Dinner Guests

We're having company tonight! Woo hoo! WOO HOO! I glory in company. I have the slightest suspicion that Quinn suggested inviting Lincoln and Melinda over to get me out of my slump. And perhaps to give me a leetle bit of motivation to really clean the house. No matter! It has lived on "tidying up" for three weeks. I'm taking a break right now from sweeping sheetrock dust out of the downstairs half-bath. It clouds up as I'm sweeping it and is everywhere. And I'm doing the laundry.

SO, the MENU:
I think we'll have a pasta recipe my mother made while she was here that was super delicious, healthy, and unique. I've asked Melinda to bring her delicious focacia bread and we'll have corn (because I've got it coming out my ears). I will make Chocolate Mousse Cake with fresh whipped cream for dessert because that's so simple and unbelievably good.
I must share with you the pasta recipe because I feel confident you will try to make it soon.

1 16oz package fettucine noodles
1 bag of baby spinach leaves
1 chopped onion
3-4 cloves of chopped garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2-4 tablespoons of butter
2 cups parmesan (or more-depending on your preference)
your choice (and quantity) of meat (I'm using chicken tonight, but last week had it with shrimp which was delicious).

Saute onion with garlic with a couple tbsp of EVOO until onion is tender. Add cooked, chopped chicken to onion mixture and saute. Let sit. Boil fettucine noodles in water with salt and some EVOO until it's ready. DO NOT DRAIN. Get a big (BIG) bowl. Place butter in the bottom of bowl. With pasta scoop, get a couple of scoops of pasta and place in bowl on top of butter. Add some parmesan and a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach. Add a couple of spoonfuls of chicken mixture. Toss. Repeat layers until everything is added together. The water from the fettucine noodles, butter and olive oil from chicken mixture make a light sauce and the spinach wilts from the heat of the pasta and chicken. Yum, yum, yum. My dad does not like spinach and he loves this recipe. My children also gobbled up every bite and had seconds (Corin had four helpings).

I've got to get moving... Houses can't clean themselves, you know.