Santa is real!

Here it is, as promised. He hates it, because he was just about to blink when they took the picture. G. Monkey likes it- says it makes him look like he's about to kick your dog, or something. Heh. And The Incomprable C has already assured me that if she sees this on Sunday with an engagement under it in the paper, she will skin me alive. (And my mother will reassure TIC that she'd definitely beat her to the punch.) Heh. Heh. Heh.

More soon. Particularly, Roasted veggie pasta, if it turns out.

And now? The soon- as the roasted veggie pasta was pretty tasty. Basically, take 2 roasting pans (or two lasagna pans, or whatever) and place into them:
2/3 a crown of broccoli, whacked up
1 red pepper, whacked up
some mushrooms (3 cremini, 3 biiiig buttons, because they were on sale) also whacked up.
1 carrot, sliced on the bias
1 head of garlic, cloves whacked and peeled- save a couple for the sauce.
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into thirds
1 small onion, whacked into smallish wedges
herbs of your choice (I didn't put any on this time)
Olive Oil, salt, pepper
(Eggplant, and really, pretty much any other veggie you can think of, would probably be really good too)

Roast all that in a 450 oven for about 10-15 minutes, or till the veggies are softish, and starting to caramelize. Meanwhile, cook your pasta. (Something that will hold a sauce.) In another big pot, pop your reserved garlic, some olive oil, and maybe another pepper, whacked up. Let them cook together for a few minutes, then put in some canned artichoke hearts- cut into quarters (marinated would be fine, too) , the zest of one lemon, and some chicken broth (more if you're making a whole box of pasta and feeding the neighborhood/office, less if you're just cooking for you) and let it simmer a bit. By now, the pasta should be nearly done, and so should the veggies (if you're pacing yourself). When they're both finished, drain the pasta, and put it back into the big pot. Toss on the roasted veggies, and use a little of the hot chicken broth to deglaze the pan- pour the little roasty bits into the broth mixture... then crank the heat. When the chicken broth mix is boiling, add in cornstarch mixed with water, till you get a nice consistency (you want it to be thinner than gravy, but thicker than chicken soup). Add some red pepper flakes and fresh basil, and pour it over the veggies and pasta. Mix, re-season to taste, and serve with a nice sharpish cheese. (Feta would kick it, but I didn't have any.)

Taa. Daa.
(And if you're reading this Incomprable C, I'm bringing a big bowl of it to work tomorrow, if you'd like some for lunch.)