Not The Usual Summer Holiday

It is summer school holidays and our friend, La Nina, is having her second go 'round creating less havoc than last season but still being a tedious pain. While we should be sweltering under a relentless sun we have been instead grumbling in various shades of damp and grey. The kids are bored. They are spending too much time watching television and are becoming nocturnal.

Silhouette of Man Carrying an Umbrella, Walking in the Rain
H. Armstrong
Buy This at Allposters.com

But the sun is out today and it promises to be warm. The question is, have the habits of the past three weeks become too entrenched? Can I succeed in getting them off the couch and out in the sunshine? Here's hoping.

Tonight I plan to just have a simple pasta dinner. It is one of the kids favourites. We just call it Spaghetti in creamy bacon sauce. While I cook up a packet of spaghetti in a large pot I gently saute some chopped spring onions, add some chopped bacon and saute until brown, throw in some sliced mushrooms and semi dried tomatoes. I continue sauteing until the mushrooms are lightly browned then stir in a couple of tablespoons of sun-dried tomato pesto. Finally, I add 300ml of cream and gentle heat through. By this time the spaghetti is just about ready to drain and return to the pot with a splash of olive oil. Pour the sauce over, give it a stir and serve with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.