Well, friends, after a long weekend away for our annual trip to Ocean City, Md., LeeLee and I have returned rested and revived, ready to take on the remainder of the week. This weekend, we played Skee-Ball. We traveled in a coffin-shaped car through a haunted house. We pedaled a two-person surrey down the boardwalk and back. We lounged on the beach reading two new-to-us used books (both featuring the cast of “Dallas,” I must confess) for hours. We boogie-boarded, we sunbathed, and we relaxed.
But what we did not do was put dinner in the Crock-Pot this morning, for we were not here. So there will be no Crock-Pot Monday this week; it’ll return next week in fine form!
However, we did make it home with time to spare to make a fresh dinner for ourselves. Ocean City was Big Fun, but it was not necessarily a home-cooked health-fest! So tonight I went out to the back yard, cut a stem off our basil plant, and whipped up a batch of lemon-basil pasta.
You might remember that lemon-basil pasta is a springtime and summertime favorite around Chez Recessionista, especially when the basil is fresh from the yard and the cherry tomatoes are at the peak of ripeness! And as it happened, I had a box of rotini on hand, just waiting to be cooked up. So the only ingredients I needed from the store were three lemons and a block of Gruyere – easily procured!
While the rotini boiled, I placed chopped basil leaves, cherry tomatoes, diced Gruyere, lemon juice, salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar into a large bowl and mixed everything around well. Then I tossed the pasta with the sauce and veggies once it had cooked through to al dente. And then: We ate!
Actually, we tried to eat, but we spent half of our meal shooing the cat away. She’s not usually a beggar for people food, but our three nights out of town has left her a bit more attention-starved than usual, and that manifests in several (semi-obnoxious) ways. Tonight, her action plan was to attempt drive-by thefts of our food, again and again and again. She did not succeed, but she was also undeterred. Now, she is sleeping soundly on the sofa. Go figure.
We had a great trip, but it’s good to be home. And even better to know we’ve got lemon basil pasta leftovers waiting for tomorrow’s lunch!
:)