Blast from the Past!

Used to love this one when I was in high school. . .one of those songs my sister and I listened to over and over and over--on a tape which meant we had to rewind it over and over and over.

Hold Me Now--The Thompson Twins

Lightened up Fettuccine Alfredo

A few nights ago we were scrounging around for a meal.  Some members of the family were happy to eat a breaded chicken patty. I was not.

So I started boiling some water to throw some pasta in.  Then I dug around in the fridge to find that jar of pesto that I just knew was in there somewhere.

But I wanted  more.  I saw a recipe somewhere for a pesto fettuccine alfredo.  But it called for heavy cream. . .which of course I didn't have.  So looked online to see if I could substitute Greek yogurt, which I usually do have in the fridge.

Bingo.

Rocco DiSpirito's Lightened Fettuccine Alfredo.   It makes 4 servings (funny, that's how much fettuccine I put on to boil before I even knew I was making his recipe.

I had attempted regular fettuccine before and was not thrilled with my results.  Since I was the only one intending to eat it this go around, I figured I had nothing to lose.  So I followed the recipe as it was given on the ABC news website.

8 ounces whole-wheat fettuccine
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, minced (I cheated and used minced garlic from a jar in the fridge)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
a pinch of ground nutmeg
3/4 c low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 cup 5% Greek yogurt
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook fettuccine according to package directions.

While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 2 minutes.

In a small bowl (or glass measuring cup) combine the cornstarch and nutmeg.  Add the chicken broth and whisk until smooth.  Pour this mixture into the skillet; raise the heat and bring to a simmer, whisking as needed.

Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and stir in as it melts.  Then, remove the  skillet from the heat and whisk in the yogurt. (Removing the skillet from heat is very important so that the yogurt does not separate)  The sauce should be smooth.

By this time the fettuccine should be ready to drain and then toss with the lightened alfredo sauce.  You may choose to salt and pepper to taste and top the pasta with the remaining cheese.

Serves 4.

According to the source cookbook Now Eat This this dish contains:
336 calories
10.4 g fat
Protein: 18 g
Carbohydrates: 47 g
Cholesterol: 27 mg
Fiber: 5 g
Sodium: 745 mg

Trailer for sale or rent

Rooms to let fifty cents

No phone no pool no pets.

I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah but two hours of pushin' broom buys an
Eight by twelve four bit room
I'm a man of means by no means. . .
King of the road!

Good Ol' Roger Miller. 

Another blast from the past. . .the fabulous music I inherited from my parents.  Music that told a story that you could create as you listened.

Perfect Saturday music.

Enjoy!

King of the Road

Let's Get together yeah yeah

Oh how I loved "The Parent Trap" as a kid.    Disney movie magic with long lost twin sisters finding each other and trying to bring their parents together again.  And totally safe family entertainment--those were the days.

Sit back and enjoy the magic. Follow the link as this one just won't embed. 

The Parent Trap

What Should I Read Next?

This is rarely a problem for me.  I usually have a stack of "must reads" and have to simply determine the proper order.

But every once in a while, I finish up all my "knowns" and suddenly have no idea where to turn.

Welllll, I am thrilled to share with you a little link that someone shared with me the other day. . .it completely solves the dilemma of the lost reader by giving you recommendations for what you would like based on something else you have already read and loved.

Soooo simple.  Click on this link What Should I Read Next? and put in the name of a book you read and loved. . .or an author whose works you have previously enjoyed.  It should recognize the book or author so you can click on it and watch a list of book suggestions appear.

Amazing.

Truly outstanding.

No go try it.  Find some books!  The summer is still young!

The correct time is. . . .

Once upon a time, there was a number that you could call, anytime, day or night, to get the correct time and current temperature.

Now this is something that kids today would have no concept of doing.

But back when I was a kid, we didn't all have devices that could tell us correct time.  (Side track--my husband's cellphone does not keep time correctly.  I think his is perpetually slow.  We've turned it off and back on so it can update the time.  It doesn't)

Anyway, we also didn't have apps for telling us current weather conditions. 

Soooo, we called the local number, listened to a short commercial from a bank and then the kind lady on the other end of the line told us, in her calm, cheerful mom kind of voice "The correct time is ______ and the current temperature is ______"

We used that call to determine if it was too hot to swim.  Sure, we could have stepped outside but we had a very well shaded property and temps were always cooler by our house.  And the correct time was vital if the battery died in your watch or there had been a power outage and you needed to reset clocks.

I was curious the other day. . .does this service still exist?  I found this link Time/Temperature/Weather

One might think that I would remember this phone number the same way I remember my grandparents' phone number (even though they haven't had that number since 1995).  Sadly, I do not. Funny how the brain works sometimes, isn't it?

Fireflies!

We have had terribly hot weather for the last couple of weeks.  Humid too.  So when it cooled off the other night, we went out on the porch for a bit to try out the new furniture.  My littlest one saw the fireflies and just had to chase after them.

Then she had the idea. . .Mommy--can we get a jar and put holes in the lid so we can catch a few of them?

Yes indeed we can!

I sent her into the house to look for a jar.  She didn't know where I stash old jelly jars so I ended up going in with her.  We rigged up the lid and she was ready to go get her some fireflies!

Then her older sister got into the game.

They probably caught a total of six of them. Th oldest sister came out to help explain how fireflies are able to light up.

It was one of those "moments' that didn't last long enough.  All at once the fireflies were gone--replaced by other things that seem to bite more.  So it was time to release the ones they had captured and head into the house.

Probably not more than forty-five minutes from start to finish.  But the kind of memory every little one should get to have.

Good stuff.