loading...
Christmas break is officially here for those of us studying at LSU, and I think it’s safe to say many of us still find ourselves running around just as busy as we were in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. One of the little known secrets about PhD students (especially those in their dissertation phase) is the amount of behind-the-scenes work we put into our research, constantly trolling the library for books and materials or simply scanning and emailing microfiche pages to ourselves (the latter of which is what I’ve been doing recently). But it isn’t all bad. I actually really love keeping busy. To be busy means you have a sense of purpose, a project or a goal that you’re working towards, and that soon, you’ll be seeing the results of your efforts in some way. Whether it’s scanning periodical pages for my dissertation or taking pictures for a local writers’ group, I honestly can’t complain–I just like to keep busy.
This weekend provided some down time from my everyday hectic schedule, allowing me to photograph not food for a change (shock!), but people (double shock!). Readers and Writers, a local Baton Rouge non-profit that hosts just what you’d expect–Writers who Read their work–held its first holiday party with a “Bad Santa” twist. The organization brings playwrights, poets, novelists, you name it to the Baton Rouge area for a free reading series for anyone interested in the literary arts (for more on the organization you can checkout their homepage here, and Facebook here; I’m not one to ask for handouts, but if you love the literary arts and are from the Baton Rouge area, consider donating some money for this organization and reaping the benefits during their 2013 schedule!).
Held at Mud and Water, the Bad Santa Party raised money for the organization’s 2013 calendar and the participants were decked out in holiday cheer. Several members posed as their own version of “Bad Santa,” and I was able to take these great pics:
Pictured: the fabulous and ever-so-handsome Adam Atkinson telling Santa what he wants for Christmas. I just love a man who’ll sit on Santa’s lap! But, who’s Santa? Well, let’s just say he’s a tenured professor of Southern Lit at LSU….
Pictured: a pin-up style Mrs. Clause.
Pictured: one Santa superhero, a whip-carrying Bad Santa, and lots of kisses for all!
I could share so many wonderful images, so for the full series, checkout my flickr album here.
Since low lighting always gives food (and any) photographer serious problems, I was lucky to use this lens, this flash, and this cap (cap courtesy of one Rhett Clement) to get a pretty amazing series of bar shots. The over-saturated nature of the images (plus their background yellow glow) is actually a pretty amazing technique that I had fun playing with. Normally, photographers shy away from blown out shots that have heavy hot spots without much (or any) data, but for late-night bar photos, these super-white effects felt just right.
Pictured: behold the Lydia Dorsey photo-bomb in the background. I have about 6 pictures that were meant to be “dramatic” and “serious,” but ended up with this in the background. Why this girl isn’t her own Internet meme is beyond me. (left: Lydia, middle: Kara, right: me)
When I got home from Readers and Writers, I realized (for the umpteenth time last week) that I had forgotten to eat something. Seeing as it was still early, I threw together this super easy Tortellini with lots of fresh squash and zucchini from the Saturday morning Farmer’s Market in downtown BR. One of the perks of living in Louisiana has to be the ready availability of squash all year round as with these beauties.
Pictured: Buitoni Tortellini with Farmer’s Market Squash and Zucchini. The perfect end to a cold winter night.
If you’re one of the many, many, many people I know who are prone to picking up those pre-made tortellinis by Buitoni at the market, then you’ll love this dish. It takes advantage of an otherwise super simple pre-made pasta with the addition of olive oil, squash, and Parmesan for a deceivingly elegant dish that’s way too easy. I wish I could throw the words “easy” and “simple” into this last sentence a few more times.
Eat up and happy holidays!
Squash and Zucchini Tortellini
Yield: 5 servings
Calories: 371.3 (see here for full nutritional information)
Prep Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes
For this recipe, I’ve suggested the Buitoni pre-made Tortellinis you can find readily available at the supermarket (just look for the green and red label near your cheese section). But, really, any good-quality pre-made tortellini will do.
Ingredients:
*1 (8-oz) package Buitoni Tortellini
*1 pound summer squash, washed and sliced
*1 pound zucchini, washed and sliced
*3 tablespoons olive oil
*3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
*1 tablespoon paprika, plus more to taste *
*2 tablespoons thyme
*2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
*1 tablespoons cayenne
*salt and pepper, to taste
*1 cup Parmesan, freshly shredded
1. Cook tortellini based on package instructions, drain, and cool (do not rinse).*
Note: Remember, Italians believe good quality pasta water should taste like the sea, so don’t be afraid to add salt to your water.
Also, see comment below post on a message about paprika usage from one of our readers at The Advocate, Ann P. Russell.
2. Meanwhile, wash and slice squash and zucchini and transfer to a nonstick skillet with olive oil, garlic, paprika, thyme, parsley, and cayenne. Saute over medium heat until tender, flipping occasionally.
3. Remove squash from heat and toss with tortellini and Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and perhaps even more cayenne or paprika) and enjoy! Makes 5 servings.
———————————
This recipe was re-published for my “Fresh Ideas” Column for Louisiana’s state newspaper, The Advocate, on Thursday, December 27th, 2012. You can read the reprint here.
—
Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/helana/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DancesWLobsters
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clearly-Delicious/103136413059101
Google+
1 Comment
Helana Brigman
January 7, 2013 at 3:27 pmReaders, I’d like to share a comment from one of our Advocate readers, Ann P. Russell. Upon making the recipe, Ann ran into a bit of a snag with the spices of the dish. I wrote her back a lengthy e-mail trying to figure our exactly what went wrong when (see question and answer below). Please take a look at her thoughts on the spices/paprika of this dish, and the possible missteps you can run into when using too many spices at the wrong time, the wrong way.
For now, the recipe has been revised to use 1 tablespoon paprika, plus more to taste. The original called for two tablespoons incorporated during step 3. Hopefully, this cut back in spices will help future readers still taste the original idea of the dish without ending up with “red” pasta. Of course, the idea is that you use still use 2 pounds squash and a full package of Buitoni Tortellini as described above.
-Helana
Ann’s comment: “My question is concerning the Squash and Zucchini Tortellini Recipe in December 27th Food Section. The recipe called for 2 tbls paprika and 2 tbls thyme. I thought this was too much, so I used 1 tbls of each. The result was that everything was red and the taste of these seasonings was so overwhelming that I couldn’t eat it. I noticed that in the picture the dish did not appear to be covered by a lot of paprika and thyme. I’m wondering if the amounts were incorrect for these seasoning. I also noticed that this recipe was not “Advocate Tested.” This was the first time I threw food from an Advocate recipe in the garbage!”
My response:
I’ve looked over your comments and thoughts and re-checked my recipe several times, and, I must say, I’m honestly stumped about what went wrong when. I make this tortellini a couple of times a month, and it’s become my go-to dish when I’m too tired to cook and just want something comforting and warm.
My initial thoughts were the way the paprika was added and the correct kind of spice for this dish. What kind of paprika did you find yourself using? Is it store bought, regular paprika, smoky hungarian, or sweet paprika? Supermarket spices can be a bit tricky, especially when they’re from a store’s generic brand or if they’ve aged and become too old to use.
Which, brings me to my next point–old. Is the paprika a bottle you’ve had around for a while? I was talking with our assistant editor Beth Colvin, and she agrees: nothing tastes worse than old paprika.
My third thought was application. The paprika should be added slowly during the third step when you’re pan-frying the squash. If you’re really using two pounds of squash (one zucchini and one summer), then the squash should cook up and absorb the spice with relatively little discoloring. Sometimes, I like to add a tablespoon first, cook it a bit, and then slowly add the second tablespoon right as the squash is finishing. Or, I’ll sometimes add 1 tablespoon to the squash and slowly toss in the second tablespoon when tossing the vegetables and pasta together. Since your dish turned red, I imagine you tossed the paprika with the pasta and the squash. Is this correct?