Wednesday, February 16, 2011

LIFE IS GOOD and Elbow Macaroni with Toasted Breadcrumbs

It is a wonder how ones mood changes with the weather. And today is sunny and warm and beautiful. Even the brownish grass in the lawn looks somewhat brighter! Lawn- that just remained me of an old quarrel between Marie and Frank (Everybody Loves Raymond): "Who invented the lawn?" LOL So, my mood is on its highest, just put into oven some cabbage loafs, made some salad with leftover steamed cabbage leaves (with tons of garlic!), and stirred my "sourdough mother"! The procedure started yesterday after I bookmarked and printed out the recipe @Stumptown Savoury. There are many many wonderful recipes on this site, please do check them out! You can find the recipe here. Can hardly wait until my "sourdough mother" is ready and I can start baking with it!!!



Another good thing elated me today: I got a Stylish Blogger Award from  Elyse @The Cultural Dish! Thank you Elyse! If you follow this blog you  are probably familiar with super elegant Valentine Profiteroles and Cake Balls. If not, what are you waiting for, click that links and indulge yourself in yumminess! Official thank is on My Awards page.


Yesterday I mentioned my little computer helper, my youngest son. I wanted to glue his photo to the post but as he wasn't into it, I just let go. Anyhow, after he read all the flattering comment, he kind of said: "Oh well you can just put me on if you like!"  So here he is. I took the pic this morning before his concert. He is playing cielo.


Now about the recipe. As I said many times before, my oldest son is studying Pharmacy overseas and he started to cook at his home away from home. Simple, easy dishes, just yesterday he treated himself with crapes with Nutella filling. One of the simplest ways to prepare pasta is to just toss it with some toasted breadcrumbs and enjoy with a dollop of mayo and a side of salad. Variation is the key to make things interesting, right? I used elbow macaroni, but any kind of pasta will do just fine, as I learned through the years: In cooking there is no wrong way, there is just my way and your way!


Elbow Macaroni With Toasted Breadcrumbs on FoodistaElbow Macaroni With Toasted Breadcrumbs

ELBOW MACARONI with TOASTED BREADCRUMBS
(for the printable version click here)

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked elbow macaroni (or any other pasta)
4 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs (plain, Italian Style, Panko, the choice is yours)
pinch of salt
dash of black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp crushed chili peppers
dollop of mayo
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Into a skillet over medium heat, pour olive oil, add breadcrumbs of your choice, salt, pepper, crunched chili peppers, and stir until breadcrumbs become golden brown and crunchy, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add cooked elbow macaroni or pasta of your choice, stir to cover all the macaroni/pasta with breadcrumbs, and let cook for another minute or two. Keep on stirring!

Serve topped with some grated Parmesan cheese and a dollop of mayo! YUM!!!




24 comments:

  1. Isn't it nice to have a personal helper?? I have to ask my kids too. So glad he let you post the pic, extraordinarily handsome, if you ask me!
    I could eat macaroni each and every day... Love this version!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good looking son You have Mateja ! I bet he loves your ELBOW MACARONI with TOASTED BREADCRUMBS :)))
    And Congratulation (again) for another reward.. you deserve it! Keep on going girl! ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yum! When my mother used to make these polish dumpling kinda things called "Kopitka" she'd put browned bread crumbs on top. So toasty and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you, he is my youngest,but they grow up so fast!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great photo of your handsome boy! A simple pasta toss is so perfect for new cooks! Congrats on the award, and thank you for my new one!

    ReplyDelete
  6. lovely flavours delicious macaroni
    congrats on the well deserved award
    your son must be proud of you and wants to be part of this delicious site Mateja

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh Mateja he is adorable young man! I never had macaroni with breadcrumbs, looks really tasty..got to try this! And congrats on yet another blog award!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congratulations on your well-deserved award. Your boy is very handsome and obviously quite talented. I'll wager he loves your macaroni. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree with you. Mood is severely affected by weather. We had a rainy gloomy day today but I cooked more than usual and felt immensely satisfied after!! Thats a really interesting dish. I don't think I've ever seen that. Thanks for sharing =)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm glad you enjoyed the award as much as I did! :) And I'm also glad your son decided to cave in on the photo lol

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the bite the chili peppers add, and yes Life is Good!

    ReplyDelete
  12. That's an interesting recipe :) I haven't tried anything like that before :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Everything(even life)is better with parmesan & breadcrumbs!! This is total comfort food and I want it now!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sounds like a great dish. Thanks for passing along the award to me. I appreciate the thought!

    ReplyDelete
  15. thank you for sharing I have added under the stylish award on my awards page
    congrats Mateja

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you everyone for the nice comments.
    Foodblogandthedog: Yes, life is better with parmasan and breadcrumbs.
    My son thanks everyone for the lovely comments, too.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Your sweet boy is a doll!!! And we're always in the mood for pasta around here :) Congrats on another well deserved award, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
  18. What a handsome son you have!! I really appreciate recipes like this. Simple ingredients are always the best in my opinion!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hello, Saw your blog on the country cook's site and just came by to say hello. You have a handsome son and some great recipes here. I love pasta of any kind and will try this recipe. Loved the blog!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love macaroni, and your son is quite handsome! I love his tie!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Mateja-Your son is so handsome, and he looks like a "computer genius" ...I always say, it's because of the mothers, how we raise our sons!
    I also make a quick macaroni with toasted breadcrumbs, and sometimes, I make it with home made "spaetzli"...oh, so good! Now, you got me started on my quick little comfort food, that you made so quickly. Thanks for the tip!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Aww, your son is adorable! It's lovely when we can have little helpers, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thank you all for admiring my boy! Life is good indeed :)
    Elisabeth: You are welcome! To tell the truth, I sometimes make this dish just to have some leftovers, which I heat, top with homemade plum jam, and cinnamon sugar! Yum!

    ReplyDelete