When life hands you lemons, throw them in pasta

In California today, it was 108 degrees. In Oregon, it's creeping up to 90 degrees tomorrow. For those of us who don't like Oregon's rather humid heat, 90 degrees is near hell. The last thing I want to do is slave over a stove, so it is a good thing that angel hair cooks fast.

I'm not a huge fan of cold pasta, but this is one that is satisfying and will go well with that bag of near-wilting spinach sitting in the back of your fridge.


Seriously lemon-y herb pasta

12 ounces Angel Hair pasta
Juice of one entire lemon
1 tsp lemon zest
2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
2 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
Olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

While Angel hair is cooking, in frying pan saute garlic slices in olive oil for a few minutes on low heat (be careful not to go overboard or else they will get bitter, therefore making your already sticky summer day suck that much more!)

Once pasta is finished, rinse off with cold water and immediately toss it with the garlic and olive oil

Add both lemon juice and lemon zest, basil, oregano, and rosemary

Season with salt and pepper

Time from prep to your mouth: approximately 15 minutes

Cost: Angel hair, lemon, garlic, - roughly $5 (add another $10 if you don't have dried herbs on hand)

Other options for if you have extra $$$ - throw in diced tomatoes if you have them on hand, or throw in some of that near wilting spinach while sauteing the garlic. Or use summer squash, asparagus, a little onion, or even artichoke hearts.