Garlic Buttered Pasta

Fast food: garlic buttered pasta, roasted chicken and a side of broccoli.


Following my previous post, I thought it would be most appropriate to share a pasta dish next. :)

I cooked this during the recent school holidays for my daughter and her friends. It was a last minute get-together and of all times, they chose to come over at 11am. *big groan*

Obviously, I had to ensure a (somewhat) proper lunch was provided. *grumble grumble*

Hey, school holidays are very precious to me, you know? It's when I get to laze in bed and allow everything to fall apart. The kids run amok and I couldn't care less, so you can imagine how reluctantly I tore my bedraggled self from the cosy comfort of my bed.

I trudged to the kitchen to see what I could churn out under short notice, and after a good 5 minutes of vacant staring into my fridge - "Earth calling Ju, Earth calling Ju" - I decided to make a buttered pasta, a side of blanched veggies and a roasted half-chicken. Fast and painless. Perfect!

You know, I absolutely hate cooking under pressure because I just can't think on my feet. The kids in Junior Masterchef would surely beat me hands down (actually, they'd beat many, many adults hands down).

Also, I tend to be extra clumsy and messy when I cook-on-demand ... the kitchen always ends up looking like a hurricane-swept zone after I am done. This time was no different - ONE. BIG. MESS.

Maybe it was the stress of rushing out food, but I felt completely spent afterward. I didn't even cut up the roasted chicken, or bother twirling the spaghetti. In fact, if you look at my photo, I literally plonked everything onto big serving dishes, snapped 2 shots, and told the girls to "help yourselves!"

All I wanted was a nice shower, followed by some durians, and then slink back into bed once more ... all three of which I did. :)

Recipe
(from tasteofhome)

Yield: 4 servings

- 2 cups uncooked small pasta shells (I used 3/4 packet spaghetti)
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced (I used 6 cloves)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- Dash of salt
- Dash of pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter (make sure under low heat - the garlic and butter should not brown). Remove from the heat. Drain pasta; add to garlic butter. Stir in the parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper; toss to coat.