Sunday in the Kitchen

I had thawed out three packs of small-diced ham over night for my soup. I diced up an onion as well. So, I sautéed a little onion and some ham, added three beaten eggs and made an omelet for breakfast.

I drained the beans and added three carrots, two packs of ham, a stem of rosemary, a bay leaf and two quarts of chicken stock.  I brought that up to a boil and then simmered it uncovered for three hours.

I did the usual Sunday chores and washed the bedding. It was cold enough outside to make the furnace kick on occasionally.

When the beans were soft (I checked) I removed the rosemary and the bay leaf.  I added one 14.5 can of diced tomatoes, a teaspoon of chili powder, the juice of one lemon and three cloves of minced garlic. I also added some fresh thyme and flat leaf parsley. I simmered that for another 30 minutes and then taste-tested it. Needed a little more pepper. I ate a bowl for my lunch and it was pretty good, if I do say so myself.

I went outside (with a jacket) and moved the last two hostas from the tree garden. I watered the vegetable garden for an hour with the square head sprinkler. When that was over, I set up the oscillating sprinkler in the front yard and watered the grass and gardens.

I didn’t have time for a bike ride, but I did start up the big thumper and ran it for about five minutes.

When another hour went by, I put the sprinklers away and rolled up the hose. I put the wheelbarrow, shovel and rake back in the shed and locked it up. I picked a cup of basil leaves from the herb garden. Then I went in the house for the night.

I boiled a nine ounce package of refrigerated fresh fettuccine. While that cooked, I heated two tablespoon of olive oil in my 10-inch skillet. To that, I added three clove of minced garlic. I cooked that one minute, stirring frequently. Then I added four cups of halved cherry tomatoes. And a little salt. I cooked that for another four minutes,

I removed it from the heat and stirred in the basil (I ripped it up before adding it) and some black pepper. I added the pasta to the skillet and tossed it to combine. I topped it with some shredded Parmesan.

Not complex flavors, but pretty good for so few ingredients.

I didn’t feel like watching TV, so I read in the living room until bedtime.