make food

i just had to share this, because i was so proud, and because it was so tasty.
last night hank and i had some friends over for dinner, and i made delicious bacon pesto pasta. oh yes. bacon...

it was pretty simple, but the result was fantastic. just a package of pasta (i used tri-color rotini by wheat montana - nothing like locally made foodstuffs), a jar of premade pesto sauce (you could make your own but it requires a lot of basil and the growing season is over), several roasted red peppers, and about a pound of bacon (more or less) cooked nice and crispy. boil the pasta in a big pot of water - the bigger the better, 'cause you're gonna want to mix everything together in it once it's all ready. at the same time, cook the bacon in the microwave or in a frying pan, and cut up the red peppers in bitesize pieces. once everything is cooked, break up the bacon and mix it into the (drained) pasta, along with the peppers, the pesto, and (the secret!) couple of tablespoons of cream cheese. mix thoroughly!

an' that's it. salad is the best side dish, and some nice red wine goes well, too.

go! make food!

this is the toll

nytimes.com has an amazing interactive graphic up right now, about the more than 2000 men and women (some of whom were really closer to boys and girls) who have died in Iraq since this "war" began. the most since Vietnam.

as depressing as it is, it really makes an impression to look at these people's faces, see where they were from and how old they were, and think about the life they no longer have, and those they had to leave behind. and for what?