ABBIE'S FAVORITE PASTA AND A LITTLE BIT O' BITCHIN!

Do you ever have those moments, where all you want to do is curl up in your comfy, cozy easy chair with your big fat red kitty and your favorite magazine and just while the hours away?:

My favorite magazine these days, so kindly given to me (a subscription!) by my sister Deb in Tulsa:

But alas, time just keeps tick tick ticking away:

And I have a date, with these bad boys:

And my never-ending fave, the LAUNDRY!: By the way, I have a new favorite quote that I've memorized; it goes like this: "What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?". Lemme tell you, laundry is SO NOT it!:

I'm also full-on into recipe planning mode, because my vegetarian daughter and her carnivorous boyfriend are going to be here, day after tomorrow, and I think they're expecting home cooked meals, every night. Do you think I might be needing a new recipe binder, and soon?:

For dinner tonite, I'm making one of Abbie's very favorite dishes of all time,  Pasta with Spinach, Beans and Cheese. So totally healthy, and so ridiculously easy you won't believe it's not bad for you. And while I'm not one to blow my own horn on a regular basis, I do believe it's food like this (multi-grain, spinach, garlic and beans--such perfect whole foods) that helped me create our straight-A, Valedictorian daughter (well, ahem, this kind of stuff PLUS a whole year of breast feeding!) who just loves to come running home, all the way from California, every chance she gets!

You can start by purchasing (or, if you have the time, making your own) good multi-grain pasta--I favor the Barilla brand, bow-tie shaped. But really, any shape will do. Add a heaping handful of kosher salt to your boiling water, and cook pasta until al-dente:

Roughly cut up 8 or 10 cups of fresh spinach leaves--don't worry--these reduce down to nothing:

In a large pasta bowl, add 1 can of white Cannelini beans (rinsed and drained), 1 large clove of fresh garlic, minced (or 2, if you LOVE garlic), 1 cup good quality shredded Asiago cheese, and 3 tblsp. olive oil OR 1/3 stick butter, if you're feeling skinny:

When pasta is drained, add to pasta bowl and toss well. Then incorporate spinach, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm. FANTASTIC leftover, at room temperature. Enjoy!

ABBIE'S FAVORITE PASTA

Serves 6-8

8-10 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach leaves

1 lb. hot pasta

1 cup good quality shredded Asiago cheese

3 tblsp. olive oil OR 1/3 stick butter

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 19oz. can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained

1 large garlic clove, minced

Combine all in a large bowl and toss. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper before serving.

TOP 3 THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR TODAY:

1. I'm grateful that I accomplished so much today--still on that beautiful steroid "high"!

2. I'm grateful that I found my lime green afro for the St. Patricks Day parade--in freakishly good shape, despite being shoved in a bin in my crawl space since LAST St. Patrick's Day!

3. I'm grateful, oh so grateful, for Tylenol P.M. Whoever invented this should win the Nobel Prize, in my book. And no, I'm not a drug-addict, despite the way this all sounds. Just having one of those weeks, that's all!