You wake up in the morning and you know it’s early…too early. You know you should have set the alarm for 15 minutes more than the half the hour before you wake up. You scramble out of bed and un-scramble your hair. Top knot it is, nobody’s got time to comb. Puffy-eyed you ask if this is real life, toothbrush hanging out of your mouth and a should-I-shower debate going back and forth in your head. Yes, you should. But I don’t wannnt toooo. If only it were that simple. So you do. You appear clean and now you’re hungry too. You make the world’s fastest omelette (du fromage), you shovel…no scarf it and you remind the fellow resident of the time, the reminder being more for you than him. “It’s 6!”
It’s 6. AM. Ugh.
He takes the dogs out, you put on your grey socks. The ones he paid too much for at the running store. Mentally they do the same stuff as your cat socks but they were in your shoes already so you flow with the go. He comes back in, dogs expecting treats. Sorry dogs, we deducted points for the magical garbage that moves around the floor when nobody’s home. It’s like Toy Story except it smells different. It’s time to leave anyway. Grab a coat, one toe outside the door and the coat goes on. Get into the car, turn on the seat warmer, turn down the stereo because apparently you married a rockstar and didn’t know. The car goes up one slope and then another (and another). These are all the slopes you’re glad you’ll be walking down on when it’s quitting time. For now, it’s up. He cusses at the unfairness of our first stop light and you just sit there, looking straight ahead and then at the clock on the radio.
Green means go.
You see the light as the car turns, its apparent warmth hitting the mountains from the side. Mountains and sun, both so close. That blue. That crazy mountain blue.
That’s my favourite colour.
I know I spend too much time on Instagram. I have a reason. So many times I find my best food inspiration there and I love it when it all just clicks. This recipe was part of a photo recipe posted by Whitney Ingram. Her ideas are very similar to what I wish I could do if I was an expert home cook. She posted this on her feed plenty of weeks ago and I had every single thing it called for – I WAS SO EXCITED. So I made this and now I’m sharing it with you so you’ll know where to go when you need some fresh tomato-y ideas…for next summer, that is.
Ingredients
- A pint of cherry tomatoes (Or more. Or less.)
- 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (this works for a pint so if you’re adding more tomatoes, make sure you douse them with more oil)
- Salt, to season
- Pasta (your favourite kind)
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F, which is this house takes as long as it does for Gayle to take a shower, get ready, and leave the house. Don’t ask me about the days when we had to leave for school together. Just don’t. While I was waiting, I cooked the spaghetti, according to the instructions on the box, till it was al dente. I just typed the words “al dente“. What’s wrong with me?
Next, take a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Spread the tomatoes on it and drizzle the olive oil on the top. Sprinkle salt on the top and pop it in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. The slow cooking will turn the tomatoes into the sweetest things you’ve ever tasted. There is some exaggeration there but they taste THAT good so I won’t apologise for false advertising.
Serve up the spaghetti and add the tomatoes, basil and cheese to it. Serve hot.
*drool* so much droooool..
Beautiful writing laydee!! (um, were you spying on me in the morning? I can relate to all the feelings..). And that recipe – YUM.