Holiday Entertaining

There's a great deal of poetry and 

fine sentiment in a chest of tea.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Courage of Life

Without belittling the courage

with which men have died,

We should not forget those acts of courage

with which men ...have lived.

The courage of life

is often a less dramatic spectacle

than the courage of a final moment;

but it is not less a magnificent mixture

of triumph and tragedy.

by John F.Kennedy 
________________________________

Straw and Hay

Italian bell' alimento in English translates to Straw and Hay. This pasta dish gets its name because the mixture of spinach and plain linguine looks like a mound of straw and hay when served. 

Cook’s notes: To avoid this dish getting too dry it only needs to heat through just till warm.

Cover dish with foil and bake 10 minutes @ 350 remove foil and cook for 5 minutes longer to have the topping crunchy

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. linguine noodles (use 1/2 plain linguine noddles and 1/2 spinach noodles) 
• 5 TB. butter
• 8 oz. cooked ham cut in thin strips (can use deli ham)
• 1 cup cooked peas
• 1 small package of mushrooms-cleaned and chopped
• 2 large egg yolks well beaten
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 Directions:

• Cook noodles in boiling salted water just till al dente
• Drain and return linguine to pot
• Add butter, ham, peas, and mushrooms and mix well
• In a small bowl beat egg yolks and add to cream
• Whisk till foamy
• Slowly add cream mixture to other rest of ingredients
• Stir in Parmesan cheese and cook on low heat till thickened
• Pour mixture into a greased 13 x 9 pan
• Grate more Parmesan cheese over noodle mixture
• In a Cuisenaire chop 3-4 pieces of whole wheat bread till there is about 1-1/2 cups of breadcrumbs
• Melt 2 TB. butter and pour into Cuisenaire with the breadcrumbs and add 2 TB. parsley flakes and blend
• Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of noodle mixture
• Cover with foil and bake @ 350 for 10 minutes
• Remove foil and cook 5 minutes longer