Orecchiette with Cherry Tomatoes, Mozzarella & Basil Pesto

We tried this recipe on Sunday and loved it!  Very good, and very quick to put together.  I added a few of my comments in green below.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. orecchiette pasta
kosher salt
2 T. olive oil
1/2 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved -put all of these tomatoes in - mmmmm :)
2 T. basil pesto
1/2 lb. ciliegene (small balls) mozzarella (We used the small balls of mozzarella, but when I make this again I will just buy regular fresh mozzarella and cut it up.)
fresh basil - If you have small tender leaves, leave them whole; otherwise, chiffonade the basil
parmesan
fresh cracked black pepper
*We added a little chicken for Scott, but it definitely didn't need to have it

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of kosher salt. Add pasta and cook till al dente, about 9 minutes. (Package instructions said 11 minutes but the pasta will continue cooking as its tossed with the other ingredients so it’s best to undercook it a little bit.) Drain pasta. Do not rinse.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 30 seconds. Add pasta and pesto. Cook 1 minute, stirring to coat pasta with the pesto. Add the mozzarella. Stir to incorporate. Add the fresh basil and remove from the heat.

Divide pasta among bowls and sprinkle each with freshly grated parmesan. Crack the pepper overtop and serve.

Servings:  4

Scotland Run - 10K

I ran my 10k last Saturday!  The course was the loop through Central Park.  It was super crowded, but very fun!  It was the Scotland Run so there were a lot of people in Kilts, and people playing bagpipes at the mile markers.  I was worried it was going to be really cold, but it was perfect weather for a run.  Scott came down with me cheered me on at the finish line.  I ran 11 min/miles, so not very fast at all... but my goal was not to stop at all and I accomplished that.  I also enjoyed running, which shows I have come a long way :)

I have decided that running is a mental game for me.  If I tell myself I can't do it, then I can't and I have to stop.  I am slowly learning this and now give myself encouragement during my runs.  I did this during the race, when I was running uphill.  I would tell myself that it wasn't bad, and felt good, and at the top I would get the reward of running downhill.  It totally worked, and I enjoyed the run!  Now I just need to tell myself to run faster! 

Wet Paint

Anyone that knows me well know that when I see a sign that says "Wet Paint" I just have to touch to see if it's really wet.  This was no exception when my parents and sister Courtney were in town last week.  We were down in the subway station, waiting for the train and we saw the sign.  Courtney and Scott pointed it out and dared me to touch it. There were other people on the platform, so we tried to be sneaky and take a picture quickly (which explains the blurriness).

P.S. It wasn't wet!

Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles

I made these on Sunday, and they turned out really well!  I thought I would share the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups sugar (12.25 oz), divided
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups (12.5 oz) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt*
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter* (not margarine) at room temp
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 large eggs
*if using salted butter, just omit table salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in shallow dish and set aside. Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.

Beat butter, shortening, and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

Reduce speed of mixer to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give dough final stir to ensure that no flour pockets remain.

I chilled my dough at this point to make it easier to roll into balls.

Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls. Working in batches, roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until edges of cookies are set and just barely beginning to brown, but centers are still soft and puffy, about 10-12 minutes. The cookies should look raw between the cracks and seem underdone. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Makes about 2 dozen 3-4 inch cookies.

Newsies

My parents and younger sister Courtney came to visit us this last week.  They took us to see Newsies on Broadway.  It was AMAZING!!  I loved it!  The dancing was so fun to watch in person.  If you have a chance to see Newsies, definitely go.  I want to see it again!

25th Birthday!

My birthday was on March 30th, it was a great day!  

My day started off with waking up to these decorations Scott put up for me while I was sleeping:)  I was very impressed - I love our tradition of decorating for birthdays. 

Some friends at work took me out for lunch.  I had delicious cupcakes, and other things that people brought in.  The work day went by really fast.

After work I went with Scott and my friend Maddie to see The Hunger Games.  I was excited to see it because I liked the books.  The movie did not disappoint at all!  It was really good - I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!

After the movie, Maddie came over with her husband Dan and we had birthday dessert.  We had my traditional Strawberry Shortcake - mmmmm :)  I can't remember a year where I did not have that for my birthday dessert.    

Scott spoiled me with the last season of Boy Meets World and a few other things.  I can now say that I own all of the seasons of Boy Meets World!

It was a fantastic birthday!  Here's to next year!