of her little girlfriends found a pencil case there with compartments for different school supplies. She originally thought this could be had at any Home Depot, but, after realizing her mistake, has had her heart set on an Office Depot visit for two weeks or so. Happily, we were able to find the pencil case/organizer. Chris got air for the computer, which the rest of the family found quite amusing.
Robin did try to take the kids to see the Polar Express, but found it sold out when they arrived 15 minutes before showtime. This after Chris assured her that it was impossible for it to be sold out ("What? Are you kidding me?"). They settled for a quick trip to Michael's instead.
On such a cold winter day, a little comfort food was the perfect ending. That and ice cream.