Pasta with Greens, Prosciutto, Raisins, & Pine Nuts

I first learned about this recipe when I lived in Rome. My friend Kristen made it for a group of American college students who came to Rome on their spring break to join with us in ministry.  She braised some chicken in this gorgeous, stewy sauce of cannellini beans, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh rosemary, and other ingredients.  She served the chicken/beans with a lovely pasta of farfalle, sautéed spinach and garlic, pine nuts, raisins, prosciutto, a heavy drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and lots of grated Parm.

 

I totally forgot about this pasta dish--- and in our almost 3 years of marriage, I don't think I've ever made it for Dr. Bud!  How sad.  Granted, with ingredients like prosciutto, pine nuts, and real Parmigiano-Reggiano, it's kind of an expensive dish.

 

I don't know what made me remember this pasta tonight, but I'm so glad I did!  I texted my friend Chris for a refresher on the ingredients needed for it-- and got to work.

 

Pasta with Greens, Prosciutto, Raisins, & Pine Nuts

serves 2

 

First, I diced some red onion-- about 1/4 cup, but you could easily use shallots, OR leave this out altogether... and 1 clove of minced garlic. (or 2 if you're feeling frisky.) :)

 

Add this to your pan with a few swirls of olive oil.

 

Saute your onions/garlic with whatever greens you'd like.

Tonight, I used a mixture of baby spinach and baby kale. (probably 3ish cups raw)

Also, I did NOT have any Prosciutto sitting around in my fridge... but I did have some nitrate-free deli ham. LOL. I used about 5 slices, diced them up, and threw them in.  (If you do this as well, note that it's worth your time to separate the little slices to give the thinly-sliced-Prosciutto-effect). :)

 

 

Next, cook and drain 1/2 a box of pasta.  Add the pasta to the pan of greens/etc.

 

 

While your pasta water is hot, add in 1/4 to 1/3 cup (or so) of raisins. You can use any kind you want. I think it's a genius move to put your raisins directly in a spider strainer like this- so that after a couple minutes, you can lift them right out and add them to the pan!

NOTE: Even if you don't like raisins-- TRY THEM in this dish! :)

 

 

Next, add in a couple handfuls of pine nuts------- maybe 1/4 to 1/3 cup.

 

ohhhhh PARM <3

 

 

Okay- now grate yourself a mountain of Parm, cause it's delightful.

Stir to incorporate----- swirl extra olive oil if you feel it needs it.

Salt and pepper to taste. :) 

 

 

Now serve yourself a bowl or plate full... and go ahead and grate another Parm-mountain. You deserve it. :)

 

Buon appetito! :)

 

End note: upon eating this when he eventually got home at 10pm (oh vascular service...), he said, "Hey! This is just like the Italian version of 'Korma!"  Gosh. With the raisins and pine nuts-- and sweet/savory taste... He is SO. RIGHT. :)  My husband never ceases to amaze me!! <3

freezable mini frittatas (frittate) :)

For those of you that know her story, my precious Momma has had a really, REALLY hard last couple years. Cancer... a car wreck... open heart surgery... she's basically been to Sheol and back.

 

Anyway, she really needed a BREAK, so my sister and I planned a trip and took our Mom to her favorite place on earth: Disney World. :)  It was REALLY fun (we hadn't been there in over a decade!)-- but I still wanted to be a blessing to the dear doctor while I was gone for a week.

check us out with The Mouse himself! :)



I made a ton of meals and stuck in the fridge/freezer, and here is one of my creations: Taking a good old recipe for Breakfast Casserole and modifying it for muffin tins!

 

The muffin tins not only take far less time to bake, but when done, you have individually-sized frittata's (frittate is probably the correct Italian plural form!) :) that can be frozen and microwaved later! :)

These were soooooooooooo easy to make, I'm not even going to write a recipe for them because the possibilities are ENDLESS!  

Here are the ingredients I used--just a teeny bit of each!  OH and first, remember to give a quick spritz of oil to each little muffin cup (it's worth it!).  After you oil your cups, I layered the ingredients in each cup, in this order =

• frozen hash brown potatoes (you can use either cubed or shredded)
• cooked turkey sausage crumbles
• diced bell pepper
• diced onion
• salt & pepper
• baby spinach leaves (torn up a little!)
• 1 egg went in each cup; I chose to use a fork and scramble each egg around a little, but you don't have to do that if you don't want to!  You probably *should*, though, at least use a fork to make sure the egg gets down in all the cracks and helps the other ingredients stick together...!
• NOTE: the reason they look so bright yellow/orange on top is because when they were done (after about 15-20 minutes on 350*F)... I took sharp Cheddar cheese in little slices and put it on top, and put the muffin tin back in the oven, but this time under the broiler, until the cheese was melted (about 5 min?)

But for goodness' sakes don't be limited to what I did here------ You could use an.y.thing!!!!!!!! Like....

• tomatoes
• any meat you wanted (bacon, ham, smoked salmon, Chorizo, even ground beef crumbles--like taco meat-- for a Mexican-inspired frittata, heck even shredded chicken... whatever you like!)
• zucchini / summer squash
• chopped asparagus
• eggplant (however my husband thinks it smells like cadaver from his med school days, so we don't eat eggplant at my house.  sorry if I just ruined anything for anyone). :)
• any herbs in the world (I was just lazy today)--- but gosh, anything would work depending on what you put with it!..... parsley, oregano, basil, sage, etc. etc.!!!
• any cheese you like

These mini frittatas are awesome and SO versatile: you could easily do egg-whites only to lower cholesterol, and you could of course make them vegetarian very easily (like subbing Quinoa for the Hash Browns to give it a protein boost) ..The list of options goes on and on!

Have FUN with this-- SORRY I didn't take pictures of the assembly-- but hopefully that encourages you in the fact that they came together **so quickly**... it was over before I could grab my camera! 

I love being able to cook homemade things, freeze them, and eat them later!  The ultimate package, in my mind!! = Convenience PLUS Homemade! :)

If you try these, feel free to leave a comment and share with everyone the great combinations that you try!!!!  Buon appetito! :) 

100% homemade fresh strawberry pie

you know what else reminds me of my Grandma Marilyn? peonies. :)

My Grandma Marilyn used to make THE BEST strawberry pie.
ever.

:)

I have *fond* memories of picking strawberries alongside her; my sister and I could barely keep up because Grandma was such an awesome picker.  I bet that lady could do a quart every 2 minutes. :) 

Some of my favorite childhood memories include time spent in Grandma & Grandpa's *huge* garden behind their house in the country.  I think this is the only time I used to see either of them in jeans--- haha! :)  Grandma was such a classy lady and hardly ever wore plain denim slacks--- but for gardening, she'd throw on her denim, grab the old radio, put on a pretty plaid button-up shirt, and come outside with Kayla and I.

As soon as she got the radio set to a classic AM station (I remember 1220 WERT and 1190 WOWO)--- we'd get down in the patch and start picking. :)

Kayla and I could definitely dominate a few quarts by ourselves-- but when Grandma would say, "Girls, don't eat too many cause I'm makin' a pie later today!" ...we definitely found some self-control. :)  Grandma Marilyn's strawberry pie was just... OUTSTANDING!  I never understood why the strawberry pies in the restaurants didn't taste as good as Grandma's-- and I think now that I'm older, I realize that Grandma didn't use the premade gel packets you can buy in the stores.  As a lady born in what Tom Brokaw has labeled "The Greatest Generation," she knew how to make anything from anything and just make do with--- or without!  Grandma's pie was awesome because she MADE the filling from scratch--- no store-bought "goo," no box of Jello with food coloring added, no nothing!......not a single bite was phony, but instead filled with luscious strawberry goodness. :)

Oh how I loved spending time with my Grandma--- and miss her every day!!!

Even though amidst all the recipes I *do* know of hers, the strawberry pie recipe is one I've never found.  I was inspired by this recipe on the internet though, and modified it for me. :)  Don't be scared away by making pie if you've never done it--- this recipe is SO EASY!!!!!!

I think Grandma would be proud!!! <3

fresh strawberry pie
ingredients:
2 quarts strawberries (fresh from the farm are desired!)
scant 1/2 cup water
scant 3 Tbsp cornstarch
   *check your local food stores for non-GMO Cornstarch!
3/4 cup sugar (if your berries are really sour for some weird reason you could bump this to 1 cup)
1/2 Tbsp butter
one, 9" pie crust (either make it yourself or buy one from the store.)
    *I tried Paula Deen's flaky pie crust recipe from her "Southern Cooking Bible" last night and it was great!
    *If you've never made pie crust before, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you spend a teeny bit of money and purchase a pastry cloth and a rolling pin cover.  You will NEVER be sorry you did! I never thought I could make pie, until my dear mother-in-law taught me how to use a pastry cloth & rolling pin cover.  LIFE-CHANGING!!! :)

directions

• if you're making your own pie crust, do this FIRST.  Roll out and bake the empty pie shell (don't forget to put your pie weights on top of your crust to keep it from bubbling up!! I used a bag of dried black-eyed peas because I don't have any fancy clay pie weights) :)  When your crust is baked, remove the weights/dried beans and let it cool!
• take a few of the less-pretty (but just-as-tasty!!) strawberries; rinse them off, and crush them up till you have 1 cup of crushed berries (I did the crushing right in my pyrex clear liquid measuring cup so I knew right when I had 1 cup!)
• To a small saucepan, add the 1 cup crushed strawberries, plus the water, cornstarch, and sugar.
• Cook this mixture on medium-high heat until it boils, stirring constantly.
• At the beginning of this, I used my immersion blender to really blend everything together.  I highly recommend doing this step! If you don't own an immersion blender, maybe you can make the strawberry mixture in a food processor at first!  OR if you don't own any blending/processing equipment, your "filling" mixture will still be GREAT!  It will just be a little more 'chunky' rather than smooth. :)
• When the strawberry filling mixture reaches a bubbling boil, let it cook for exactly 2 more minutes **stirring constantly**!
• Take the filling off the heat and add your 1/2 tablespoon of butter.  Stir the butter in, then let your filling cool for a while.  Honestly I put mine right in the fridge and let it sit until it wasn't super-hot... then moved it to the freezer to cool even quicker. I only had my filling in the freezer for 10 minutes or less.  Just enough to get it to room temp!
• while you're waiting on the filling (and maybe crust) to cool, take all of your remaining strawberries and rinse, dry, set aside for pie.  Maybe you like to slice your strawberries... but I remember Grandma always left them whole--- so I did, too! :)  I did, however, cut the really big strawberries in half or thirds so all the berries/berry pieces were about the same size.
• Arrange the strawberries in the baked pie shell.
• When the glaze is cool enough/room temperature, pour the filling over all the berries. If needed, spread it around with a spatula to help it get in all the cracks.
• Let pie cool in the fridge for about an hour (or until you can't wait anymore! haha!) :)

Definitely serve with whipped cream!  I bought a pint of whipping cream and added about a tablespoon of sugar and whipped my own!  So worth it!!!!!

 Enjoy!! It is SO EASY and THE BEST! :)

just look at that mountain of strawberry gloriousness!!!  the Doctor and I dominated a good bit of it last night! soooo good! :)

speaking of grandmothers... at my husband's Grandma Vera's house, a sign that you loved your pie was that you lick the plate clean! :)  I'm so glad that both of us keep our grandparents' traditions alive in our own home today! :)

a much-needed break

ohhhhhh vacation.

*sigh*.

the Dr. and I were able to get away for a while last week; we had the most glorious time on our getaway in Saugatuck, Michigan.  enjoy these photos and start planning your own getaway *today*!  (we even got our B&B on a Groupon -- totally affordable!!!!) :)

walk/hiking along in Saugatuck Dunes State Park!

look how the trails are sandy!

after a 30-45 minute walk or so, up some pretty intense hills... you FINALLY get to the top of this sandy hill and it's like a choir sings, "Hallelujah!!!" and you see THIS.  lovely, lovely Lake Michigan and a wonderful sandy beach! :)

chillin' at the dunes! :)

all of the grass at the Dunes State Park was planted BY-HAND by Michigan State students, several years ago!  we learned that the grass is much of the reason that the dunes stay in place and don't shift around!!

Saugatuck is a center for all kinds of artists to do and sell their work!  there are beautiful things EVERYWHERE in the city!

see the large boat in the background? on the last day we were there, a large crowd of people was gathered simply to watch this boat get pulled out of the mud!  apparently it had been stuck all winter-- and a bunch of tugboats & the fire department and other crews were all there just to pull it out!! --and literally everyone came to watch! haha oh small town life! :)

our sweet little B&B - the Twin Gables Inn!

it was so WONDERFUL to watch a sunset with my love :)

what a wonderful time in Saugatuck!!!!  we praise God for the opportunity to get away and thank Him for all the much-needed time we had together. :)

lessons from bloggers & drug-doers

{ Lesson #1 - from the blogger }

recently, i was super-convicted while stumbling upon this blog post (found it via Pinterest).  it was about "10 ways to love your husband" ----- and the one that really had the Holy Spirit tapping on my heart was #8: "let him win an argument. be the first to back down." 

wow.  i SO need to hear this.  like every day.  

sometimes i'm a liiiittle bit monica-gellerish: i love to win. and i love to win in arguments.  sometimes at the expense of others.  AHH i'm ashamed.  but it's true.  :(

so this woman's nugget about backing down from an argument really helped me take a step back and evaluate my words, actions, motivations, and above all..... how i'm paying attention to the Spirit's presence in my life on a day-to-day basis-- and whether or not i'm choosing to ignore Him or pay attention.

i love my husband and want to show him  r * e * s * p * e * c * t.  

like aretha franklin style.  actually no, better than that, ephesians-5 style.

after sharing my recent convictions & musings with my sweet husband, he shared with me a story from the hospital.  

{ lesson #2 - from the drug-doer (God bless him) }

dr. bud said, "ella that reminds me of a patient i've taken care of who is a drug addict. this person is addicted to heroin and his arm is all torn up. i had to see this patient to change his bandage over his drug-using-inflicted wounds, and he was really sensitive about removing the bandage.  he was, frankly, being kind of a baby and whining, complaining, and yelling at me to leave him alone and not touch his arm.  i tried to calmly tell him that cleaning his wound and putting on a new dressing would help him, and that i had to do it, but he just freaked out and didn't want me to touch him.  it dawned on me, that i think Jesus does this with me all the time.  He wants to help me and clean my wounds--- but i fuss and make a big deal and say "don't touch me!!!"  the Lord is patient with me, and only wants to "hurt" me and cause me momentary affliction, which feels like the end of the world----- but it's really for my ultimate good."

a reminder from my sweet doctor-husband about how the Lord is our Ultimate Physician--- who wants to clean our wounds - even though it hurts for a little bit! -- for our GOOD.  so we can be clean. and whole. and healed.

oh Lord, let me love my husband enough to "back down first" from arguments--- AND let me not fight with You when You try to clean my wounds and heal me!!

i was checking out old high school year books tonight, 
and i couldn't help but add a picture in from my freshman year.  
(look at those skinny legs on my 15-year-old self!)  haha.  
 can't believe we've been friends for over a decade. :)  
so fun that this dear friend turned out to be my husband!

fun with Legos :)

my dear husband, being the "doctor" referred to in this blog's title, received a Lego set for Christmas from my family because we thought he needed something FUN and not "serious" to think about. you know: a BREAK!

enjoy these photos from our recent evening of putting the Star Wars spaceship together. (it was my **first time** putting together Legos, and SO FUN!) :)

what a fun storm trooper-- cape and all

he's just loving this. :)

it's so crazy how these kits come with such neat figurines/Lego people/whatever they're called :)

oh, hello there, Pity Jane :)

ship, in-progress

some of the pieces were sooo small

almost done!

snapping "obi-wan" into his seat, lol

finished!!! ---a truly FUN date night :)

a walk in the park

bud and i took a walk in the park on wednesday; it was GORGEOUS.  ptL we got to experience the warmth of the sun and some of (the remaining!..) fall colors before the wind blows all the trees leaves away into the winter bareness.

enjoy a few pictures (taken with our new camera!... which i still don't know how to use, lol... but i did my best). :)  enjoy!

lovely colors!

i absolutely **love** a river in a park. :)

i love how these two trees are growing together... AWWWW.

a fully uprooted fallen tree. whoa.

the flood plain!

oh, hello there. a 10(?)-point-buck!

sweetheart.

the reason he was hanging around.... :)

look at this sweet, younger little mister. doesn't he have sweet eyes? :)