Pasta with Sage Pesto, Butternut Squash and White Beans

Spring is here (that is if you don't count all the snow we had yesterday...) and my sage plant is HUGE!  I was so inspired that I decided to whip up a batch of Sage and Walnut Pesto.

Pasta with Sage Pesto, Butternut Squash and White Beans

This recipe is beyond simple.  For the pesto combine 1 c. toasted walnuts, 1/3 c. parsley, 2 springs of sage leaves, 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, and 1/3 c. olive oil, dump it all in your food processor and process away!  Once done, adjust the salt and pepper as needed.  I found that mine was a bit thick, so I added some veggie stock, gave the processor another whirl and was left with pure herby heaven.

Georgeous

So to make the pasta, steam some butternut squash until tender, nuke some white beans until warm and cook some pasta (I used bow ties). Dump it all together in a big bowl, stir and serve.  Simple and delicious!

However, there was a lot of movement in the kitchen, so poor Oliver and Matilda were banished to the other side of the baby gate..

What recipes has spring inspired you to make?

Mushroom Pasta

Can someone please explain to me how cheese, mushrooms and pasta are not aphrodisiacs?  I mean really, something this delicious is bound to make you a little hot under the collar.  Or is that just me?

Anyways, way back a million years ago when Seth and I were young and just starting to date, I made this dish for him.  It was a knock out then and still is now.

Shiitake Angel Hair Pasta

Yikes, that picture is a bit yellow...

Ingredients
6 oz. angel hair pasta
6 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced (any mixture of mushrooms will work)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 c. dry, white wine
1 tbs. olive oil
1/4 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs. parmesan cheese
2 tbs. fresh, chopped parsley

Directions
Saute onion and garlic over medium heat until translucent and aromatic, add mushrooms and saute until the start to brown, add stock and wine and cook until mixture is reduced by 1/2.  Add cream and reduce to desired thickness.  Adjust seasoning.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salty water.
Drain pasta and toss with sauce, top with parmesan and parsley

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

You know what I'm talking about, right?




Scary right?  But really, I do have a little bit of a problem when it comes to shoes.  I just love them.  But that also means that lately, my little closet has been looking like this...

Yes, I do need to laundry

more shoes

Yes, more shoes

And this isn't counting the ones that live in my car...  Like I said, I have a problem and its starting to effect my marriage.  See, Seth is a bit of a neat freak and I think the sight of my closet is giving him a bit of a tick.  But luckily this one was a quick and easy fix.

We made a quick stop by Lowes picked up some shelf hangers and a big old piece of wood and in no time at all, we had this...

Twice as much shoe storage

Nice and Neat

The overall picture

I am so excited about all this shoe storage space, I just might have to go buy another pair...