It's July already! How crazy is that?! I am trying hard not to focus on the fact that our summer break is almost halfway done. It's about time to take a gander at some curriculum for next year, and start getting our syllabus nailed down.
Our first triathlon is this Saturday! What a way to celebrate the 4th! Thankfully, it starts early and is short, so we can do it, and be done, and enjoy the rest of our weekend. We are planning to visit some friends near the Windy City. They put on their own fantastic fireworks display every 4th of July, and this year we finally get to see it.
I've been trying to tackle one of my "urgent" tasks each week (in the interests of not having a completely lazy summer). Last week's task was strawberry picking and processing. This week's task was the weeding. I got most of the big weeds out of my tomato patch before my back was hurting too much. It looks way better. I will probably finish it up on Friday.
We got a new (to us, and free!) bookshelf for the boys' room this week. They are thrilled to have more than enough shelving for all their favorite books. There are 6 shelves, each about 30" long. That will hold a lot of books. They're happy, I'm happy.
The boys had their first baseball game this week. It was terribly pathetic how bad their team was, but they did have fun. Their regular coach was unable to be there, and only 5 guys from their team. Four players from the younger team stepped up to the plate (literally), so they could actually play. They lost 0-9. The damage would have been worse had there not been a five point per inning limit. I'm pretty sure Freckles was one of only two kids who actually caught a ball. They always seemed a bit surprised when the ball was in play. This does sound rather sad, but I will say that they have all improved since they first started practicing a few weeks ago. Hopefully their games will continue to improve also...
Today I have a pretty healthy recipe for you. Pasta with Spring Vegetables. This dish is packed with asparagus, peas and green onions. The prosciutto gives it a nice flavor. Salty. I love prosciutto!
Mint and parsley both grow well in the spring, and they add a very springy taste to the pasta.
This dish is dairy-free, and can easily be made gluten-free by using GF pasta.
Pasta w/ Spring Vegetables
Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 10 minutes, Total time: 25 minutes1 pound cavatelli or other short pasta
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound asparagus
1 bunch green onions
6 garlic cloves
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
1/4 cup mint
3/4 cup parsley
6 slices thin prosciutto
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup water.
-Trim tough ends from asparagus, cut into 1/2” pieces.
-Trim roots from green onion and cut into 1” pieces.
-Mince garlic. Chop mint and parsley. Tear prosciutto.
-In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, crisp up the prosciutto. Remove from skillet and set aside.
-Heat the oil in the skillet, and sauté the green onions, asparagus, and peas until tender and bright green in color, 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds.
-Add the pasta, reserved pasta water, mint and parsley to the skillet and mix well. Serve topped with the crisped prosciutto.
Happy 4th of July!
