It’s been raining for three days. Luca told me about the “tomado” warning at school today. This is fall in Florida. There aren’t many pretty cool days. We aren’t going on any apple picking trips or pumpkin picking. For sure you can’t find any hay rides.
One year we did get to go where it was colder and take a hay ride to a pumpkin patch. It was hard for us to decide on the perfect pumpkin.
I visited my friend Monet’s blog last month and she was happily telling the story how she just received a about getting a wish granted from the Fairy Hobmother from Appliances Online . I thought it doesn’t hurt to try and I left a comment talking about how I broke my blender jar this summer and it would be so cool if the Fairy Hobmother picked me. Well, I was picked!! WOOT! I just got my new blender!
Here’s my new Oster 8-Speed Blender! Thank you so much, Fairy Hobmother!!
So now it’s your turn! The Fairy Hobmother would like to pay a similar visit to one super-lucky person who comments on this post! Really. All you have to do is leave a comment with a wish for that one kitchen appliance you still need…the Fairy Hobmother might give you a visit too!
Be sure to leave a comment telling me the one appliance you could use. And if you are dressing up for Halloween…what will you be??
A quick and healthy dinner. The kids loved it. I loved it a little too much. I can’t wait to make this again this week.
Normally with red lentils, I make this delicious dahl recipe I found from my talented friend Shulie. The kids prefer to eat the lentils with the pasta. I prefer to keep the dahl all to myself.:)
Penne con Lenticchie Rosse e Zucchine-Penne with Red Lentils and Zucchini
Ingredients
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
3 ripe tomatoes, diced
2/3 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and picked over
3 cups vegetable stock
2 rosemary sprigs
1 organic zucchini, sliced thin
2 teaspoons sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Add two tablespoons olive oil to a medium sauce pan. Add the onions, garlic, tomatoes, and rosemary sprigs the sauce pan and cook over medium high heat, 10 minutes. Add lentils, stock, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are soft. Remove the rosemary sprigs. In a small pan over medium high heat, sauté’ the zucchini in about a tablespoon of olive oil until tender (not mushy/overcooked).
When the lentils are ready, fold in the zucchini. Set aside and keep warm.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring 6-quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. When the water comes to a boil, cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.
Drain the pasta and add to the lentil sauce. If needed, add a little more extra-virgin olive oil, add the chopped parsley and Parmigiano Reggiano. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Hope you’re having a super fabulous week!! Thank you for your comments and support.
I'm not entering the contest, just wanted to say how cool it was that the Fairy Hobmother came to visit you. Love what she left behind just for you!
Your Penne looks like the perfect hearty dish for this time of year…even if you don't get a hayride or a stroll through the pumpkin patch 😉
I want a panini maker!! 🙂 no costume for me-my daughter's first Halloween and she'll be a pumpkin!!
Wow! This is an amazing vegetarian dish. I knew this is called red lentils, I usually cook soup from it. This is a great idea to make a pasta sauce from red lentils. I will definitely make it this week! 🙂
Concerning the giveaway I would love to win a super blender like yours. As a vegetarian I often make juices, cream soups and I have an old blender that is not very strong. I have so many recipes in the line to make (for example nut butters) but I can't make them because I don't have a strong blender. So fingers crossed for me, hope I'll be lucky! 🙂
Fairy Hobmother- so cute!! If she came to my house she might be surprised to see that I don't own a food processer. I have had a mini processer on my Christmas list for years but Santa hasn't delivered. 😉 Dressing up? I'll be lucky if I can get something together for my kids in time! Lol
I love the whole idea of a Fairy Hobmother! I have to visit that site! How cute! And oooh I have been dreaming of a stand mixer for years but have never been able to afford one. Last time my husband was actually going to buy me one for my birthday, my computer died. Completely. So he spent the money on a laptop to replace it. Well, why a stand mixer? Anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows my passion for baking. That's all I need to say. (oh I will say that I was going to get my dad's stand mixer but it mysteriously disappeared. And then I had asked to inherit my dear older brother's stand mixer and before I could claim it my younger brother sold it. So you see?) – but my next choice? A much-needed dishwasher!
And Lora, I LOVE this dish – it is so Italian in all of its simplicity and goodness. And I love lentils and zucchini. I see this for dinner soon. xo
I love red lentils too! I love all lentils, we eat them every other week, as a soup or salad. I've never prepared them this way – It's a great recipe – a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
Fairy Hobmother?! lol I do need a spice grinder and a hand held blender for soups. Going back to your story haven't thought about lack of pumpkin patches and hay rides in Florida. Also heehee we did have the discussion about pink lentils I like your version. Lastly see how much love I got for you got on Firefox to leave you some blog love.
I really need a stand mixer. I beat everything by hand and it's a lot of work!
Thank you for the opportunity!
I love red lentils! I turn them into soup usually (with lemon and cumin), but I never thought to make a pasta sauce.
If the fairy hobmother were to pay me a visit, I hope she'd bring me a full-sized food processor. I have a mini one, and when you want to make a big batch of pesto or purée roasted squash, it's a bit of a downer 'cause you have to blend it in like a zillion batches….
I would love fairy hobmother to leave me a crockpot/slow cooker. Love your recipe…I make something similar with lentils and carrots…:) Thanks!
Dear Fairy Hobmother I would like a food processor to make yummy pies this holiday season! I am dressing up as a little devil this Halloween. 🙂
Dear Fairy Hobmother I would like a food mill. I threw the disks from my old food mill away, by accident ( cleaning up the cellar!), and I miss my food mill a lot!
This looks yummy–I love zucchini in pasta.
I could use a Thermidor double oven. Too much? I thought so!
I think I'm set…how lucky am I?
And I have some of the red/orange/pink lentils…been trying to figure out what to do with them; this sure looks like a good idea!
Awww, I miss those pumpkin patch days! And, what a lotta pumpkins – I can see why it was so difficult to pick one. I'm wishing the Fairy Hobmother would send me a Cuisinart Pressure Cooker – my sister loves hers 🙂
WOW! This is a much welcome change to the usual sauces we have with our penne! We need to have pasta more often. I will have to make this and pleasantly surprise my family!
We have wet falls here but no "tomados". 🙂 I hope you all stay safe.
I just LOVE that photo of the pasta!
Hi Lora,
such a wonderful and delicious dinner idea. We love lentils, in fact I was just planning of making some tomorrow although hubby is craving some rice, but I told him until I buy a new rice cooker, I ain't gonna cook any rice.
This penne looks amazing and I love the protein that the lentils add. Love going to the pumpkin patch too!
Yum, I love lentils! I'm so happy to have found your blog via stumbleupon! I'll definitely be stumbling more from you. Happy new follower!
Marina @ http://www.yummymummykitchen.com