Tomatoes + Parsley = Quickest Pasta Recipe Ever (p.s. your toddler will eat this!)

I don't think you can possibly find a quicker pasta recipe than the one I am about to lay before you.  Aside from opening up a jar of something, this has got to be it.  And, it's much more satisfying not to mention delicious.

It's a great way to use those beautiful tomatoes that are spilling off the stands at the farmers markets these days.  If the heirloom varieties weren't $4/lb at my local farmers market, I would totally have used them.  Instead, I got the cheaper plum tomatoes (a mere $1.50/lb).  They didn't disappoint.  The tomato flavor really sings in this dish, and you can appreciate the fresh taste since the tomatoes stay raw.

The secret, I think, is that by tossing the warm pasta with the sauce, the pasta drinks in all the flavors and what you end up with is something savory yet refreshing.

So here it is.  Make it while the pasta cooks.

Quickest Pasta Recipe Ever

Ok, so it's a little more than just tomatoes + parsley, but it takes minutes to make!  If you make this in the summer, use as much fresh basil as suits your taste.  Since we're well into fall here, I chose dried basil.  Adding fresh parsley, which I keep in a pot on a sunny windowsill, brightens up the dish and kind of fools you into thinking the basil is fresh too!

3-4 large plum tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp dried basil (or 1/4 c fresh chopped basil)

1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped

1/8 c olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 lb whole wheat penne

Start boiling the water for the pasta.

Chop tomatoes and parsley, toss in the bowl with the olive oil.  Take dried basil and, rubbing it between your palms to freshen the herb, add it to the tomatoes.  Mince the garlic, and add it to the tomatoes, along with the salt (optional: I like to mince the garlic with the kosher salt, it kind of mashes the garlic down even further, which is nice since you won't be cooking this sauce).  Toss well.

While you're making the sauce, add the pasta to salted boiling water and cook according to package directions.  While the water is boiling/pasta is cooking, your sauce will have a chance to set.  Drain cooked pasta and immediately toss with the sauce. If you like, top with shavings of parmesan or pecorino romano.  Enjoy!

Like this recipe? Let me know!  Have a quicker pasta idea?  Share it!

UPDATE: Toddler Alert!  My super picky eater / toddler extraordinaire ate this all up!  So for all of you out there trying to shove food into your toddlers or other picky eaters at your dinner table, try this!

Bread (Crust!) Pudding Fit for a Toddler

You may not know me very well.  If you're reading this you may not know that I have the world's pickiest toddler, that she doesn't like to eat many things that normal toddlers adore, and that every day is a constant struggle to pack nutrition into her little body.

You may not know that about me.  But you may have a similar situation at home.  For instance, I've heard that my Little One's aversion to crusts on her sandwiches is not terribly unique.  Every morning when I make her breakfast (cream cheese sandwiches, it's pretty much the only thing I can get her to consistently eat) I diligently shave off all the awful crusts and... well, to be honest, at first I was throwing them out.  I know.  Terrible waste.  So, I decided to start collecting them in a bag in the freezer, and figured I'd find out what to do with them later.

I Googled like crazy: bread crust recipes...  toddler crust recipes...  what to do with leftover bread crusts...

Anyway, bread (crust) pudding was my favorite find.  A few people suggested it, and one person had a healthy twist on it that I decided to try.

It was good, but a little liquidy and sweet and didn't hold together like I envisioned a bread pudding would.  And, although my picky toddler did try it (hooray!) she did not eat it a second time.

So I tried again.  I used some ideas from the healthy recipe, cracked open the good ol' Joy of Cooking for a little more info and voila!  Pure toddler comfort food.

Bread (Crust!) Pudding Fit for a Toddler

As I shot the photos for this post, my little picky eater made a b-line for the plate of pudding and actually asked for some, even though she just ate a big breakfast!  Try this, trust me, you'll be happy you did.

4 cups lightly packed whole wheat bread crusts, diced into 1/2 inch pieces (or thereabouts)
2 cups whole milk
3 eggs
1/8 c agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 apple, peeled and grated
1/2 c raisins

Whisk eggs, agave, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together.  Add milk and whisk well.  In a 2 qt buttered/oiled baking dish, layer as follows: 1/3 of the bread crusts, 1/2 of the apples, 1/2 of the raisins, 1/3 of the egg mix.  Repeat.  End with last third of bread crusts, topped with last third of egg mix.

Let sit for 30 min (very important!!!), occasionally pressing down with a spatula to ensure the liquid gets absorbed.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Bake in water bath* (also very important) about 1 1/4 hr, until browned, puffed a bit, and firm in the center.


*Don't be scared, it's easy! Joy of Cooking says to lie a dish towel, or rack, inside a roasting pan, and place the baking dish on top.  When the whole contraption is in the oven, pour enough hot water in the roasting pan to reach up half way on the baking dish.  Apparently doing this prevents your pudding from getting grainy.  Works for me.

Let me know if your little ones eat it!

This Week's (Big) Small Find: Decorative Knobs and Pulls*

It's funny how the smallest things can make you ridiculously happy.

When we moved in to our apartment a couple years ago, we redid a few things before settling in: the walls, ceilings and (black!) baseboards were all painted over, extra storage cubbies were built over each closet (more on that another time) and the old and decrepit closet doors were replaced.  When we replaced the closet doors, we got these plain cheapo knobs at the hardware store and just stuck them on... nothing decorative or remarkable, but serviceable.

They've been bothering me for two years.

\

So I replaced them.  And now I'm happy.

You don't have to have a big budget to get major impact in a room.  Something small like swapping out door knobs (or drawer pulls, or kitchen cabinet knobs) can really make a lot of difference, bringing color and texture and character to a room.

Since you're working on a small scale (how many knobs could you possibly need?) you can really go all out on this purchase (I'll admit, I went to Anthropologie for these*).  You can also find more thrifty deals by raiding flea markets for something unique and fun.  Even big box hardware stores have a decent collection of knobs and handles to choose from.  In any case, you don't need to settle on the bland and boring.

Have another small scale decorating idea that makes a big impression?  Share it, please!

*A Note on (Big) Small Finds: A reader recently asked me whether I get paid for sharing my finds, and the answer, for the time being, is no.  The (Big) Small Finds are simply things I come across in my daily life that I think are useful/noteworthy/wonderful.  If I should ever be so lucky that this fact changes, I will of course let everyone know with a clear disclaimer... here's hoping!  

The Holiday after the Storm: Regrouping after Sandy

We left the house today, the first time since Sunday.  I hadn't realized how cooped up I felt until we stepped out, stroller draped in a plastic rain guard, umbrella in hand, and breathed that first gulp of fresh air.

Photo from NY1 News, viewer photo of post-Sandy rainbow in Windsor Terrace

It's like a holiday outside.  I know this sounds awful in light of the fact that so many have been traumatized by Sandy.  The death toll in the tri-state area is rising by the hour, and countless people are without power.  Even in our neighborhood, trees have been downed and the wreckage is clear.  Though I have to say, the most powerful image for me of this storm has been this surreal picture of the partial collapse of a building in Chelsea.  The thing looks like a dollhouse.  Can you imagine being inside when the walls fell down?

But here in Brooklyn, rather, in Zone B and C Brooklyn (those of us who Sandy didn't kick out of house and home) people are out in droves, crowding every coffee shop, bar and restaurant that had the good sense/luck to be open today.  I was so surprised to see so many people out and about, although I guess I shouldn't have been.  Public transit is shutdown, so many people are "working" from home, or have taken forced personal days.  After being cooped up in a small apartment for so long, terrified of what Hurricane Sandy was going to do to you, with nary a window open, it's a relief to finally be out and about, celebrating the survival of you and your possessions.  Mr. Minimalist and I were grateful for the fresh air, and the Little One was happy enough to see something besides her two stir-crazy parents walking around.

Our thoughts do go out to those who are suffering.  Wishing everyone a speedy recovery from this terrible storm.

This Week's (Big) Small Find: Shallow Shoe Cabinets

In small spaces, you are often crammed in from every angle.  Your rooms might be small squares, long bowling alleys, or odd shapes with strange nooks you wish you knew how to utilize.

Enter the shallow shoe cabinets selling (most likely like hotcakes) at IKEA.

Hemnes shoe cabinet from IKEA; photo from IKEA

They come in a few different styles and sizes (frankly I'm surprised they don't make even more) so you can suit your decor, somewhat, and pick one that's right for your space.  (Personally, I'm partial to the traditional styled Hemnes collection).

At under a foot in depth, these cabinets are genius.  You can slip them in your hallway, or entryway (if you're lucky enough to have one) and not worry about taking up precious floor space   And you can use them in those odd niches in your home, or in that really narrow bedroom with the minuscule closet.

You can probably even branch out from shoe storage and get creative.  I'm thinking the bottom "drawers" might be a nice place for kids' winter paraphernalia  or maybe even toys.  The drawers tilt open easily, so little ones can help themselves.

Anyway, the options are endless.  Some of the styles might even work for small kitchens and bathrooms. 

What would you store in there?

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere...

But not for us, not yet.  We always procrastinate on the pumpkin buying, I don't know why.  Most years past we wait for our annual trip upstate to go apple picking.  The orchard we go to is on a small farm, and they have a pretty sizable pumpkin patch from which you can choose your favorite jack-o-lantern.

But the weekends have ticked by, and we haven't gone, and we are booked through the rest of the season, and don't have any weekends left.

With a baby, it's not so easy to make the 2 hour trip up north.  Although we've been going to the same place almost every year since Mr. Minimalist and I met, I'm not positive we'll make it this year.  The little one is just too mobile and aware of everything, and it might be too much of a drive.  I will miss the huge bag of apples and all the yummy baking that comes out of it if we don't go.  I'll also miss seeing that huge pumpkin display, drinking the hot apple cider and nibbling on freshly baked cider doughnuts.

Maybe we'll all play hooky and go during the week.

This Week's (Big) Small Find: Kitchen Island Carts

You're standing in the kitchen, one mixing bowl tucked under your left arm, another one hanging out of your right hand, and you have NO WHERE TO PUT IT.  You scan your counters: bags of flour and sugar, spice jars and measuring cups cover every surface.

How often has this happened to you?  It happens to me on a regular basis, most recently while baking a plum cake as I describe below.

So, when you're working in a small kitchen and you feel that the counters are closing in on you, behold your saving grace: the portable kitchen island cart.

This is not a hard item to find-- you can find low and high cost versions of it at most big box stores.  Ikea has a nice budget friendly version:

Stenstorp Kitchen Cart; photo from ikea.com

And Crate and Barrel has one for more than twice the price, although it's a bit larger and has the advantage of closed storage.

Belmont White Kitchen Cabinet; photo from crateandbarrel.com

You can wheel these carts around the kitchen as you need them.  If you have one of those odd galley kitchen like I had in my old studio, you can "expand" your kitchen into the adjoining hallway/entrance hall/living room.  It's a place to rest an appliance, cut up your veges, or put down an extra mixing bowl.

Another advantage to these carts?  This is one kitchen upgrade you can take with you when you move, so it's great for renters and other folks who are planning their next move.  

Now, since I'm convinced my problem is organization and not space (I did, after all, recently upgrade from one kitchen counter to two when we moved out of the studio and into this apartment) I'm not going to cave quite yet.  But you may want to. 

What tricks have you developed to expand your kitchen?