Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes

I didn't get out of the house this week for many leisure activities considering my work load and a slight battle with a cold.  So, in lieu of a foodie review, I am posting a recipe.

I made this Pasta with fresh grape tomatoes for a few friends who were over to visit.  It was served to rave reviews, but I know it as an old stand by that you can make with any tomato and as much garlic as you can tolerate.

Like all pasta dishes, you start by boiling the water and adding the Pasta once it comes to a rolling boil.  I always salt the water, so the pasta has extra flavor once drained.

The ingredients are simple and must be fresh.  I use a pint of grape tomatoes for half of a pound of pasta. This will over serve two people or stretch to three.  I use double that for four people.
First off, slice the grape tomatoes in half, allowing the juices to flow once heated.

Then the garlic.  I like about three cloves for two people.  You can use less if your a garlic wuss, but generally more is better.  Peel, mince and add to hot olive oil in a deep sided fry pan.

Add a little salt and pepper to the garlic and let it get golden brown.  Don't burn the garlic by going to check on what dastardly deed your children are up to, like me.  Or, you will have to start over like I did, by cleaning out the pan and using new oil and garlic. There is simply no fix for burnt garlic.

Then add the fresh tomatoes.  Let them heat through and the skins will start to burst and the sauce will form from the cooking tomatoes.  I used the back of my spoon to squish them in to submission.  This helps the cooking along.  Lets face it, this is such a quick recipe, its sick!  Unfortunately, I am still more impatient than this recipe is quick. That is just life.

After the tomatoes have cooked a bit.  I add some salt and pepper, and a bit of wine. Any red wine you have on hand will do, if you don't have any leave it out, but it adds a depth of flavor you will come to love and miss if it is not there.

Let the wine cook out and the sauce will start to tighten up.  Lower the heat, and add some pecorino romano cheese and basil.

The sauce is done and should be served over your drained pasta.  This sauce is so flavorful it need not be poured over every blade of pasta.  A nice smattering in the center of your pasta is plenty.  Serve with a wonderful helping of pecorino. 

This is such a quick and yummy recipe, worth throwing in your weekly arsenal. Better yet, serve it for some friends and share the love. 

WOW....Cooking Cooperation and it tastes Grrreat!

Alright my fellow foodies, I used my new oven for the first time today.  I decided to bake a batch of cookies for the kids (and their Mom) and check out the features of this new oven.

First, I really underestimate the difference a new oven would make.  I used the convection feature, which automatically converts your recipe to convection time and temp making the transition seamless.

Second, the actual oven temp and not just the target temp is on the display, letting you know how its doing.

My cookies looked as if they weren't cooking at all for the first few minutes, but when they came out, it was like a commercial result.

The cookies were soft but slightly crisp on the outside and perfectly almost freakish even on the bottom.

I have to admit, that I thought my old oven did a great job. I mean these cookies always came out great.   I tweaked the recipe on the back of the chip back a few years ago and have never looked back.  I never got such even results front to back of oven and from batch to batch.  WONDERFUL.


My only complaint right now is the start and clear button on the electronic interface are really close together. I shut everything off a few time while trying to start the time and set the temp.  This may be user error, but I will have to watch more closely how to press the buttons.

Work Now, Food Later

I have a crazy two weeks coming up with work and won't have much time to do blogging, but my hope is to do a few features of local foodie spots.  My first one will be of the Majestic Lunch in Pittston, PA.  This place is now closed, but was in operation from what I believe was the 1940's until earlier this year.  I have all the photo's for the story already and will be composing the draft soon.  This will be a sort of historical memory book since the best place to get a dog in a 100 mile radius is now closed.  Those who know it will love the look back, and those who have never been will hopefully be inspired to find a little joint like it and keep that one open.  Stay tuned.

The start of the Profile

The old Magic Chef is gone.  A new shiny GE Profile has been installed.  By whom, you ask?  Your reading her!  That's right, after paying for what the sales person said was delivery, unpack, install and make sure it worked before they leave, the delivery people, brought the wrong cord, wouldn't install it, wouldn't remove my old stove because it was still plugged in to the wall, left the unpacked stove in the middle of my kitchen and ran.  To hhgregg's credit the manager did what he could to make the situation better by helping me when I picked up the new cord at the store, refunding my delivery charge and giving me some instruction on how to wire and install the stove.  I followed the written instructions, which were horrible, but got all the wires in the right spot and believe it or not, it works.  There are two small watermarks on the front of the stainless steel that I am not happy about, but really at this point, I don't think I have the energy to complain.

The stove looks awesome.

I have yet to try the oven, but have turned on at least three burners.  Here is the irony ....it was so late after I left work, went to the store, came home and installed the stove that my dinner consisted of a salad and a lean cuisine  IN THE MICROWAVE!!!!!!!! 

The End of the Magic Chef

Well, the day has come.  My trusty, but not so glamorous, Magic Chef slide in range circa 1980 is making its final  sunny side up this morning.  The Magic Chef and I first met up purchasing our home in 2003.

 The entire house was vintage, mint condition seventies inspired house, which I slowly updated room by room and surface by surface. One of the last remaining bastions of the old guard was Magic Chef.  I thought for certain that when we purchased the house, it would soon make its final meal. To my delight and sometimes dismay, it kept right on cooking.   Brett, my husband, did have to replace the oven thermostat in 2005 and recently I have been cooking on only two burners.  What happened to the other two you ask.  Well, they work.  Unfortunately, cooking often, not always, but often requires some temperature control. These two burners had lost their ability to cooperate with the control handles and pretty much when from off, to really low, to nuclear with out any justification. This made cooking somewhat challenging.

With impending company and the siren of Fourth of July appliance sales, I broke down and bought a new stainless range with double oven.  Yippee.  Here is the link.
http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=PS978STSS

He's a beauty, no?  I hope to have him delivered today while I am at work, and I hope to cook my first meal on him tonight.  Wish me luck.