Colorful Pasta Salad

This was a bit too easy.

What to do with leftover pasta... First, who has leftover pasta?  Somehow I did... so I made a quick pasta salad of sorts.  And boy was it good.  I won't delay you any further with my musings... The secret? Dried dill. Oh my... dill, you are my second favorite herb after thyme. You can never have enough thyme.  Heh.

COLORFUL PASTA SALAD

2 servings

CONTENTS

3/4 cup cold cooked pasta

2 cups broccoli and carrots

2 TBS "mayo"

1 tsp dried dill

2 tsp dried parsley

1 TBS onion flakes

pinch salt

FASCIST DIRECTIONS

1. Steam the carrots and broccoli together in a small pot til they look bright but not soggy.  Add the pasta to heat it through.

2. Dish into bowls and divide the rest of the ingredients in two.  Mix and enjoy!

Simple enough, eh?  Not bad, if I do say so myself.

So, since this is such a short post, I'll amuse you with a list of celebrities who are scientologists.  You thought I was going to say vegan, didn't you?  Ha!  This is far more amusing.

Kirstie Alley	1951–	Actress.
Anne Archer	1947–	Actress (mother of Scientology spokesperson Tommy Davis).
Jennifer Aspen	1973–	Actress.
Lynsey Bartilson	1983–	Actress.
Catherine Bell	1968–	Actress.
Karen Black	1939–	Actress.
Grant Cardone	1958–	Salesman, author, motivational speaker, media personality
Nancy Cartwright	1957–	Voice-over actress.
Kate Ceberano	1966–	Actress and musician. Ceberano is a third-generation-Scientologist; her grandmother worked as a governess for the children of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Erika Christensen	1982–	Actress, raised Scientologist.
Jeff Conaway	1950–2011	Actor.
Tom Constanten	1944–	Former keyboardist for the Grateful Dead.
Chick Corea	1941–	Musician.
Tom Cruise	1962–	Actor
Sky Dayton	1971–	Founder of EarthLink.
Doug Dohring		Ex-owner of Neopets.
Bodhi Elfman	1969–	Actor.
Jenna Elfman	1971–	Actress.
Richard Elfman		Writer and director.
Doug E. Fresh	1966–	Musician and actor.
Peaches Geldof	1989–	Celebutante.
Beck Hansen	1970–	Musician.
Isaac Hayes	1942–2008	Musician and actor.
Katie Holmes	1978–	Actress (raised Catholic), introduced to Scientology by Tom Cruise while they were dating.
Nicky Hopkins	1944–1994	Musician.
Mark Isham	1951–	Musician and film music composer.
Milton Katselas	1933–2008	Acting teacher.
Jason Lee	1970–	Actor.
Geoffrey Lewis	1935–	Actor.
Juliette Lewis	1973–	Actress.
Noah Lottick	1966–1990	Scientologist whose suicide was the focus of the Time magazine article "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power".
Danny Masterson	1976–	Actor.
Lisa McPherson	1959–1995	American woman whose death has been a source of controversy for Scientology.
Jim Meskimen	1959–	Actor and improviser.
Julia Migenes	1949–	Opera singer.
Sofia Milos	1965–	Actress.
Elisabeth Moss	1982–	Actress. Placed among "famous Scientologists" in a 2009 article in the St. Petersburg Times.
Haywood Nelson	1960–	Actor.
Marisol Nichols	1973–	Actress.
Judy Norton Taylor	1958–	Actress.
Eduardo Palomo	1962–2003	Actor.
Elli Perkins	1949–2003	Scientologist businesswoman who was murdered by her son who suffered from mental illness.
Bijou Phillips	1980–	Actress and model.
Laura Prepon	1980–	Actress.
Will Thompson	1987–	Trader.
Lisa Marie Presley	1968–	Singer.
Priscilla Presley	1945–	Actress.
Kelly Preston	1962–	Actress and wife of John Travolta.
Lee Purcell	1947–	Actress.
Leah Remini	1970–	Actress.
Giovanni Ribisi	1974–	Actor raised Scientologist.
Marissa Ribisi	1974–	Actress raised Scientologist.
Michael D. Roberts	1947–	Actor.
Ruddy Rodríguez	1967–	Actress.
Pablo Santos	1987–2006	Actor.
Billy Sheehan	1953–	Rock bassist.
David Singer		Chiropractor, Management by Statistics consultant.
Reed Slatkin	1949–	Criminal Ponzi scheme perpetrator.
Ethan Suplee	1976–	Actor.
John Travolta	1954–	Actor.
Greta Van Susteren	1954–	Television show host. Listed among "A list" members of Scientology in a 2006 article in The Boston Globe. Identified among "notable Scientologists" in the 2007 edition of the book Extraordinary Groups: An Examination of Unconventional Lifestyles by authors William W. Zellner and Richard T. Schaefer.Placed among "famous Scientologists" in a 2009 article in the St. Petersburg Times. Her husband, a lawyer, is a fellow practitioner of Scientology. She told People magazine, "I am a strong advocate of their ethics."
Michael, Kathryn, and Sue Walicki	2007–	Scientology family who was attacked by their mentally ill daughter/sister after a lapse in medication.
Edgar Winter	1946–	Musician.

Why am I not surprised that a criminal Ponzi Scheme perpetrator is a scientologist?

Creamy Chocolate Lime Pie

OK, even I impressed me... and I'm a tough crowd.

There are certainly some modifications I would make for future variations, but for my first made-from-scratch-pie (including the crust!) I have to say, I rocked it.

Let it be known that I made this without my beloved processor (rest in pieces).  I stood there whipping ingredients by hand that may have provided a cool texture in the end, so I guess not all was lost.  I had my heart set on a lime pie... and I wasn't to be discouraged by the lack of machines.  Besides, when the revolution hits, I'll be ready... to eat delicious pie...

CREAMY CHOCOLATE LIME PIE

makes 1 pie... your call on the number of servings!

CONTENTS

Crust

1/2 cup shredded unsweet coconut

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup margarine

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 TBS milk

Lime Cream Filling

1 box silken tofu

3 limes, zested and juiced, preferably in that order for convenience

2 TBS flour

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

2 TBS agave nectar (or maple syrup)

Chocolate layer

1/2 cup chocolate chips

FASCIST DIRECTIONS

1. Heat your oven to 350F.  Mix the coconut, brown sugar and margarine together.  Mix really well.

2. Add the rest of the crust's ingredients, mix well.  Press into the bottom of a pie pan.

Look at it closely... it's purdy.

3. Bake for about 20 minutes.  In the meantime, mix the filling ingredients.  In no particular order... they will all end up in the same blend.

4. Remove the crust from the oven and add an even layer of chocolate chips.  Return to the oven and bake about 5-7 minutes until the chocolate is beginning to melt. Or at least it seems to be heating through.

5. Remove from the oven and spread the filling on top.  Return and bake about 20 more minutes.  It does take a while but boy is it worth it!

Remove from the oven and let it cool at least a half hour before trying to serve.  It didn't hold together well the first time it was served, but after some time in the fridge it did.  

Truly magnificent.  I can't wait to try another variation!

Mmmm... I want more... The crust was the best part!

Spaghetti con Cojones

That got your attention, eh?  Another one I made up as I went along.  I'm learning to quickly jot down what I'm doing because I always think 'oh, that makes sense, I'll remember that' but give it a few days and of course I don't remember if I added two teaspoons or three tablespoons... was that 1 cup or 1 cup and 3/4 tablespoons mixed with baking powder or baking soda?  Did I add salt in the end?  Sigh... So yes, I am getting better at checking in on paper every couple of steps.  Now I have notes all over the place and I'm trying to remember what they went to!  Was that the cornbread, the corn cakes or the corn muffins?  The ongoing dilemma of an ADD cook...

So, here's this awesomeness.  It started with the idea of needing to use up half-chopped produce from the phenomenal Elektra Nachos.  It ended with adding gardein and creating a nifty white sauce that turned brown when the cumin was added.  So yummy!  Keeping it in the tex-mex theme, aw yeah.

SPAGHETTI CON COJONES
2 svgs

CONTENTS
4oz whole wheat spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
2 cups spinach
1/2 cup black beans
3/4 cup chopped red onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup sour cream
2-3 TBS milk
1 TBS ground cumin
1 TBS chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped tomato

FASCIST DIRECTIONS:
1. Chop the onions, tomato and garlic.  Also, start cooking the pasta... begin with boiling the water... you got the rest under control.

2. Saute the onion and garlic with a little oil over medium heat, about 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.

3. Add the gardein beefless cubes and continue to cook, about 7-10 minutes until cooked through.  Depends on how frozen they are.

Here's a quasi-close-up shot... yum... 

4. When they are cooked through, use a spatula (or other utensil) to cut the cubes in half so you have twice as many, smaller cubes! Genius, I know...

5. Then add the black beans.

Mix and cook them through, about 5 more minutes.  In the meantime...

6. Mix the milk and sour cream.

7. Add the spices and herbs, and salt and mix it through well (this is into the milk/sour cream mixture).

8. Check back to the beefless/bean mix.  Not sure if that was grammatically correct.  Add the spinach and mix it well.

9. Mix the cream sauce into the beefless-bean-spinach mixture.  Stir to coat really well.

10. When your pasta is ready...

...drain it and dish it out.

Top with equal amounts of the cojones mix!

Optional is to top with some tomatoes. Which I did and turned out great.  Since you've already gone and chopped them up, go ahead and sprinkle 'em on!

I must say, this was a real winner.  Total yumminess.  Here's another similar photo... enjoy!