Pass da Pasta - super easy and soo delicious! #Leftovers! #Basil! GroceryDelivery #Chocolates! #ShreddedMeat (Not Zac Efron! lol!) #Pasta #PastaDinners! #Yum!

'Pass da' Pasta! You better Believe it! haha! Noo, you CAN believe it! That's nicer, right? lol! So fast and easy, crazy-delicious - and tonight we tried it with cut up sausages - oh, man, light and tasty! So good!

You cn make this easy and delicious meal with any kind of pasta (or rice), and any kind of meat - or no meat at all - it's always good, no matter what - and takes about 10 minutes to make - just the time it takes to cook the pasta, and you're done! 

This is a great dish for any Leftover Turkey, Leftover Ham - you name it, and is delicious with no meat, too! Yum! 

Done And Delicious! Yay! 

Pop the leftovers in the fridge, try it with fillets of fish - omg, delicous! 

I made this next recipe up a few years ago, and now it's one of our favorites! I don't have a name for it so we'll call it...

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'Pass da' Pasta!
Ingredients:

1 to 4 Cups of Diced Chicken (pre-cooked and frozen), or 4 Chicken Breasts (If you have leftover chicken, turkey or pork roast, this is a great dish for that : )

1 14oz. tin of Diced Tomatoes

1/2 to 3/4 cup of Olive Oil for cooking, then 1/2 cup Olive Oil to stir into the pasta when it's ready (I just pour some EVOO into the pan, pour in the Basil, add the Montreal Steak Spice, add the meat if you're gonna add meat, then add the Can of Diced Tomatoes - yum!) 

1 - 2 tbsp. Montreal Steak Spice (Totally Optional : )

(Optional) 2 tbsp. Roasted Garlic and Peppers (you can use the little packets that come with your pizza! lol!) (Also optional!)

6 - 10 tbsp. of dried Basil Leaves (Really, I pour in a LOT of Basil - yum! Deeelish!)

10 Minute Meal: I make the Salsa Chicken, for one night, and then shred the chicken - pulling it apart - along with the Salsa in the pan, then put it in baggies, pop it in the freezer...when you're ready to make your 'Pass da Pasta', just take one or two packages of the already cooked chicken out of the freezer, thaw it in water in the pot you'll use to cook the pasta, or pop it in the microwave, and then this dish will only take about 10 minutes, if that - fantastic, healthy and delicious! 

 Just shred the leftover chicken, along with the extra Salsa, put it in baggies, pop in the freezer for another day : )

The whole meal, when the meat is already cooked, is mostly the time to cook the pasta - so fast and easy, and the whole family will love it : )

AND, we love it with #PulledPork, too - So Good! 

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Directions:

1. Brown Chicken in the Olive Oil. Add your Basil - the more, the better! Yum, will smell good, already! Make sure chicken is cooked, and in bite-size pieces.

2. Add the can of Diced Tomatoes. Stir well, Cover, and Simmer for about an hour, or so. (Unless you're using leftover chicken, then just as long as it takes to make the pasta : )

3 . Boil water and add the whole box of Tortiglioni pasta or whatever pasta you love, but the Tortiglioni noodles are fantastic for this dish - Fusilli is very nice with this, too, if you can't find the Tortiglioni Pasta - I usually can find it at WalMart (which pays well in Canada, so they already have the model of how paying their workers well works out... just so you know that in the States...) Optional: Mushrooms, Green Peppers, Italian Sausage, etc., etc.!

4. Do a 'taste test' to check when the pasta is ready. Rinse cold water through, first, so you don't burn yourself!

5. Rinse the pasta, then put back in pot. Add 1/2 Cup of Olive Oil, then carefully add the sauce. ( If you used the Chicken Breasts, cut into bite-size pieces before adding to pasta.) Pour into Large Serving Bowl.

6. Serve with Grated Cheddar Cheese, or eat it 'plain'. Enjoy!
This is delicious, the next day - I just add a wee bit more olive oil, heat it up - yum!

Of course, as with all good recipes, you can adapt this to suit your own tastes, so if you like things a little milder, cut the spices in half; increase the amounts if you really love spices! You can also play around with the different shapes of pasta -- putting two or three different types of pasta in the same dish makes it interesting and adds texture to the meal.
Happy Cooking! Ailsa!

Pass da Pasta is soo fast and easy to make - pop your water on while you get the meat out and put that in the skillet - add your Olive Oil and the Basil - remember, the more, the better - yum! Then pour in your Diced Tomatoes - I like the Italian Spiced Diced Tomatoes, but whatever you have in the cupboard is fine : ) Don't let it throw you off that there looks like a LOT of Basil, it'll be super-delicious : ) Cover and let the sauce cook while the pasta is cooking...  Just pour your pasta into your colander (sieve), then pour right back into the cooking pot, then pour the sauce right on top, and mix well.

This is one of my favorite Paintings - we got it at a School Fundraiser, when my lovely daughter, Cara, was running a huuuge fundraiser for the Tsunami Relief... and I saw it on my way in, said, omg, I have to have it... so, we did our bid and took it home, and, Voila, it's been one of my favorite paintings, ever since! : )

We always serve the Pass da Pasta in a nice bowl - seems to be juuust the right size - deeelish, and heart healthy, too : )

Grocery delivery!!
This is so cool - let's say you've now been binge watching your fave shows, and you STILL have 4 more seasons left of your brand new-to-you show, soo you don't want to get up off the couch, but, also, you know you should probably get you' some groceries?

Problem - Solution! lol! 

Check and see if your area is covered by either VONS or Safeway... they cover some of the same areas, and some different areas - does that make sense? lol!

I loove this Delivery Service for Groceries and whatever you might need, right to your door, just in general, but what a great idea in bad weather, no more stooopid traffic, or if you're not feeling up to going out to the store, or you just don't feeeel like going out to the store...or if you're like me, and get so caught up in whatever you're working on, and don't want to stop just 'for food' - haha! And no need for Taxis, if you need to take a cab to the grocery store...that's a huge savings, right there, right?

Wow, Grocery Delivery Service - that's fantastico!! Yippee!!  Hello, Future - you look great! : )

I think this is such an amazing new service for your groceries - and anything you ever need from the grocery store - if you've ever had a time when you had a tiny baby, or you're super-busy (same thing - hahaha! All the New Moms will be laughing, now - lol!)..but if you're busy at work, or busy at home, or traffic, or you're busy binge-watching your favorite shows - hahahahaha! This might be the new wave of the future, right? Ordering your groceries online?

And I would imagine you would save a lot of money, since you would just buy what you actually need... might really work for dieting, too, since, well, if we're in the store, and be 'we', I mean 'me'...anyway, let's say I've got my grocery list, then I'm at the store, and I think, you know what, I'll just nick down the Candy Aisle, see if Chocolate is on sale (see how much I like Sale Chocolate - hahaha! Is it tastier, or just less expensive?? We'll never know! It's all gone, now - hahaha!)

Not that you couldn't just 'browse' for that, anyway... right? Me thinkin', now, o' course, where is the Sale Chocolate, online?? hahaha! But let's say you're you, and not me, and you have a LOT more self control than maybe ME do... so you order all the things you really wanted, and not just a whole cart full o' Wunderbars, on sale... hahahaha! Wouldn't THAT be fun - just a cartful of Sale Chocolate?? haha! Okay, clearly, me needs a treat! lol! : ) #SaleChocolate! Ha!

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Yum! You can make this dish so quickly and easily - and when you make it with Spaghetti, or Spaghettini, any longer pasta - lol - you can just ladle on the sauce, and it's very nice to drizzle a little more Extra virgin Olive Oil (Think Rachel Ray - EVOO! lol!) on your pasta after you've served it... so good!

Very simple, and under $3 for the meal, if you already have your Basil and Montreal Steak Spice - I think you can prolly find those spices at the Dollar Store, now, so check and see : )

Delicious on it's own, or add shredded cheese - yum!

Enjoy! : )


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Okay, so the other night we made the Pass da Pasta - we have so many versions of it, now - it's good to play around with your recipes - you might come up with something ah'mazing, right? Let go of any old kitchen rules - rules are meant to be broken - me tink! haha!

 Anyway, I didn't have a whole helluva lot of the pasta left over, right - just a little bit, and we had just gotten this lovely fish (Basa - huge fillets - so good!), AND, we had just gotten this huuuge new pan, and I wanted to try it out with these giant pieces of fish, so I just put some Olive Oil (EVOO, if you love Rachel Ray,too! lol!) and some seasoning salt, rinsed the fish and put it in the pan, on High, the whole cooking time...

Flipped it a few times, then at the end, I added in a few little pads of butter, to get the butte flavor throughout the fish....

Then I tossed the pasta in the pan, after the fish was fully cooked, off to the sides, added more Olive Oil (EVOO, again!), and some Parsley - served the fish on the little bed of pasta - omg, was sooo deeelish! Yum! My son loved it, and that is one of the biggest things with kids - what will the kids eat? Haha!

And I'm sure you already know this, but one of the key things you can do to get your child to try new things, is to get them to help with the preparation - if they cook it, the chances are a good 90% higher that they'll at least try it - and they'll be more likely to like it, too - hello, power of suggestion! haha!


Okay, go enjoy your meals! Yum! Cheers!! Ailsa : )

So tonight we thought we'd try the cut up sausages (I lovingly call them schnausages - makes me laugh - lol!) in our fave Pass da Pasta - and it was light and delicious - amazing!

Wow, you cannot go wrong with this super-easy recipe, is so lovely and tasty, nice and healthy : )

I just took out the 'bag o' sausages' that I had already cooked, and put in the freezer, to add to meals through the week - that's a great time saver, if you're not in the habit of doing that - just cook up a lot of meat, separate it into baggies, or in a large baggie, then kind of move it around in the bag, as it starts to freeze, so you can take out whatever you need for any particular meal or snack - and meat makes a great little snack, if you are on KETO, Paleo, or any little healthy kick, where you want to eat fewer carbs - or, you know, just have a nice little snack : )

So I just popped this bowl of sausages into the microwave for 3 minutes, reserved some for my son to take for a snack at school...

Poured the whole thing into the Olive Oil, Basil, Montreal Steak Spice, already heated in the pan, tossed that around a little, then just add the tin of Diced Tomatoes, turn down the heat to the lowest setting, cover and let simmer while the pasta cooks.

  You know what? Doesn't that look like mushrooms? Omg, that would ba amazing in the Pass da Pasta, too - and I just pour in the Basil - Olive Oil first, heat is already on High, add the basil, then the Montreal Steak Spice, stir in the meat, if you're using any meat - I just realized, I always make this with pre-cooked meat, but if it's not cooked, be sure to cook the meat through, first, o' course - lol!

This is a great 'leftover' meal - yum!

I love it when we just want something quick and easy, always delicious - you'll love it!

It's so adaptable, always great! : )

I like the Italian Diced Tomatoes, but you can use any diced tomatoes - one tin is lots, but as with every recipe, make it any way you like it - lol! : )

See how easy? We're looking at minutes, here, at most... super-easy!

Cover and simmer on Low while the pasta is cooking - any pasta is delicious - the Tortiglione is exciting, but any twirly pasta, or spaghetti - anything you have on hand will work for you and whoever you're making it for : )

 I literally just took the kitchen scissors (or, any scissors you'll wash, then wash when you're done), cut the sausages into bite-size pieces, popped them in the oven on the tin foil in a pan, sprinkled a li'l Montreal Steak, bake for about an hour... pop in the freezer in a baggie, use whenever you like : )

Yum! You'll love it all!

And I just put up whatever delicious things I like to make for my little family, so you can have great things to have yourself, or with whoever you love to feed! Yum!

Enjoy!! Ailsa : )

#WallyLamb #AmericanWriters We Are Water, by Wally Lamb - Wow, What a read! #GreatBooks #GoodReads #FavoriteAuthors #Books #Novel #Reading

Wow, I am blown away by Wally Lamb's new book, We Are Water. I just finished reading it, and, holy crap, what a ride. You are so caught up in the story, and all the characters, you need to just keep reading, like the floodgates have opened to the story, and you've gotta ride the wave to the end. Amazing. 

(Oh, and I get a wee something when you buy through me, too - so thank you so much - you're the best!)

It's always a little tricky when I want to tell you about an amazing new book you might like to read, too -- although, this is not a book for the lily-livered... is that the right spelling?? hahaha!  Makes me laugh, just thinking about that term, but lets say you know someone who balks when they hear a sweary word Whaaat?? People swear?? Say it ain't so.... okay, those people. You've got someone in your mind, right now, everyone knows at least one prude, and you wonder, how the hell did that happen, after, say, 1921??  Who knows? People who cling to a pristine past that never did exist? Who can tell what made them pretend to be so pure of heart..... generally, these are also some of the meanest people, but secretly hurting people, hiding behind this little wall of bashfulness, or extreme and excessive purity - they annoy me, for the most part, just accept others for who and what they are, and move on.... I'm not big on the ultra-moralistic crap. Gimme a break. And everyone else, too.... people go through stuff, they deal with it, it's very rough, sometimes... anyway, I see I'm on a bit of a rant...not enough sugar for me, today?? hahahaha!  Like sugar is the new enemy. Stooopid. That annoys me, too. Maybe a little fresh cup of tea will help me 'simmer down'?? haha!

Okay, let me put the rest of the Wally Lamb books up here for you, too, in case you're new to Wally Lamb...oh, man, are you ever in for an incredible reading treat!  Again, though, only if you're an adult, and can handle some tough stuff.... and love a great read, and, oh, man, are you gonna looove this! We Are Water is a brilliant book - Wally Lamb is definitely one of my all-time favourite writers. Brilliant. Amazing. What a read!

Wally Lamb is so powerful - especially right now, when we are still dealing with school shootings, and the horrible aftermath of these easily avoidable school shootings (and shooting everywhere else, too), Wally Lamb writes beautifully about Columbine, in The Hour I First Believed... 

Every Wally Lamb book is a treat for your senses, you will fall crazy in love with Wally Lamb, and soon he'll become one of your favorite authors, too! : )

This link will take you right to The Wally Lamb Collection - every book by Wally Lamb is spectacular - yes, they are juuuust that good!  I love a book you just can't put down - yahoo for Reading! lol! : )
Happy Reading!!  Ailsa xox


Oooh, look for Mr. Ed - they're hilarious!  We have the Box Set - so funny!

#LaurenGraham - Someday, Someday, Maybe: A Novel - A GREAT Novel! You'll love it! : > #GilmoreGirls!

 So cute!!! Me yuv!!

Someday, Someday, Maybe: A Novel - this is Lauren Graham's 'new' book - is such a great read, you're just gonna love it!  It's like having a really nice long visit with Lauren Graham, and she's in your living room, eating some Cheesies, telling you all sorts of really funny and poignant stories - soo great!

I think Someday, Someday, Maybe is especially good if you have an inkling towards wanting to be an actor (a' actooor - lol!), or if you've loved Lauren Graham for forever, from the Gilmore Girls through to Parenthood - two of our all-time favourite shows! We love Lauren Graham - she's soo cute, and so super-funny - she's just like that in the book, too - you're gonna love it!  Is a real treat to read!

Oh, and I just saw Lauren Graham on Ellen, and her hilarious and wonderful novel, Someday, Someday, Maybe is now in paperback form - yahoo!!  Get a great deal on it, then pass it along to your friends and family - let them have a lovely reading day, too : )


Happy Reading! Ailsa xox

Ooooh, and a potential new Gilmore Girls??  Mmmm??  Aaaah??  I've heard a series of 90 minute episodes - yahoo!  Me hope dat right! lol!

 When your Mom makes you dress up just like her - but then, you do it with your own daughter, is sooo cute! bah'hahahahaha!

Oooh, I hope Luke's still in it - to win it - haha! He's so handsome! : )