Weekend Stimulus Plan

This weekend we did our part stimulating the economy. Jesse's busy travel schedule has left very little time for running errands and taking care of some necessary, yet boring, tasks like buying socks, and pants, and cellphones. As a result, we had a major shopping spree (compared to our frugal policies of the past few months) and I am convinced that we singlehandedly raised the GDP.

For the past couple of weeks, Jesse's phone has been in a frightening tailspin and warranted an emergency trip to a crowded retail center on a Saturday. There, we spent a good hour and a half looking at phones, contemplating plans, and having our new phones programmed. Afterward, we were both starving and stopped on 82nd Avenue at Pho Hung for delicious beef noodle soup. The restaurant was a total shot in the dark, I literally swerved in the parking lot and we both plopped down exhausted from the afternoon -- I consider it quite a find. Anyway, Jesse is now the owner of a Blackberry and I have to admit that it's pretty amazing (even though I nearly had to pry it out of his hands at lunch in order to have a conversation). Already, he's put it to good use. Right now he's in McAllen, Texas on another site visit and we've been able to chat on his layovers. I'll be glad when he's back for good, but it's nice to be able to talk with him throughout the day instead of just in the evening when he's worn out.

I decided to cook dinner for myself tonight (I usually just have leftovers when he's out of town) after being inspired by one of my favorite PBS cooking shows, Lidia's Italy. She was making a simple pasta with pancetta, greens, and chickpeas. I ended up making something that wasn't even close to her original recipe, but it was in the spirit of a one pan dish -- mushrooms, lots of garlic, broccoli, white wine, and roasted red peppers. I sauteed and browned the veggies, and dumped it on top of pasta tossed with olive oil, fresh parsley, and parmesean cheese. Oh, and I threw on a few toasted pine nuts for good measure -- a tip from Lidia. Lately, I have read about adding browned butter to dishes on several of my favorite food blogs. I think that might be a nice addition next time.

This quick concoction is definitely a keeper. It was also a nice reminder that a healthy dinner is only 20 minutes away, even if I start from scratch. I'll have to keep this in mind should my work load pick up again in the next few months -- I'm keeping my fingers crossed!