Italian Dinner to go

...to go to our living room for the NBA playoffs at least.

The appearance of the sun in the last few days brings fear to most Chicagoans. While we've been bundled up under our down coats and sweaters for the last 6 months or so we've been packing on the pounds. This prompted me to pull out a different cook  book for this week's meals. Tonight's meal is brought to you by Cooking Light Italian.

Ziti Baked with Spinach, Tomatoes and Smoked Gouda


8 ounces uncooked ziti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil garlic and oregano, undrained
1 (10 ounce) can diced Italian-seasoned tomatoes , undrained
4 cups baby spinach
1 1/4 cups shredded smoked gouda cheese, divided
Cooking Spray


Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.
Preheat oven to 375. 

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and pepper, saute 5 minutes. 
Add garlic, saute 2 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach, cook 30 seconds or until spinach wilts, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add pasta and 3/4 cup cheese to tomato mixture, tossing well to combine. Transfer to 11x7 or 5 small dishes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, bake 15 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. 

I think my mom and mema would be proud of this dish because they are a big fan of colorful food. It has all the colors, not just my favorites (white, brown, and yellow: carbs, meat, and cheese that is). It was pretty tasty. I think I would spice it up again the next time and Adam really wished it contained sausage. But it accomplished the goal, easy enough and not fatty fat-fat.
The Chicago Bulls are playing as I write this so I trayed the meal up with some italian bread and leftover goat cheese marinara from the weekend and delivered it to the man cave.

In other news: Buddy got a super cute hair cut today and he looks just like his boyhood self.
He and sister Jasmine went to the park in honor of the Springy weather. His grooming salon is closing so after 4 or so years of fantastic hairstyles from her, we'll be following his favorite groomer to a new salon next time. Here are some fun shots from the day:

Before:

Before haircut. He isn't as unhappy as he looks. He just doesn't like cameras. Minutes before this he was smiling at me, I promise.

After. He's so tiny.

Talking about the other dogs... and that squirrel they almost got on the way over here.

Happy to be outside.

Jasmine is not smiling because she is embarrassed after a front tooth was extracted last week. 

Over It.

In more other news we are in the process of buying a condo. It's a short sale so we're in for a lot of waiting.

Stay tuned for "Starting to get organized", "Starting to pack", "Starting to move", "Starting to decorate", and "Starting to be a home-owner". This process is my blog-writing dream. Punctuated no doubt by "Starting to lose my mind."