Tana B.- 09:18 am PDT - Oct 25, 2000 -#4529

Cooking quickies (depending on how much notice I've got about people "dropping by"; I have one friend who will call me from a few blocks away and invite himself to dinner, because he's more like family and he knows I'll say yes):

1) Pasta with chard, sun-dried tomatoes (actually, Trader Joe's Sun-Dried Tomato Splash, if possible) raisins, pine nuts, and feta

Begin with olive oil, throw in chopped onions, cook until soft, add sun-dried tomatoes and raisins. Cook over med-low heat until plump.

Add toasted pine nuts and chopped chard while boiling water for pasta (rotelle is best for this).

When everything is cooked down, toss with pasta; add crumbled feta at the end, along with cracked pepper and salt. This is a variation on the Molly Katzen "Pasta with Feta and Greens" recipe in the Still Life with Menu Cookbook. The raisins and feta balance so nicely. Served with garlic bread* and a green salad. I can get this out in 20 minutes if I don't talk to my guests.

2) Southern-style catfish (coated in cornmeal, salt, pepper and "BAM!!", e.g. Essence of Emeril), mashed potatoes and Carrots Caroline, which is grated carrots sautéed briefly until soft, with butter and nutmeg. Low maintenance once the potatoes are in the oven.

3) Farfalle del Mondo. A pasta dish with Southwestern seasonings, includes chicken and brie. Skip the laborious chicken prep and grill: just whip them into a sauté pan and add the seasonings that way. You can also chop the boneless breasts into bits and cook them quickly in the Southwest seasonings, and throw them in the pan with the cheese and tomato mixture right before you put it all into the pasta. YUM!

4) Ultimate Garlic Bread concoction:

Mix in a smallish bowl with a fork:

1 stick butter (softened)
Several cloves of crushed fresh garlic
Grated parmesan cheese (about 2 TBL.)
Italian Seasoning (less than 1 TSP.)

Slather thickly on slices of (preferably) Alfaro's 4-Seed Sour (a local bread, but do your best), and broil until the butter and cheese are molten, and barely golden brown. You will fall on your knees and face Mecca when you taste this bread. You will praise the name of Susan Douglass, a former housemate who brought this recipe to my life.