Bow-tie pasta and vegetables

I had an incredible urge for bow-tie pasta last night (I dunno why, my hormones may be on the run), but I didn't want a heavy sauce on it (it was 70 degrees in San Diego yesterday and the thought of a hot, red or white sauce wasn't very appealing. SO, I quickly went to Ralph's after work, bought my ingredients, of which all were intuitive. In other words, I had no idea what I was making. So, this is what I got & did... INGREDIENTS 1 box Barilla bow-ties (1 pound, I think) 1 container of cherry tomatoes, halved 1 container of white mushrooms, sliced 2 small carrots, julienned or cut into bite size pieces, whichever is easier 1 cup bite sized broccoli 2 shallots, chopped 3 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 container of cubed feta & kalamata olives in olive oil (you'll find it in the cheese section of the grocery store). Olive Oil I pat of butter fresh basil WHAT I DID 1. Started to boil water in very large sauce pan, with about 2 tblsp of salt--I like salt! Then added the pasta and cooked just until dente. Drain but save some of the pasta water. 2. In a large non-stick skillet I lightly sauteed shallots and garlic, until soft (about 3 minutes), in a tablespoon of olive oil and a pat of butter. I added a little kosher salt and pepper for flavor. 3. I raised the temp to med-high on the skillet and added the carrots and some of the olive oil in the feta/kalamata mix. Cook for about 2 minutes. 4. Then I added the cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Sautee for another 2 minutes, adding more olive oil from the feta mix if necessary. You can also add broccoli here if you want (optional). If veggies look dry, add some of the reserved pasta water, one large tablespoon at a time, in addition to more olive oil or butter. 5. I then finished flavoring the sauce. I added about a half tablespoon of salt and pepper. Also, I sprinkled some red pepper flakes. Finally, I thew in a dash of oregano. 6. Once cherry tomatoes look cooked (their skin may be coming off) add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss and sautee everything together until pasta is heated through and coated with olive oil and veggie mix. About 2 minutes. 7. Turn off skillet. Put the pasta/veggie mix into a large serving platter and add the feta and olives to the pasta along with the chopped basil. Mix everything together. 8. When you serve it, you can add some additional basil for presentation and some crumbled feta or parmesan. 9. ENJOY! **Side note: my boyfriend grilled Italian sausages too, so we ate them along with the bow-ties I did. It tasted pretty good!

Wine & Kittens!

I typed wine +kitten under Google.com/images and got the following weird pic.

An Open Letter to the Mean Kitty

Dear Mean Kitty: I heard that you "inadvertently" fed your dog a stick a butter, wrapper and all. What's up with that? Is your doggie, Max, really that bad? I know you didn't leave the butter out on purpose, but do you think you subconsciously left it out because Max ate your door? And your towels? And socks, bras, his first pillow, all his toys...and because he sniffs everyone's butts all the time--especially Nathalie's? I know you know this but there are training aids out there like the PetSafe Big Dog trainer. Sure it's a big, bulky collar that sends electronic shock waves down your dogs spine that may or may not affect his brain, but would you rather have another "Butter Incident?" I don't think so. Miss Kitty, I fear that if things don't get any better you and your husband will have to buy Max a PetCell. And you know the first pet he's going to call is going to be Mr. Tuna! "MEOWWW" NEXT WEEK: An Open Letter to the Wild Chipmunk

I think Princess is a Lesbian...

The hottest kiss on the net!