Summer Pappardelle with Tomatoes & Arugula

I’m getting sick of take out (sorry husband and rugrats I know you must be too). I must own over 30 cookbooks in addition to my 5 binders stuffed with torn out recipes.  So why am I not in the kitchen more? I think I can answer that with one word… the blog.

In order to appease my family I have started meal planning again. Never a fun chore in my eyes. I am more of a fly by the seat of your pants kinda gal in the kitchen. Grocery lists and thumbing through recipes bore me. I like find inspiration online and then make a mad dash at 5 pm to the store and then challenge myself to see if I can pull off  dinner before 8 o’clock (photographing from oven to table). So far that’s not working, you see the funny thing about kids they need to eat dinner BEFORE bedtime. sheesh.

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I was a lucky child, my mom made everything from scratch. I had no idea what processed food tasted like and Goldfish crackers were something only served at cocktail parties in little metal bowls (a true story). She used only the good stuff real butter and real sugar (I have never willingly eaten fake sugar my entire life), not ONE diet Coke ever. I’m of the belief that its better to cook with the real stuff and just keep it in moderation. I don’t but packaged cookies, I make Tollhouse Cookies and I half the amount of chocolate chips (a trick my mom used to do) and freeze half for later.

Growing up in the late 70’s my mom was all about the healthy choices which included making homemade yogurt, beef jerky, granola bars and adding healthy stuff like cottage cheese in our pancakes (gross). Back then there was no Golden Spoon or Pinkberry. There was one place that served that tartest plain frozen yogurt and you were lucky to get carob chips or granola as a topping.  My mom was a work out fanatic but managed to cook EVERY night while teaching Jazzercize classes, oh how I envied her shiny unitards and leg warmers. I digress.

I look back and wonder how on earth did she come up with something not out of a “blue box” every night and healthy!? I struggle to cook 3-4 nights a week as it is. I’m sure I am not alone out there so I am pulling this one out of my recipe binder to share. You need to add this to your dinner rotation, you will have one less dinner to worry about, promise!. I have been making this one for the last six years, it’s THAT good. Its my adaptation fromCooking Light Magazine.