What’s in Your Pantry?

That is exactly what I asked myself yesterday. Home bound with a cold. My strategy for colds is to lay low for 24-36 hours and yes, I do beat that cold. I do have help from plenty of liquids, vitamin C and Zinc, tea and good food. Not wanting to leave the house – God forbid! – so what to cook was the question of the day.

Let’s see. What is in my pantry? Orzo pasta, check. Lemon, check. Sun dried tomatoes, check. Capers, check. Green beans not yet used. Feta cheese. That’s it! The “frosting” was a package of thick sliced bacon. Ah, yes.

I bake my bacon at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, depending on crispiness.  So I went about cooking the entire package. Two crispy pieces were food tested right away by myself and Zeke, my labradoodle aka rasta-doodle. Check. I actually cooked the green beans in the bacon grease for five minutes at the same 400 degrees. Blot the grease, after all, enough is enough!

While the orzo cooked, I cut up the bacon, sliced the green beans, and tossed it all with the tomatoes and capers. My dressing is simple: half cup olive oil, half cup fresh lemon juice, heaping tablespoon of lemon zest, salt & pepper sparingly. Toss the orzo, dressing and feta and there you have it. Comfort food.

By the way, I did beat my cold. Realtors don’t get “time off”, so I wrote an offer on a home a Buyer liked. Wrote up the paperwork for a new North End listing. Wrote a dozen thank you and note cards plus a letter to Paul. Yes, a bit silly but I love writing letters and I love him.  🙂 Feeling much better!