my husband loves me for my sourdough croutons

Rosie is napping. She had a high fever last night, but was still in good spirits. Today the fever is mild.

Jack is helping some friends paint their new home.

I am prepping for dinner. Most Saturday nights, after Rosie goes to bed, Jack and I cook something extremely delicious, often Italian, and eat it with a bottle of wine and a good movie playing. Once a month we get take-out instead. This is one of the best parts of every week for me.

Tonight I'm using some garden produce - basil and cherry tomatoes.

Caesar Salad
(Romaine, Parmesan, S&P, Caesar dressing, homemade croutons, and maybe chopped boiled egg.)

Croutons:
Preheat oven to 300.

Mix a couple tablespoons EVOO with S&P and garlic salt. Brush over tops of three slices slightly stale sourdough bread. Cut into cubes. Bake in the oven until crisp.
(I just made these and I want to eat them all right now.)


Basil Spinach Pasta (adapted from here)

* 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil and 1/2 cup baby spinach
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 2-3 tablespoons water
* 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1. Using a food processor, process basil and spinach leaves until chopped very fine. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour and pulse two or three times, or until combined. Add egg, 1 teaspoon oil, and the water until dough forms a ball shape. If dough seems dry, add a bit more water. Wrap dough in a piece of plastic wrap which has been coated in a few drops of olive oil. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours.

2. Remove dough from refrigerator, and cut into 6 equal size portions. Roll with rolling pin to desired thickness. Use the additional flour to coat pasta while rolling. Slice.

3. Allow pasta to dry for one hour prior to cooking.

4. Cook in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. This should take only a 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta.


Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce (adapted from here)

* 3/4 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1-2 Tbs olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* dash dried crushed red pepper
* 1 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Combine tomatoes, oil, garlic, vinegar, and crushed red pepper in glass baking dish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes are tender and juicy, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Stir in oregano. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)


Then: Cook pasta. Drain and return to stove. Add tomatoes, kalamata olives (for him, but not for me!), and feta cheese. Stir over medium heat until cheese melts and is creamy. Bon appetit.