Books from my sister

I love birthdays! I received an early birthday present from my sister…a book I’ve been wanting for a while, Denyse Schmidt Quilts. I love it! Aside from having a lot of basic quilting how-to, it has such fun ideas for piecing fabric together.

Take these cards, for instance…

Or maybe these adorable kitties…

The book also has ideas for actual quilts, designs that I’m interested in trying out. Someday.

Speaking of books from my sister, she also gave me Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable Heaven a while back, and I tried another recipe from it last night. We loved it! The only thing I changed was using whole wheat penne instead of the rigatoni. Next time I think I’d add a few garlic cloves and use red onion for more color. I made the bread crumbs pretty quickly by tossing a slice of bread (the end piece, everyone’s favorite) in the food processor and pulsing for a bit. I just love bread crumbs on top of casseroles!

Baked Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Onions

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cups chopped onion (in large chunks)
  • 12 ounces whole wheat penne or rigatoni
  • 1 pound asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more for the top)
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375F. Bring a large potful of water to boil.

Pour the oil into a 9×13-inch glass baking dish. Break up the onion chunks, then add them to the oil, and stir them around to coat them. Place the uncovered dish in the oven and roast for 5 minutes.

When the water reaches a rapid boil, add the pasta and let it begin cooking.

After the onions have been roasting for 5 minutes, stir in the asparagus and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread everything into a single layer, return the pan to the oven, and roast for 5 minutes longer.

Drain the pasta as soon as it’s al dente, and stir it into the vegetables. Add balsamic vinegar, black pepper, and parmesan, and mix well. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until bread crumbs are brown and crisp.

Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Source: Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable Heaven

5 responses to “Books from my sister”

  1. hmm…i have that cookbook, and haven’t used it in a while. maybe i should revisit it!

    also, i talked with a girl at a bridal shower who had a book called “the happy hooker” about crocheting and knitting. i thought of you because you’re crafty (not the hooker part 😉 i think you might like it. there were a lot of cute sweaters and stuff.

  2. I love the D.S. Quilt book, so many inspiring ideas! The baked penne looks delish!

  3. That pasta looks yummy! I’ll have to bookmark it for the future, as I have a lot of rigatoni on hand…

    Happy birthday!

  4. happy early birthday, crystal! that book looks great. i’m trying my hand at quilting old jeans into a bed quilt. we’ll see how it goes. that pasta looks yummy too! i used to own that book and it has somehow disappeared from my shelves. oh no!

  5. Bearette, I have the knitting version of that book! I haven’t tried my hand at crocheting yet. Thanks for the birthday wishes, guys!

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