Sometimes Simple, Sometimes Grand, Always Declicious
I’m not sure why I waited so long to get this soup up on the blog. I love one pot meals and this dish definitely fits into that category. It’s a staple at our house all through the cold weather season. Not that you need convincing, of course, but here’s why I can’t stop eating the stuff:…
Ever been to Panera and tried out one of their broth bowls? Well I have and I love them with a serious foodie passion. I’ve eaten all the varieties and my favorite by far is the quinoa bowl. It just feels healthy. Being the flexible vegetarian that I am, I tend to order it with the egg. My husband and boys, on the other hand, are meat lovers to the extreme so for them, chicken it is….
Mention the word “Stuffed” to me in reference to food and my eyes will almost always light up with anticipation. I can see you nodding your head in agreement with me. And why wouldn’t you?
While food in itself is delightful, food stuffed with more food is usually double the pleasure. It only makes sense when you stop to think about it. Seriously, why eat a lonely graham cracker when you can have one with chocolate and marshmallow in the middle? Peppers and mushrooms are perfectly capable of standing on their own two feet, but drop in a little cheese and crumbled meat if you really want to see them dance. And of course there’s pasta shells. They’re just begging to be stuffed with any and all form of culinary delight.
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Summer is coming to an end and while not everything was a success over at my little community garden plot, the basil thrived. Never mind that I didn’t even plant basil. Hey, if it shows up in my 10 ft. sq. plot, it’s fair game.
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Kids say the darndest things. Last night we were sitting down to dinner, enjoying some quality time, when Alex made a sudden declaration that he didn’t like meat. “All meat?” I inquired. “No meat.” he replied. So I asked him the next logical question that came to my mind. “Do you think you might want be a vegetarian when you grow up?” An overly exaggerated look of utter frustration washed over his face as he rolled his eyes at me and sighed. “I thought we already discussed this. I want to be an ice cream truck driver when I grow up!” Silly, silly mommy for asking such a ridiculous question. But hey, as long as he drives his truck through my neighborhood it’s all good to me.
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Whether the temperature outside registers it or not, it’s officially springtime across the country. Down here in the South the beginnings of foliage are starting to show and the first flowers of the season are in full bloom.
Spring is my favorite time of year. I love watching life blossom back into view and bring the promise of warmer days. Leaves make themselves visible, flowers open their petals to drink in the springtime sunshine and birds start to look for the perfect nesting area to expand their family. I feel as though we wake up a bit too. We shed our extra layers, spend more time outside enjoying the warming days, and begin to put away our hearty soups and stews in exchange for lighter fare.
This dish was inspired by my adoration of the changing season. With fresh basil, spinach, and tomatoes all present and swirled around the pleasurable taste of ricotta cheese, a bite of this meal makes me instantly blithe to say goodbye to winter and hello to the warmer months ahead.
There are only a few steps involved in making this pasta; another reason I find a smile creeping onto my face when I make it. Start off by dropping in a smattering of ingredients and spices. Think garlic, white wine, lemon juice, and chicken broth to name a few.
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