From the Pantry Dinner - What can YOU come up with?

It's been a long week and I'm truly exhausted. In fact, I have no idea how I'm awake and typing up this entry. Anyway, today is Friday...in our house that means pizza night. Growing up Friday was always my Mother's day off since she cooked dinner the other 6 days of the week. We usually ordered a pizza, brought home some Chinese food or in the wintertime we made our own pizza. Sorry to disappoint you but this is not a blog about pizza. I just wasn't in the mood for pizza tonight so I threw together a few things I had in the fridge and pantry and we had a delicious pasta dish. So delicious in fact, that I ate enough for two people...two very large people that is. :-)

So here is what I made. This isn't an exact recipe since things were just thrown together. I hope this will inspire you to come up with something new out of your pantry staples!

Saute 1 sliced onion in extra virgin olive oil. Add 3-4 cloves of sliced garlic. Let garlic lightly toast being careful not to burn it. Add crushed red pepper and italian seasoning. Add two chopped tomatoes that have been seeded. Let them soften. Add 1 can of tomato paste (I used some that I had in the fridge, about 3/4 of a can)and a handful of chopped mushrooms (use as much as you like. I had about 4 shitakes) deglaze pan with about 1/2 cup of white wine. Stir to combine. Add 1 can chicken broth a little at a time to create sauce. Add in one can of drained artichoke hearts (in water not oil) and some sliced kalamata olives. Throw in some torn basil, chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Let cook while spaghetti is cooking. Don't bother to drain pasta, just pick it up with tongs and add to saucepan. Any water left on the pasta will help make a nice sauce.

That's it. Simple and delicious!

Something tells me that Nanny would definitely approve. Wish she was able to taste it!