A Lovely Day

Spaghetti Squash Spinach Casserole

Realizing saved items in the freezer need to be rotated quicker or you will never be enthused enough to use them, I brought out the spaghetti squash and frozen spinach for a fun dump casserole.  I used my leftover homemade pizza sauce and cheese along with mushrooms and onions to make this baked veggetti.  

A nice bitter Radicchio and Apple salad balanced out the meal.

Everybody Spoke and I Went Into A Dream

 Woke up a few too many times with that familiar stabbing chest pain, legs like throbbing lead so I just came out at 5:30 am and sat on the couch, listening to the birds.  Feeling much better after coffee I took a long walk that I regretted quickly upon returning.  After about an hour of feeling so energized in the sun, I headed back to the apartment and through the park but when I reached the hill my lungs threw out a red flag.  The streets of Brooklyn are not the place you want to feel vulnerable.  My spirit crashed leaning on the stone wall as the runners whizzed by me so fast leaving me too aware of my worsening state.  For a few minutes I thought I may need to ask strangers for help, eyeing them all looking so normal, happily chatting in another realm entirely.  I was dizzy, my face flushed. I made it home before everything seized up and I boarded the COVID train once more.  

I spent the rest of the day laying on the couch but got up to make this one-pot potato, pepper, chorizo and egg scramble.  

Save My Soul, I'll Save Some For You

This is a golden opportunity for influencers to talk about how they are creating amazing dinners in their upstate homes for their beautiful families with pantry items and leftovers.  How clever they are for being so resourceful, something many of us do everyday and have done for ages.  And that someone will be highly praised for it I'm sure and featured in the NY Times Cooking section.  Meanwhile, us regular folks may have some highlight moments of our own up our sleeves during this isolation period. 

A small taster bowl for P 

Pasta, cooking liquid, gravy, hot sauce and pulled pork

Today, mine was this Vibrant Mexican Spaghetti!  I woke up so grateful to not be sick and with a huge appetite.  I had a strong craving for noodles in a slightly creamy yet not heavy sauce.  But I had all this shredded pork and hot sauce leftover, not to mention this amazing pork gravy that I thought to do over a biscuit but have no flour.  I probably would not have attempted this in a normal setting but am SO glad I did.  Each component brought it's own package of punch and together, they worked in a special way.  The pasta absorbed all the strong spicy flavors of my homemade hot sauce and then the gravy along with the cooking liquid gave it silkiness and clung like hugs to that pasta.  The pork loved the noodles and instantly all became best friends.  I topped with a few cilantro leaves and Cotija cheese for that slightly sour bite to cut through any heaviness.  The closest thing I can compare it to is Asian spicy noodles but with all the flavors of Mexico.  

My Big Girl portion

It literally took 15 minutes and I cooked and sauced in one pan.  I was thinking this might not be easy to recreate but then I realized, it could be a great Thanksgiving leftover dish, just subing the pork for turkey and giblet gravy!