Summer Greens Make Me Feel Fine...

Okay, so what do you do when your dog has surgery rendering your living room (2/3 of your space) unlivable and you an indentured servant and your meat-loving gluten-free husband goes on a work trip for three days (you are neither of those things)?

I actually don't know what you would do.  I first had about six pity parties for myself.  Then I watched a seriously disturbing and depressing documentary and started to feel myself spiraling down into the abyss -- you may know it-- "I have no purpose, life is so mundane etc etc...".

Then I had a brief moment of clarity (probably brought on by too many hours online accidentally coming across those god awful tumblr inspirational sayings)  in which I said, snap out of this.  Use your creativity.  Things you have: an empty house that you must stay in, a relatively empty pantry and an empty stomach.

Yes, I had this much time to photograph these products.

BUT, you do not have to eat the things pictured above for one glorious weekend.  

Because I have the ability (which Alex doesn't have) to occasionally taste non-gluten free brownies, pasta, pizza and cereal, I remember that they in fact taste way more amazing in their true form (counter to his insistence that they are the same if not better gf).  And on top of that, I can eat all the vegetables and meat-free ingredients I want.  (I don't mean to sound resentful or insensitive but its the little things at this point.)

So I thought of the last really delicious meal that I had.  And it happened to be in New York at a little restaurant called Exchange Alley and the dish was called lasagna edges, which was the edge of this noodle in a delicious mushroom broth.

Being that I didn't have mushrooms and can't leave to get them, the dish totally deviated but the initial inspiration was there.

I came up with this dish that I am calling Summer Greens Pappardelle. 

In which I cooked lasagna noodles and cut them in strips to form a pappardelle type pasta -- my favorite.

Then, simmer together these...

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup peas

1 cup edamame, shelled

1/2 cup green beans

1 tbsp mint (from my back 'garden')

1 scallion, chopped

1 hearty portion of parmesan

cracked black pepper

 ...and toss with pasta.

I was so damn proud of myself for pulling this meal together and pulling myself out of the pathetic pity fiesta I was involved in that I decided to celebrate with a dirty martini.  I even redownloaded netflix so I could watch Orange is the New Black which I keep hearing about.  And now I want to be done with this post so I can go watch episode 4.  

Only 3 more weeks until Nugget can leave the living room.