Penne and Peas in Swiss-Almond Cream Sauce

I needed a fast dinner recently, so I turned to the classic: pasta. As the water boiled, I rummaged through the refrigerator. I thought about topping the pasta with the simple beauty of butter and Parmesan; but I took a quick peek around, just to see what else might strike my fancy.

And then I saw the Parmesan-Ranch cheese ball I'd bought on Manager's Special, with a bright orange sticker stating that it was half-price because it was nearing its expiration date.

I love Manager's Specials! I am the queen of Manager's Specials! I buy them, then figure out later what to do with them, much the way folks buy shares of farm produce during the summer and then pick up their goodies each week and determine menus based upon the contents.

So I chopped up some of the cheese ball, which would normally be served with crackers as an appetizer, and stirred it into the hot pasta so that it could melt into a rich, creamy sauce. Some peas for color and nutrition, and dinner was served!


Penne and Peas in Swiss-Almond Cream Sauce

• 1 pound penne
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 ounces Parmesan-Ranch cheese ball coated with almonds
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• pinch of freshly ground pepper
• grated Parmesan, for serving

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain, toss with butter.

Cut cheese ball into 1/2" pieces and stir into pasta; thin with milk. Place onto a serving platter and sprinkle with pepper and Parmesan.

Serves 2-4.

Tuna Mac 'n' Cheese

Anyone who's known me for any length of time knows that I'm frugal: I shop at thrift stores, I search for Manager's Specials (foods being sold at significant discount as they approach their "sell by" date), and I never waste leftovers (even taking gluey oatmeal once and turning it into cinnamon bread).

People who know me also know that I'm a romantic. And I've never cared whether someone had fabulous wealth or not, whether they'd spoil me like a princess or buy me luxurious meals at expensive restaurants. Because that's not what's important. (Not to mention that I can cook a pretty good meal myself!)

One of my mottos in life is that "You can always eat 39-cent macaroni and cheese; what matters is having someone to share your 39-cent macaroni and cheese with."

And so, when deciding upon dinner one night, Tom and I decided to be exceedingly frugal as well as celebrating having someone to share the 39-cent macaroni and cheese with.

I'd mentioned to him once that you could make a mock tuna casserole by tossing peas and tuna into the macaroni; he'd never had that before, usually adding chopped hot dogs to his. So we made the variation for dinner one evening: Tuna Mac 'n' Cheese.

I prepared our dinner while Tom lit a candle and set the table with cloth napkins. Then we enjoyed a meal of consummate comfort food while appreciating that each of us again has someone whose priorities are in the right order.

It didn't matter that we may have been eating the cheapest meal we've ever shared; it only mattered that we were eating the 39-cent macaroni and cheese together ... :)

Tuna Mac 'n' Cheese

1 7.25-ounce box macaroni and cheese
1 cup frozen peas
1 5-ounce can tuna, drained
2 tablespoons butter
1/3-1/2 cup milk, to taste
generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add macaroni and cook for 6 minutes. Add peas and cook for 2 more minutes until macaroni is tender; drain. Return macaroni to the saucepan, and stir in tuna, butter and milk. Empty the cheese packet over the macaroni and add the pepper; stir until combined well.

Serves 2-4.

Garlic Scape Season Has Arrived!

It's garlic scape season! I've been waiting all year for this precious 2-3 week period, and it's finally arrived!

And what, exactly, is a garlic scape? According to WiseGeek.com:

"The garlic scape serves as the stem from which the seed head of the garlic bulb is formed. As the bulb begins to grow and mature, garlic stalks also begin to lengthen. During the growth period, the garlic scape begins to curve. Contained within the garlic scape is a great deal of flavor, although the stalk never does reach the level of the pungent garlic bulb itself."

My friend and fellow Michigan Lady Food Blogger, the charming and radiant Diana Dyer, and her sweetheart of a husband are garlic farmers; and they're my sole trusted source of the precious scapes at the various farmers' markets in the area, with many varieties to offer and a wealth of information to generously share.

Here are just three of the many options available, each with its own distinctive bite or lack thereof:




The Dyers tend to their garlic farm with wholehearted devotion: Diana told me that if they were to count each time the garlic is cared for in one way or another, it would probably total 20-25 separate events, from planting to harvesting.

And so, the garlic which will be available later this summer is amazingly wonderful, with each bulb offering its own strengths and colors and virtues.

But to me, the scapes are the most prized -- not only for their flavor and versatility, but also because one must respect and accommodate their moment of glory. Scapes represent seasonal eating, as they are only available for a short while. Then they become a happy memory and something to long for and anticipate through the rest of the year, with late Spring bringing their joyous return.

Diana asked me how I prefer to prepare the scapes because, of course, she would recommend different varieties depending upon my plans.

As much as I adore her justly famous scape pesto recipe, my favorite thing to do is saute them in butter ... a simple, flavorful preparation that showcases the scapes' flavor with little intrusion from other ingredients.

This time I added some white wine (I used Flip Flop Wines Riesling, a most generous marketing gift!) and a touch of cream, to infuse the sauce with more depth and richness.

Then I tossed some pasta and peas into the sauce, for a luxuriously sophisticated yet ridiculously easy dinner. And it was just perfection, after waiting an entire year for the opportunity to eat this luscious meal again ....



Pasta and Peas with Garlic Scapes

6 ounces whole wheat pasta shells
1 cup frozen green peas
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
generous sprinkling of red pepper flakes
pinch of kosher salt
4 garlic scapes, minced
1/3 cup white wine
2 tablespoons cream
parmesan, for serving

Prepare the pasta according to package directions, adding the peas for the last minute of cooking.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and oil together over medium-low heat. Add the red pepper flakes, salt and garlic scapes; saute for 1 minute. Stir in the wine and bring to a boil; cook until reduced by half. Stir in the cream.

When the pasta is ready, pour the sauce over it and stir to combine. Place onto a serving platter and top with parmesan.

Serves 2-4.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

First of all, I've gotta defend myself -- I'm probably the least contrary person I know! I'm pretty adaptable and agreeable, and like to think that I'm haymish (Yiddish = "warm and welcoming").

I'm also not a horticulturist or landscaper by any means, but I always have a backyard garden. Last year's didn't do very well, for inexplicable and anomalous reasons, but I'm hoping for better results this time. I'll also have a larger plot, thanks to the beneficence of Project Grow and its community gardens, so that will double my chances of success!

I always grow tomatoes and basil -- unlike zucchini, you can never have too many or too much of either one of these. If I find I have an abundance of the former, I roast them and puree them into sauce to put in the freezer. It also takes a fair amount of the latter to make pesto, which also finds its way to cold storage for the winter. And that's not even counting the multiple uses for each entity during the summer itself -- salads, basil vinaigrette, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, you name it!

This year, Jeremy and I picked out two varieties of tomato: sweet cherry tomatoes


and beefsteak tomatoes whose tags promise bounty weighing 2 pounds each, which will be tempting to the woodchucks who like to visit my backyard every year and steal from me even though the tomatoes are too big for them to carry and they end up dropping them after ruining them .... take a deep breath, now! Stop carrying that grudge!

(Yes, by the way, I'm aware that my babies look the same at this point, with no distinguishing red fruits to make them appear like fraternal rather than identical octuplets ....)

Jeremy also asked if we could grow peas, which -- along with corn and carrots -- are about the only vegetable he actually enjoys. He's a good eater, and even when he was little he proudly pronounced that spinach souffle was his favorite food. But those three are the only ones I can guarantee he'll eat. So I said, "Sure!" even before he pointed out how much I like to shuck peas. We both win -- good wholesome food, and some pre-cooking entertainment for lil' ol' me.

And I do love to shuck peas, although most people would find it a waste of time and brain function. I find it very relaxing, just like pitting cherries in July when the tart varieties that Michigan specializes in growing will appear. Turn on some tunes, sit in the sun and pretend I don't live my life under fluorescent lights in an office, and peel those pods off those peas! I'd show you their picture, but they look fairly pitiful right now. Let's let them buff up a bit, shall we? But no steroids -- I only grow organic gardens.

So, that's it for the tour. You've met the cast, now let's see how this production plays out ....