While I was cooking fettuccini alfredo with mushrooms and artichoke hearts for dinner last night, I had a thought: who was the person that looked at an artichoke and said "Hmmm, that weird, green plant with thorns on the leaves sure looks good enough to eat." If you've never eaten an artichoke, you may be surprised to know that the only edible parts of it are the base of the leaf and the heart. I had a friend in California send me a box of fresh artichokes one year. I had never had one and had no idea how to cook or eat one. She lived Salinas, the artichoke capital of the world. (at least that's what she told me) She explained in an email how to cook and eat an artichoke. If you'd like detailed instruction, Google "how to cook an aritichoke" and you're questions will be answered! If you'd like to try my recipe for the fettuccini alreado, here it is:

1 box fettuccini--cooked according to instructions on the box. I added powdered garlic, salt and pepper to my water. Makes the pasta sing!

While the pasta is cooking, drizzle a little bit of olive oil into a skillet and saute' 2 cups freshly sliced mushrooms along with a jar of drained artichoke hearts. I also sliced these up, since they come whole in the can. When the pasta is done, drain and add to the cooked mushrooms. Pour a jar of alfredo sauce on top, stir and heat throughly. Serve sprinkled with blue cheese with a side of crusty bread.

Now you could go ahead and make your pasta and sauce from scratch, but I DID mention that I am a working mom, so not every single thing I cook is from scratch!


Carpe' diem!