The easiest, lightest pasta with meat(less)balls!

I GOT A NEW CAMERA. Ok its not technically new, but its new to me. I got it from some lady on Craigslist. Its a Canon Powershot S3 IS that she received as a gift from her son. According to her its got more bells and whistles than she cares to learn how to use, so she sold it. To me! For 40 dollars! I was perfectly fine scoring this camera off of someone my own age or even younger. But when I showed up at our designated meeting place to find a gray haired little old lady I felt like I was trying to pull one over on her. So with a heavy heart I told her I didn't feel right with her asking price when these models go for around ten times that. She smiled at me and said "Dearie, I didn't pay a dime for it and my son tosses money around like its a reliable constant. I just want to make enough off of this monster to cover the point and shoot bugger I bought. Besides, you're going to need a good camera to capture every moment of that precious little boy's life. It will go by too fast and the memories, well you will want them in pictures when you're an old lady like me." I smiled and with a gratitude I cannot explain I handed over two crisp twenties. I think she probably knew what her kind gesture meant to me; I think she knew that I wouldn't have been able to afford much more than forty or fifty bucks on a luxury item like a camera. Maybe if I had shown up driving a better car or didn't have Liam in mismatched shoes (I was in a hurry and couldn't find a full set!!) she would have considered asking for more once she knew the value of the camera. Either way we both walked away from the transaction happy. Well, she was happy, I was over the moon.
Now I just need to learn how to use the thing. Marion was right, it does have a lot of bells and whistles and I'm going to need all the help I can get figuring out the proper settings for the best quality pictures. You're patience and advice are welcome!

I'm probably not going back to the step by step blogging unless I come across a recipe wherein every step is a crucial one. That being said, I present to you 20 minute spaghetti and meatballs.
This is what we had for dinner the night I came home with the camera. I had spent all afternoon playing with it that when I finally looked at the clock it was 6:00 and I hadn't stepped foot in the kitchen! whoops.

The quickest spaghetti and meatballs when you don't have any food in the house:

What I did have in the house allowed me to throw together this yummy dinner.

whole wheat spaghetti
1 large can of seasoned diced tomatoes
a few cherry tomatoes
a few tablespoons of evoo
2 garlic cloves
fresh basil
Veggie Patch meatless meatballs
Parmesan cheese

I didn't even have a jar of tomato sauce in the house but quite honestly the diced tomatoes with the garlic and basil was really nice. It was 'fresh and light' and I'm not sure I'll stock up in tomato sauce ever again. We get a pint of cherry tomatoes weekly so I always have a few on hand to toss into what ever I am cooking. I HAD a basil plant that was growing wonderfully hydroponically on my kitchen sill for weeks so basil was in no short supply throw in the tiny corner left from my brick of Parmesan and the meal really prepared itself. And I found a new love. Meatless meatballs. They're not my mothers meatballs, to be sure, but now that I know all about factory farmed beef my mothers meatballs are guilt ridden. So I found these yummy little suckers... and best of all they are made from non-gmo soy - a rare commodity these days.

I sauteed the garlic in the evoo. Then I added the diced tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and the meatballs. I probably added water or veggie stock when the sauce reduced down. I simmered the sauce until the meatballs were cooked through, probably ten minutes or so- just enough time for the pasta to cook. Add your fresh basil to the sauce right at the end you don't want it cooking in the sauce for long it looses its luster, I think. Then pull a heaping pile of noodles onto your plate, top with sauce, shredded cheese and more fresh basil. YUM!

Are you craving this pasta now? because I am, and I just had it.

Even Liam approves, and that's really saying something!

Strawberry Bread Pudding

A new twist on an old favorite! I found a recipe for strawberry bread pudding on one of the blogs I frequent and I made it for the fourth of July celebration my family and I were attending. If I'm being totally honest the result was unremarkable, at best. the marriage of fresh summer strawberries and bread pudding is, in my opinion is a brilliant idea so what went wrong? It was the recipe. it was boring, bland. So I'm deffering to my bread pudding recipe and adorning it with strawberries.

Here is what you will need for the pudding:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups sugar
3 1/2 to 5 cups sourdough bread, cubed
1 to 2 cups of cut, fresh strawberries


Several hours in advance cut your bread into cubes

Spread them out evenly on a cookie sheet and set aside until they are relatively dry.

Cut up your strawberries and toss them in with your dried bread cubes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat together eggs, butter, vanilla, and milk. Add sugar and spices and mix until sugar is dissoved. Arrange bread cubes tightly in a nine-inch baking dish. Pour liquid over the bread and bake for 55 to 70 minutes, or until crust is golden brown all over the top.
Fresh out of the oven all warm and bubbly. We couldnt wait...

A la mode!