Pasta Puttanesce

Yep, an old favorite of mine, Pasta Puttanesce...Pasta of the whores.  It's easy, it's fast, and most comes from cans.  In Italy, the prostitutes were only allowed to shop one day a week, so the clean ladies didn't have to mix with them. They would buy lots of canned foods to last the week and made this delicious soup/stew to smell so good and call in the fellers. Just as we aren't prostitutes, WE ARE NOT AN ANCHOVY LOVING FAMILY either. You cannot taste the fishies in the mix, but without them, it is just tomato sauce soup. I was out of capers, so I sliced up five green olives (the cocktail type) for that salty flavor.  This time the pasta I chose were little bow ties.  Top that with some good parm cheese and some fresh basil and you have what we had.  Yumm.

I'm one Smokin' Momma!

Yep, it's Mother's Day.  My sons and daughter in law are due here for supper and I am out to create some good eats in the Smokin Tex 1400 electric smoker.

I put in a combination of orange and mesquite woods (soaked an hour in water first), then added 12 marinated chicken thighs, two racks of ribs marinated in a combination of dry rub followed with some of my homemade datil pepper sauce (watered down a lot), plus three token mild pork sausages just because they were in the freezer begging to be let out and looking lonely.  The sausages come out halfway through the smoking and I plan to add a dozen ears of corn in the husks.  I have them soaking in a combination of water and the remnants of the chicken marinate and a good slosh of vegetable oil. I will not open the husks at all, which will allow the corn to remain moist and will only have a mildly smokey flavor.  Once cooked, the silk is easily removed.  I don't know why folks make such a big deal of pulling back the husk, removing the silk, soaking in water and oil, recovering with husk which is frankly a whole lot of unnecessary work.

Vanessa's on a medically prescribed meat free diet right now, so I am cooking additional protien - black eyed peas and brown/wild rice.  I harvested a bunch of Swiss Card, which I'll wilt in garlic infused olive oil.  I might make a carrot and raisin salad and a potato salad too.

David is supposed to come over early and he and I are going to try out the recipe for homemade Snickers bars, a favorite candy bar for both of us.