Happy New Year!! I hope that you all had a great time! What did you do? We stayed home. I wore sweats. I drank great champagne, but I did it in sweats and house slippers. (Does anyone else wear house slippers?! I got some for Christmas and now I am addicted.)
We had a few friends over and ate shrimp cocktail and Pete made his famous Bolognese sauce (recipe in my book), and we drank too much and played Pictionary. And I am not kidding when I tell you that I BARELY was able to make it till midnight! Gaaawwwd we are old. At 9:30 I hot my first wall and then had to really power through to make it! But it was worth it to watch the fireworks at the space needle with the kids (who like completely had more energy than we did at that hour).
So now we had a loafing day. Movies and leftovers, along with a trip to the park to practice Pia riding her new “big girl” bike that she got for Christmas. (Does anyone have any tips on getting her riding with no help? We have never done this before!)
And for this weekend, there will be much more vegging. I feel like we are just clinging to the last few days of what has been a dreamy and relaxing couple of weeks. That is going to include some fast and easy comfort food like this Pasta Puttanesca.
Heavy on the Garlic, chili and briny salt flavors that come from the anchovy paste and the olives- there is some serious impact in flavor for such little effort. Plus this is really nice in this freezing weather we are having- OK have a great weekend and I will see you back here on Monday ready to get going on 2015!!
Recipe: Pasta Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (I used Gluten-free pasta)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons anchovy paste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2/3 cup black oil cured olives
- kosher salt
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large salted pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to the manufacturers directions.
- In a large heavy sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the anchovy paste and red pepper flakes and fry it all together, another 1 minute.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and stir well until everything is combined. Simmer over low heat until the pasta is ready. Briefly drain the pasta and add it to the pan of sauce, cooking it one minute further in the sauce. Add the olives and toss together. Season to taste with kosher salt and serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
Happy New Year Heather! When we were teaching our daughter to transition off the training wheels, we removed the peddles from her ‘big girl bike’ and lowered the seat down just enough so that her toes touched the ground. We had her kinda scoot herself up and down the street, which helped her learn to balance on her own…she was ready for her peddles and was riding around by herself in no time! I hope this little tip helps, good luck! 🙂
Thank you Sara!! We will try that!
For bike riding I learned by going down a slight incline, It was enough to get me momentum to stay upright and get a feel for it/start peddling, but not so steep I felt like I was going to fast. I didn’t learn to ride until 4th grade and struggled forever until I hit a small slope and then it clicked on how to stay upright and get going.
Also this looks delicious.
Thank you for sharing Amanda! I think the balance is the hardest part!
Happy new year! I too am a wearer of slippers, especially since I knitted myself some serious wooly ones last year. So cozy! And I could seriously use a bowl of hearty, warming pasta to step up the coziness even more. 🙂
I believe REI has classes for kids during the summer where they will teach your child to ride a bike. My daughter’s friend took the class last summer and learned to ride during the class. I want to say they are held a Magnuson and the cost is roughly $40. I will definitely be signing my daughter up this summer as I have had zero luck teaching her myself.
THANK YOU Anna!!! that is a great tip!
Sauce looks delicious and yes I cannot walk around my nest without my slippers! As for bikes, my eldest just took off, I was shocked it was that easy. With my youngest for now it was a little more chasing behind the bike but not for too long, he was comfortable within the same day so that I could end my running career at least until we try this again in about four years! Cheers to cycling!
Happy New Year! Adding this to our dinner menu!
I love puttanesca, a big bowl of this pasta by the fire is just what I need!
Sign me up for comfort food. Happy New Year, Heather!
I wear house slippers too! Started when I moved to the mountains. Eek. Puttanesca is my favorite sauce ever!! Wanna dig into your recipe!
I would love a big bowl of this right now!
This is my faaaavoriiiiiiite! And yours is gawgeous. Of course. Happy New Year! (14 days late)
xo!
Thanks so much Bev 🙂