Spice Up Your Life

One of my favorite at home pasta dishes is pasta topped with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. There is something about the simplicity of the ingredients and the warm satisfaction it brings that really makes me feel complete. What makes pasta even better is that it is pretty inexpensive and can make a few servings at a time. As much as I love it, there are times when I am feeling adventurous, but I am not really sure what to do because sometimes things can go really wrong with spices. Recently, I have been hearing how beneficial spices are for your metabolism and diet, so I decided I would try to add more spice to my life. As I sat looking at my spice rack, I pondered what combinations might work. Finally, I grabbed whatever I saw first and gave it a go.

I had grabbed crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Sounds like a pretty reasonable combination, so why didn't I think about that immediately? Honestly, I don't know. I think that it is because for me spices can be a bit intimidating. I know how they taste individually, but striking the perfect balance between multiples ones can be difficult. Here's what I have come to find. Just being willing to try things out. You might get some good, definitely some bad, and then a few that are just so so, but no one can say you didn't try. But back to my dish. The kick from the crushed red pepper seemed to bring out the flavors of the Italian seasoning even more, and took me back to my Italian rendezvous. This is definitely a recipe to make again!


My other way to keep pasta interesting is to change up the shapes. I remember all the trips to the store where I insisted that shaped pasta was much better than spaghetti. Fortunately, I usually won that argument and got to pick out my favorite shape. When Barilla introduced there line of mini pasta, I was super excited. I love anything and everything small and bite sized, and this pasta was definitely a throwback back to my childhood days. The tomato or spinach pasta is also great and works really well if you are trying to get kids to eat more vegetables. One of the best and most surprising pastas I have had recently was lemon pepper pappardelle pasta from Trader Joe's. The intense lemon and pepper flavor turn a bland noodle into a shining star. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, you need to try it out!

I am always on the look out for great new pastas or spice mixes, so post your favorites below and I will be sure to try them out.