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Leftover Spaghetti Gets a Face Lift
Pasta is a favorite at our house so we’re making it all the time. But, we never stop to measure out the number of servings we plan to eat …instead we just dump the whole box in and then deal with the leftovers.
This is even more true when we’re talking about spaghetti.
Why? Because my husband absolutely LOVES the stuff..but I can’t stand how thin and stringy it is. And how it clumps together into a sticky ball as soon as you leave it unattended for a few seconds. So, when it’s made, I tend to steer clear of it.
What to do with the leftover spaghetti or pasta then? Take a play from my Mom’s personal cookbook and make spaghetti (or pasta) pizza with it. Yep, I said pizza.
To pull this off, you’ll need a few ingredients:
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cold, leftover pasta with a little bit of sauce mixed in
- 1/3 c parmesan cheese, grated
- 4 oz cooked ham, cubed and fried up in a pan
- 1 egg plus 1/2 cup egg whites
- salt & pepper to taste
Making the dish is really simple. All you do is:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Bring a small to medium-sized oven-safe, frying pan to med-high temp
- Coat the frying pan with cooking spray or a little olive oil
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and pour them into the frying pan
- Cook for 5-10 min so the bottom begins to crisp and the egg begins to set
- Move pan to oven and finish cooking for 20-25 min until crispy on top
- Remove from heat, allow to cool for 10 min
- Move to a plate and cut into 6-8 slices and serve
And there you have it…a quick, tasty way to give your pasta leftovers a makeover and to make a pretty decent appetizer or side for one of your meals. I have to warn you that while this pizza is baking, your house will smell absolutely heavenly…melted cheese, sizzling ham, and crispy pasta oh my.
And on top of the flavor goodness you can expect, this recipe also can be adjusted to fit into any nutritional plan. Therefore, it’s a win win.
Hope you get a chance to try it and enjoy.
From Scratch BBQ Pulled Chicken
This past Saturday and Sunday were quite rainy and dreary. So to keep myself busy, I decided to take part in several indoor activities like:
- loving up my new Mac Book Pro. As a lifelong PC user, I have to admit this thing is so easy to use and SUPER FAST. Once you go MAC, you never go back (or so I hear). We’ll see.
- getting into the 31 Days of Halloween on Syfy. Who really cares if I’ve seen Resident Evil about 40 times since it came out in 2001? You better believe I caught the double-header on Sunday night again.
- watching cooking shows on the Food Network Channel. I especially dig the new recipe episodes. In fact, after seeing Rachel Ray’s 3o Minute Meal of Bourbon BBQ Pulled Chicken , I decided to try it.
I’ve never made my own BBQ sauce from scratch before. I’m more of a squirt it out of the Baby Ray’s bottle kind of girl. But since I had extra time on my hands, I figured why not?
I followed Rachel’s recipe to the letter with one exception. I absolutely LOATHE mustards of all kind so I left out the Dijon. Instead, I substituted in a dash of mustard seed figuring it was in the same family but it wouldn’t set off my ‘I hate mustard’ alert.
Poaching the chicken in water with oranges, onions, carrots and bay leaves did wonders for the flavor. Plus, it was very easy to work off of the bone once done cooking.
The BBQ sauce itself was a lovely reddish-orange color and the perfect consistency after it was reduced down. However, I found it much sweeter than the bottled brands that I’m used to. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad just different.
Dollop a pile of the pulled chicken on a bun, top it with some pickle, and you’ve got yourself a hearty sandwich to enjoy.
Though I didn’t make the slaw as the sidekick to my sammy on this day, I did pick up all the ingredients to whip it up later in the week. I’ll keep you posted on what I think.
Tell me…is there a food that completely grosses you out like my aversion to mustard? I’ve disliked it as long as I can remember.
Finding Compassion & Connection
If you had asked me whether I thought I was a good person who truly cared for others prior to this year, it’s very likely that I would have answered that I tried to be without hesitation.
And what’s fascinating is that this answer would have been both the truth and not at the same time.
My life experiences are my frame of reference. Based on what I’ve lived and seen, I’m able to put myself in the shoes of others and appreciate or feel for their circumstances.
Having been fortunate enough for most of my life to not have experienced significant loss or heartache, it was hard for me to relate at times, to understand what others may have been feeling, and therefore to be someone who could support others in the way that they needed during certain life events.
I wasn’t aware of this. And looking back, I feel bad about it.
But now, I believe things are different. I’m different. I wish I could have made it here without having experienced our loss but that’s not the path I was meant to travel.
People said that out of this darkest day there could be some good. That I may not see it right away but that with time and healing, it’s there for the taking if I’m open to it. Of course, at the time, I thought it’s just something people say to give you hope – something to cling to – though now I can see what they meant.
The good that I found and will look to foster and grow is compassion for and connection to other people. To hear them out when they have something that troubles them. To let them know that even though I can’t necessarily solve the issue they’re faced with, I can listen.
I can let them know I’m thinking of them by reaching out.
I can send them positive energy at their time of need.
I can show that I care.
And, I can feel for them – not just by saying the words that are expected – but by really feeling genuine emotion.
It would be great if by doing all of the above you could make things good and right for the people you know. Unfortunately, it doesn’t rid us of all the bad that’s out there but it does help those in your life to feel supported, to feel connected to other people and not so alone, and it sometimes can strengthen their resolve to tackle what lies ahead of them.
When I needed them, I had a handful of people that I could count on to be there for me. Now, I’ve learned that I can and want to be that person for others.
Have you discovered anything new about yourself recently?
It’s Time for a Makeover
At different points in our lives, each of us is hit by that feeling that says, “Hey. It’s time for a change.”
Maybe you go out and get yourself a new wardrobe (which I think I might do).
Perhaps you decide to take your doo from this
to this ….
Or maybe the change is a bit more substantial. Some sort of life event has caused you to stop, reevaluate your priorities, and to start veering down a slightly different path.
This is where I find myself now.
It’s true for my life. And it’s true for this blog.
Therefore, I’m planning to give thetreadmilldiaries a makeover.
How will it change exactly? Not sure. Though I do know that I want to make some basic design & layout changes while tackling the content too.
My goal of pursuing a healthy lifestyle isn’t going away so you’ll still see posts on recipes, fitness, and the like. But, I plan to move beyond just this and to bring more of my other life experiences and thoughts to my writing.
It’ll no doubt be a good outlet for me to share more about my views and interests– and hopefully it’ll make for a better, well-rounded read for all of you as well.
Thought I’d give you fair warning. :)
To Cut or Not to Cut
My hair is the longest it’s been in a very long time – like 10+ years.
And though I’ve been known to keep it short and care-free, I’ve been thinking about doing something a little different with it this time around. A few weeks ago, someone on facebook mentioned donating hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.
I learned that Beautiful Lengths has a minimum hair requirement of 8 inches which is a lot less than what others require. And, what’s even better, is that Pantene in partnership with the American Cancer Society creates wigs for women who are battling cancer at no charge to them. But, they create only as many wigs as they can based on the donations they receive.
So, I’m going to do what I can to keep this hair of mine growing and in good condition.
To avoid grabbing scissors to snip it off at the next opportunity, I’ll probably have to keep it up in a ponytail. I’m not a fan of it dangling in or touching my face. But, I think that’s a small price to pay in return for doing good. And, the ponytail look is very pro running midday and not looking crazy afterwards at work. J
Plus, I like the idea that a small choice I make can potentially have such a positive impact on someone else’s life.
If you’re interested in learning more about the program and how you can participate, feel free to check out the donation requirements.
Have you ever participated in this program or something similar that benefits others?
