Simple Pleasure Mondays: MYOPasta

A good morrow to all O'Donovan's faithfuls and happy last day of classes. Scott and I have once again been swamped with work, and I am currently in a sling due to an unfortunate collision during a game of ultimate. Of course, that didn't stop me (and Scott, with his flip flops) from sprinting down to the White House last night and celebrating the good riddance of the world's most dangerous terrorist. USA! USA!

This week's simple pleasure is--well, quite simply--an exposé on an already rather popular Leo's station: Make Your Own Pasta. We have little to say about this station, but as finals creep up on us all Scott and I figured that everyone has less time than ever to be O'Donnovative (or perhaps more, depending on your procrastination habits). Nevertheless, some important things to keep in mind when concocting a carbo-loaded creation at MYOPasta:
- MYOPasta is a vegan/vegetarian station, so forget trying to ask chefs if they'll cook your pasta with meat you bring them. For more on how to turn your MYOPasta carnivorous, consult the Meat Add-ins post.
- Spring for the whole wheat pasta over the white. Its consistency is quite similar to the white pasta, but you get a whole lot more nutrient-wise. If the focus of your dish is pasta texture, you're not being creative enough.
- Add more veggies to your pasta than you would think; they tend to shrink down a lot once cooked (spinach especially). For interesting textural variety, try adding some uncooked veggies to your pasta after it's been cooked--I prefer adding carrots after cooking rather than before.
- K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple, Stupid! Too often I see wayward souls getting ingredient-happy by mashing up every possible veggie and sauce in a muddled MYOPasta dish. For those who have tried everything else and truly believe that nothing may be omitted, fine. For me (and I would venture to say most others), keeping ingredients down to four or fewer is the way to go. Sometimes less is more; one of my favorite creations is simply pasta with mushrooms and cream sauce.

I hope this post leads you to get more enjoyment out of the MYOPasta station, and let me know if you have any suggestions for combinations. Enjoy the study days (it was worth a try...) and stay tuned for the last Simple Pleasure Monday of the year next week!