It’s A “Shore” Thing…& A Great Pasta Recipe

We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same. -Anne Frank

Hello, sweet friend…

Well…here we are in August still dealing, coping, and doing our best in regards to staying healthy & making choices on how to do so, since March…

No doubt you need a break from everything I certainly do …so today I’m taking you for a visit to Shore Acres where you can enjoy the outdoors and all it’s beauty.

The gardens are perched on rugged sandstone cliffs high above the ocean…

and fortunately for us even with the current pandemic the park is open to the public.

What’s Cooking?

This past week I decided to surprise our neighbor with a meal. She had recently gone through surgery and with her daughter being an essential worker I knew they’d appreciate a home-cooked delivery. The meal was easy to prepare. I packaged everything up with warm garlic bread, freshly shredded parmesan along with a couple of special cookies. My adorable Joe was excited to drop it off!

Tomato Olive Pasta

Ingredients

Salt and pepper

1 pound penne, or other short pasta 

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2/3 pound (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

Step 1 In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook penne according to package instructions until al dente, about 13 minutes. Drain.

Step 2 Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, until just golden, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring, until tomato juices run, about 3 minutes.

Step 3 Add penne, olives, parsley, and 1/4 cup Parmesan to the skillet and toss to combine. Serve with more cheese if desired. Yes of course…