Penne with Tomatoes Goat Cheese and Arugula

I am a cheese person. I like everything from Gouda to good ol American sliced cheese. I even appreciate a stinky cheese every now and then. But one cheese I just cant get a taste for is goat cheese. I don't know what it is about it. It has a pungent and tangy aroma that makes me catch my breath in my throat. And while I know I am not a fan of this type of cheese, I keep trying it over and over again. I really want to like it! I feel like a foodie failure carrying around this dislike of such a versatile cheese. I have tried it rolled in herbs, spread on crackers, thrown in salads. But I just cant make myself love it. My latest attempt at using goat cheese was in a pasta dish. It makes sense to let the cheese coat over the warm pasta, tomatoes and wilted arugula...sounds delicious right? Well, I will say this has been the best way I have eaten it so far. I will go with a mozzarella or a smoked cheese next time for sure. Maybe I will give goat cheese another try soon but for now I still feel pretty "meh" about it. Any suggestions or recipe recommendations? Until then Enjoy!

Penne with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Arugula
3 ounces goat cheese
1 cup coarsely chopped arugula, stems included
1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
 1/4 pound penne pasta
  
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Crumble goat cheese into a large serving bowl. Add arugula, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Drain pasta, and toss with goat cheese mixture. 

Adapted from All Recipes

 It sure was a pretty dish

  I used a spinach/arugula mix. I also think basil would have been a nice addition.

Pasta Caprese

Caprese Salad- an Italian specialty that is a simple dish designed to feature its three primary ingredients: Tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese. The preferred mozzarella is made from the milk of the water buffalo. Caprese salad can be garnished with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and black pepper.

Now add some pasta to that awesomeness and you get Caprese Pasta!

After looking at broken blinds for the past year thanks to our cat's birdwatching hobby we decided an upgrade was necessary. The blinds were sticking out all over the place on one side and on the other side a perfect square (the size of a cat head). Anytime someone came to our house I was so embarrassed by the state of our blinds that I tried to deflect attention anywhere else. Our plan was to install some nice two inch wooden plantation blinds in the evening and have a light late dinner.  But instead I ended up being lazy and just watched my husband sweat, curse, and struggle putting up these blinds. I still made dinner though! It was really easy, fast and yummy! I will definitely be making it again. Oh yeah and my husband did an awesome job on our blinds. Enjoy!

Pasta Caprese
1 carton cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
2 cups or 1 package mozzarella pearls
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
12 ounces penne pasta

Mix tomatoes, mozzarella, oil and vinegar in medium bowl. Season with salt,pepper, garlic salt and crushed red pepper. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature. Mix in basil.
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Return pasta to pot. Add tomato mixture and toss gently to blend. Season with salt and pepper and serve

 Yummy!!

Listening To:

Husband struggling to put the blinds up