My mom has this crazy ability to look in the pantry, grab a bunch of crap, mix it up, cook it, and make people go wild about the dish she has made. It's really a God given talent. I'm pretty sure that it skipped over me....until this week, there was a glimmer of hope. A rescue boat after years at sea, if you will. Picture it, it's crunch time. I've worked the day before, so there's no rhyme or reason to anything in my home, dirty clothes are flowing out of the hampers, the kitchen looks like it has exploded, & princess dresses and puppets are strewn throughout the playroom floor. But, my littlest kid is dressed up just right. Man, she looked cute! I've got it as going on as a 36 year old tired mommy/nurse/wife can have it - thanks to a new outfit, I'm feeling all right.
Cue that film crew, cause what happened next, was close to magical in my world. I walked up to the pantry, cause what I had originally planned to bring to the party wasn't going to happen...time crunching me all around...I've got a shindig to be at in 45 min...with 17 minutes of it to be spent driving to the place. Just then, my inner Momma was channeled and I had a flash of (hopefully) brilliance. I grabbed ingredients. Started boiling some rigatoni. Everyone loves noodles. Grabbed up a few more ingredients - including cream cheese. My mantra: you could roll a turd in cream cheese, and I'd probably try it.
The rigatoni got finished. I strained it like so. I added my other special ingredients. That stuff smelled RIGHT!!!! I tasted one tiny noodle and was pleased with myself, so I popped it in a Tupperware, grabbed my cute kid, put on my wedges (totally makes me at least 5'3'') and headed to (nervously) share my concoction with the world.
We arrived at a beautiful bridal shower lunch. My work friends know how to throw a par-tay, by the way. I sat my pasta salad on the table, said a silent prayer that somehow my momma truly had given me an ounce of her gift....
Then, it happened. The question that you aren't sure if you should honestly answer, or if you should play dumb and wrinkle your nose and sneer along with the crowd: "who made the pasta salad"?!? There was a chill through me. Deny or confess?!? Whatever. This is the chick that cut up Swiss cake rolls and called it shower food. My heart is so big and so caring, but I'm not good in the cooking department. These people know that if they want an IV started or if there's a big ole emergency or if they need a prayer or a laugh that they can call and I'm their girl...but, let's be honest, they know who NOT to call for a cake or a recipe. Ha ha! It's all good. So, I owned it.
"Me. It was me. I made the pasta salad".
"Oh! It's fabulous".
"Yeah...it's really good".
"I'm gonna get a little more".
Those were the statements about my Itty bitty pasta salad. The one that I dreamed up while looking in my pantry. I felt proud. Maybe I'm not straight domestic flop after all. There is a light. I smiled and relaxed. There was some left after the party. I brought it home. Big whoop that no one has eaten any of it but me. I still am proud and think it's good.
So, maybe I should change this to a food blog, now that I can cook. Did you catch the sarcasm? Sometimes it doesn't translate over typing, so I'm going to make sure that's explicit. Had I known that I was gonna blog about my pasta salad, I would've taken step by step pics like a real food blogger - and it would've been super hilarious. But, I was still in the nervous, denial stage in which if the pasta salad sucked, I was going to say "eww, I bet someone accidentally got this out of the fridge and put this up on the table"! Cue the wrinkled nose.
You can catch me next at Barnes and Noble for my book signing. My cookbook. I'm gonna call it "Cream Cheese and Microwaves". Think anyone will buy it?!? Cause this is real life and it's how I roll.
Here's the recipe for my pasta salad...if I can make it...so can you :)
Boil water for noodles. Add rigatoni. Make til al dente. (Like that word?!? Like make sure they aren't gonna break a tooth).
Add 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (totally the crowning ingredient)
Add small can of black olives (drained)
Add small amount of sweet peas (it was a travel size - a single serving that C takes to the babysitter)
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
Garlic powder - a teaspoon or so
Onion powder - a teaspoon or so
Salt & pepper to taste
Mix it all up and wait for your shining moment, too.
All kidding aside, I really did feel proud. Proud enough to text my mom and dad about it....and again when some folks actually ate it and liked it. So, if you ate my pasta salad & commented on it, know that you made my day and gave me a little boost of confidence with my New Years resolution and you are appreciated!
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