An Extension on Nothingness

Ok, so before I share my recipes, I'll give you the update on the preschool dilemma. We decided not to put her in. I know, I know...many of you are shaking your heads at me, but I feel good about our decision. We sort of felt unsure about it last year when we enrolled her, but a day or two before the crazy registration sleepover we found out we were pregnant. So...we decided to go ahead and enroll her based on that, thinking that a couple hours a week would help me out a lot with a new baby. But as our circumstances have changed...I don't necessarily need that extra help. There are a couple of other reasons as well, but more than anything it came down to the fact that she's so young; she'll start school soon enough. I had to stop and ask myself why I was rushing it. I didn't really have an answer. So for the same reason I still rock her at night and I still let her sit in her bouncy seat and I still give her a paci at bedtimes...she'll be at home with me for another year. That thought makes me happy. I'm not ready to share. :)

And regarding the transition to the big girl bed...after I wrote that post, Braelyn fell out of her bed two nights in a row. Poor Baby! Those wood floors make for a rude awakening.

Well, enough about my motherhood drama...on to food!

Recipe 1: William-Sonoma's Spaghetti with Spicy Tomato Sauce

The Sauce:

- 2 Tbsp Olive oil

- 4 Cloves of garlic, chopped

- 4 Cans of diced plum or Roma tomatoes, drained (28oz cans)

- 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes

- Salt and pepper to taste

You will also need:

- Salt

- Spaghetti (I used whole wheat)

- 1/4 Cup of fresh basil, thinly sliced

- 1/2 Cup of Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus shards for garnish

* The sauce recipe makes enough for this meal plus more to store for other recipes. I cut the recipe in half and it made plenty.

Prepare the sauce:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic and saute' for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered until the sauce is thick, about 40 minutes.

Cook the pasta:

Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to a boil. Add two tablespoons of salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add as much of the cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce. Divide the pasta among shallow bowls, top with the sauce and garnish with the basil and Parm.

Recipe 2: Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
- 2 Cups of whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 Cups of buttermilk
- 2 Egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1/3 Cup of vegetable oil
- 1/2 Cup of honey
- 1 Cup of blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray. Sift together flour and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter milk, egg whites, oil, and honey until creamy, then stir in blueberries. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Fold together with a rubber spatula until the batter is moist yet remains still lumpy. Pour into muffin cups and bake 18 minutes. (The original recipe said to bake them for 30-35 minutes, but that seems way to long. Around 17-19 minutes they're perfect.)

Hope you guys enjoy these recipes. I really love them both. Again, the pasta is pretty spicy, so you might want to test it before you serve it to the kiddos. And I probably wouldn't serve it to anyone who wasn't an avid tomato lover. It's not very saucey...really just pasta with chunks of spicy tomatoes. As for the muffins, they are delicious! Braelyn likes them, but she pulls out the blueberries. :| She kills me. We'll keep trying though!

Happy cooking and baking!