Doctors, Done and Dinner

Sitting here waiting at the fourth of the five mouth-oriented doctor's appointment we've had in the last week.  I'll be glad when this round is over, as will the patients, I'm sure.

Yet another week had passed where I'm struggling to get time to be creative.  I'm working hard at trying not to make it a reward, but frankly the stuff filling my days, and my thoughts, have just been more important...mostly taxes.  Taxes make me anxious and nervous in a way that mere words cannot describe, so I put them off and then I'm up against the deadline and it just makes it all so much worse than if I'd just gotten it done and out of here.  Blah.

I didn't plan my cooking from Pinterest this week, but that didn't stop me from pinning a dozen fresh-flavored looking recipes.  Dishes that involve fruits other than apples and oranges.  Dishes not slow cooked.  Spring-fare dishes, like this. . .

. . . Fast Forward 12 hours after I originally started this post and at almost 10:00 PM I finally get to finish it . . .

. . . like this Lemon Garlic Cream Fettuccine.  I saw the recipe in my Taste of Home magazine and planned it for this week.  This recipe sort of goes along with "ready for Spring" like stuff - like rain instead of snow, fresh ingredients instead of frozen, lighter dishes instead of casseroles and slow cooked stuff, lemons instead of apples.  I thought I'd direct you straight to Taste of Home, but if you're not a member you can't access the recipe.  I did find a pin on Pinterest of a blogger who made the recipe "as is" from the magazine - SWEET.  

Some people complained that it was too heavy in garlic, lemon and the sauce was thick.  I didn't know of these complaints when I made mine and we thought it was delicious!  Even the 5 y.o. hoarked it down!  Such a different flavor profile, too.  That said, I used spaghetti noodles instead of fettuccine because it's what I had.  I like onions, but the fam isn't a big fan, so while I put them recipes in I usually reduce the amount.  I thought the sauce looked a little thick, but then I added the lemon juice and all was well; it coated the noodles perfectly.  I can see where some people would think it was over lemony if you were expecting regular fettuccine, but this is LEMON fettuccine - it's not an undertone, it's the star.  If you don't like raw garlic, make the topping but serve it on side and you can better adjust it.  If you serve the dish hot, the heat from the dish will take some of the bite out of the garlic.

If you're feeling done with winter, this dish and a night of paper crafting should be enough to knock you out of the Winter Blues. . .even if you're expecting more snow, like we are.

Happy Friday,



P.S.  And I walked again tonight.  I dragged the 13 y.o. with me, who actually ran and looked like he was enjoying himself!  And my mother-in-law who keeps saying she needs to get back to the gym but finds reasons not to, so we didn't really give her a choice.  The 5 y.o. swam, the 15 y.o. did his thing and the 17 y.o. never quite got going.  Go us!