The other night, despite my lack of mixing bowls, pots, and pans, I made a real dinner for the first time in my new kitchen. And by real dinner, I mean something other than Pasta Roni or frozen pizza. Scratch that…I’ve actually made two dinners in my kitchen. Last week, I made my lasagna and Healthified Apple Cobbler (using apples from our apple tree in the backyard) for friends from the squadron who have a precious 2 month old baby boy.
Case in point. See that zucch? It’s sitting next to my cell phone in the top picture. It’s THE largest zucchini I’ve ever seen. My friend has a garden and this bad boy somehow got missed. When you don’t pick a zucchini, they just keep growing. She hadn’t ever heard of zucchini bread and didn’t really want it so she gave it to me. My eyes lit up when she offered it to me. I have big plans for this monster.
So dinner the other night was my first use of the world’s largest zucchini. (I guess I should look into that, it very well could be the world’s largest…)
Penne with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Bacon
adapted from Bon Appétit
- 12 turkey bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
- 1-1/2 cups dry white wine (it never hurts to pour a glass for yourself, too)
- 3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide pieces
- 1 lb penne
- 4 large ripe tomatoes, deseeded and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basic (I didn’t have any, so I omitted this but it needs it)
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (or goat’s cheese)
Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain. White the pasta is cooking, add the chopped tomatoes and basil to the zucchini and continue to sauté on a medium heat, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Mmmm feta cheese. I lurve it. I lurve goat cheese better, but the Viper Pilot doesn’t care for it. |