Back to Work

My hubby and I are both educators, so we've had two glorious weeks off. Glorious, I say! Unfortunately, today was back-to-work day. I actually love my career and think it's the best job in the world. That doesn't fully take away the pain of going back, though. Let's face it, no matter how much a person loves their job, waking up in the morning can still be difficult. Making it even more tough is the fact that I have to leave my kids. I'm blessed because their grandmother takes care of them however, it still hurts to leave them after a break. I acclimate quickly, but that initial walking out the door makes me sad. Sigh.

Naturally, after two weeks off, the first day back is TIRING!! I went to Costco after work which was an accomplishment since I was basically sleep-walking at that point. I figured I could pick up some ground beef and use it in my yummy meat sauce this evening. Spaghetti is my go-to healthy meal for nights when I'm exhausted. It's easy, tasty, and nutritious. Too bad I'm picky and Costco didn't have any ground beef that was lean enough. I'm partial to 96/4 beef. I find it to be far less greasy (though I drain it anyway) and less gristly.

That left me with the battle that I've faced far too many times. Do I figure out some other dinner or have the hubby get drive-thru. Ugh. I love a good bacon cheeseburger, but after the holiday season I need to detox! The exhausted mother in me battled not to give in to the greasy but easy temptation. I waited all the way until my hubby got home asking about dinner. Still, I had no clue. Part of the problem was my fatigue. I literally could hardly put together a coherent sentence, let alone plan out an impromptu dinner. Spontaneity in the kitchen is not a strength of mine. So, did I cook or not? I...cooked! The only healthy alternative to drive-thru that my hubby could come up with was Subway. Ugh. I'm not a fan. Nothing against Subway, I just don't love sandwiches, in general. I know, strange. Oh well. Subway pushed my mind into my pantry where I came up with a yummy, cozy, and fast meal - Penne with Butter and Parmesan! Woooooo!!! I am so proud of myself. Normally, I would have been eating McDonald's right about now. Although butter is not a diet food, it's certainly better than McNuggets and fries. Right?

Recipe:

13.5 oz box of Penne Rigate

3/4 stick of butter

1/2 cup (or more, if you like) Parmesan

Salt and peper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and throw in a palmful of salt.

Carefully drop the penne into the water and give it a quick stir. Stir every few minutes to ensure that it doesn't stick together and that it cooks evenly.

Grate the parmesan.

Cut butter into 1 inch cubes if it isn't room temperature. If it's room temp, you can leave it whole.

Drain the pasta, reserving a ladle-full of pasta water.

Put the pasta in a big ol' bowl and dump the butter in with it. Mix the pasta with the butter until the butter disappears into a beautiful sheen over all of the noodles.

Sprinkle the cheese over the pasta and mix to coat all of the noodles. If the pasta gets too clumpy (that's a technical term) mix in a bit of the pasta water to loosen it. The pasta water has all of the good starch in it still, so it helps loosen the pasta without creating a watery mess.

Portion it out, add some salt and pepper if you want (but not before you taste it. Parmesan can be salty), and enjoy! Quick yummy goodness!