Recipe for a new leaf

It's nice being single again. It's still an adjustment, sure, but different from any of the previous iterations of singledom I've experienced since my divorce. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not out there humping the leg of everything with a pulse. My girlfriends all want the juicy details, but I seem to have lost my whorepants in the wash. Sorry!

Instead, I'm dating myself (okay, fine, maybe there's that ONE guy, I'm no martyr). I'm running in the forest. Joining meetup groups. Reading. Writing. (Fiction!) Reconnecting with friends. Dancing. (Good lord I forgot how much I love to dance. Especially since dropping it to the floor is really good for the glutes.) Working. (Busy season!) Playing mom. More running.

Last night Dave offered to take the kids at the last minute, so I was on my own. I spent an hour cleaning my kitchen and that always leads to the same conclusion: an insatiable urge to get it dirty again. But I had no one to cook for. You know, except me. And there's a novel idea. Real Food. Cooked by me. FOR ME. Duh.

Three hours later, I had a new pesto recipe and one hell of a dinner date. Fresh-rolled pasta with arugula pecan pesto and broiled salmon:
I usually hate cooking for myself because, honestly, if a tree falls in the forest and there isn't anyone around to taste it, is it still as amazing as I think it is?

Turns out, yes. Yes it is.      

 

The vaguest recipe for homemade pasta ever written (I don't follow a recipe any more):

Go out to the chicken coop.

Collect the eggs. (At least the ones you can find. One of our chickens is a hider...)

Add them to flour (before they get cold!).

Knead.

Add flour and/or eggs until you have a smooth dough. 

Let sit.

Roll/cut/shape to your heart's desire.

Recipe for Arugula Pecan Pesto:

Combine in your cuisinart/food proessor/hand blender/mortar and pestle:

2C baby arugula

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 tablespoon lemon zest

Salt/pepper

2 Tablespoons roughly shredded parmesan (the good shit from Italy) (Don't skimp.)

Olive oil (I prefer Tuscan.)

Serve with a baby arugula and strawberry salad and a side of who needs a man anyway.

Comments

[Rachel R.]

BOOM! Awesome! And it was wonderful reconnecting and dancing with you.

[Megan]

I don't suppose you could create a recipe section again? I went looking for a recipe of yours over the weekend and it was a hunt (But the man pleasing breakfast casserole was a big hit at the soccer team breakfast)!