Generally, on this blog, I like to try and talk about the positive in the current situation. But let’s be real: it can sometimes be hard to stay positive. Especially in light of recent reopenings, and people insisting that life go back to normal when we are NOT ready to do so. COVID-19 has not gone anywhere; it’s just biding its time. I will not be at all surprised if there is another frightening spike in the next month or so, because we let our guards down too soon. Add to that the horrific murders of multiple innocent African-Americans, and the justified civil unrest that has resulted, and it can be hard to see the good in the world.
But I started feeling a little down a couple weeks ago, over something completely unrelated. One of my students, unfortunately, had to withdraw from school for pandemic-related reasons. The same week, two more of my students had family emergencies that had them (and me) under some serious stress. Thankfully they are able to continue classes, but I have still lost two students this quarter because of the pandemic. I understand why; it’s difficult to learn anything completely online with a short adjustment period, but especially music. Still, seeing the pandemic affect my students so badly had been hard for me. Losing travel opportunities has also been difficult: I was due to present at a conference in Colorado in March, and we planned to visit England in July. Losing those trips, and watching my parents' retirement trip crash and burn after over a year of careful planning, was not fun. (Though at least for England, we hadn't spent any money yet.)
After dealing with paperwork and emails for my withdrawing student, I just wanted a recipe that would cheer me up. It was very easy to think of one: lemon basil pasta! This bright, summery dish has all of my favorite things: olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, olives, pasta, and fresh basil from the plant outside my door. It’s a cheerful yellow color, and extraordinarily simple to make if “feeling down” lines up with less energy for cooking. So, I put together my second comfort food dish featured on this blog. When I took a taste of the warm, lemony, olive-y pasta, I instantly felt my mood lift. Strongly recommend if you yourself are having a hard day, or a hard time in general. It’s okay to not feel okay all the time, but if you want to feel more okay, lemon basil pasta is the meal for you.
Lemon Basil Pasta: Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 box short pasta (penne, farfalle, rotini, etc.)
⅓ cup lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
1 - 2 garlic cloves, minced (jar minced garlic is also good)
½ cup Kalamata or green olives, pitted and sliced (the pimento green olives in the jar are what I usually use, and they work great)
¼ cup chopped basil, or dried basil to taste
Ground pepper and salt to taste
Cook the pasta according to box instructions, and drain; do not rinse. While the pasta cooks, combine all the other ingredients in a small bowl until they are well mixed. One trick I like is to measure the olive oil first, and then the lemon juice using the same measuring cup (it loosens the oil and makes cleanup easier later). Pour the sauce over the warm pasta and serve hot. I usually eat it as is, but you can also top it with Parmesan or any firm-ish Italian cheese, extra salt and pepper, or fresh parsley.
Other possible additions: Fresh/Dried rosemary, thawed frozen peas or green bean pieces, chopped fresh onions of any kind, cooked shredded chicken, any kind of white bean. I haven't tried these personally, but suspect that they would meld well with the existing flavors.
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| A perennial favorite for finals season, but also most of us nowadays. |
But I started feeling a little down a couple weeks ago, over something completely unrelated. One of my students, unfortunately, had to withdraw from school for pandemic-related reasons. The same week, two more of my students had family emergencies that had them (and me) under some serious stress. Thankfully they are able to continue classes, but I have still lost two students this quarter because of the pandemic. I understand why; it’s difficult to learn anything completely online with a short adjustment period, but especially music. Still, seeing the pandemic affect my students so badly had been hard for me. Losing travel opportunities has also been difficult: I was due to present at a conference in Colorado in March, and we planned to visit England in July. Losing those trips, and watching my parents' retirement trip crash and burn after over a year of careful planning, was not fun. (Though at least for England, we hadn't spent any money yet.)
 |
| One upside to the pandemic is that we have some great memes now! |
After dealing with paperwork and emails for my withdrawing student, I just wanted a recipe that would cheer me up. It was very easy to think of one: lemon basil pasta! This bright, summery dish has all of my favorite things: olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, olives, pasta, and fresh basil from the plant outside my door. It’s a cheerful yellow color, and extraordinarily simple to make if “feeling down” lines up with less energy for cooking. So, I put together my second comfort food dish featured on this blog. When I took a taste of the warm, lemony, olive-y pasta, I instantly felt my mood lift. Strongly recommend if you yourself are having a hard day, or a hard time in general. It’s okay to not feel okay all the time, but if you want to feel more okay, lemon basil pasta is the meal for you.
Lemon Basil Pasta: Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 box short pasta (penne, farfalle, rotini, etc.)
⅓ cup lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
1 - 2 garlic cloves, minced (jar minced garlic is also good)
½ cup Kalamata or green olives, pitted and sliced (the pimento green olives in the jar are what I usually use, and they work great)
¼ cup chopped basil, or dried basil to taste
Ground pepper and salt to taste
Cook the pasta according to box instructions, and drain; do not rinse. While the pasta cooks, combine all the other ingredients in a small bowl until they are well mixed. One trick I like is to measure the olive oil first, and then the lemon juice using the same measuring cup (it loosens the oil and makes cleanup easier later). Pour the sauce over the warm pasta and serve hot. I usually eat it as is, but you can also top it with Parmesan or any firm-ish Italian cheese, extra salt and pepper, or fresh parsley.
Other possible additions: Fresh/Dried rosemary, thawed frozen peas or green bean pieces, chopped fresh onions of any kind, cooked shredded chicken, any kind of white bean. I haven't tried these personally, but suspect that they would meld well with the existing flavors.
The meme creativity is off the chain! Silver lining. And, we finally got most of our money back from the crash and burn. We'll get back to England. Can't wait to try the pasta!
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