The Interventionists

It was Architect’s turn to cook on Tuesday and she cooked alright but she brought the dish to my house so that she and Foodie could participate in an intervention. Today I am leaving to be a chaperone for my daughter’s choral group which will visit Italy. Every other year the Silvertones travel to Italy to sing in the magnificent Duomos scattered throughout the county and this year the group will tour Bergamo, Venice, and Milan. It is a much anticipated trip and I am told that the Italians enjoy hosting the Silvertones as much as they enjoy singing for them…apparently their performances bring many to tears!

Back to the intervention…

You see, I am a notorious over packer and since the group will be regularly on-the-go during the trip, over packing is NOT an option. So I surrendered to my dinner pals who have been on this trip before to let them purge my planned piles. Regardless of how cute they are, I do not need to bring my leopard pumps, unless....


Here is the before pile....


Here is the after pile. NO difference!! Not a thing purged…see, I can learn!

My approach was to go monochromatic with some pops of color so I can repurpose the same black or grey basics with any number of items. I bought these great t-shirts from Hanes that are thinner and will hand wash nicely and dry quickly so I can layer. Only three pairs of shoes planned. There may be some stowaways…I’m just saying.

Architect brought an outstanding vegetable lasagna, Foodie was unfortunately otherwise detained, and I popped open a bottle of nice Italian Chianti. I set the table on Monday night so it would be lovely hoping my interventionists would be momentarily distracted and show mercy. The napkins and small vases, a Mother’s Day gift from daughters, are from Williams Sonoma. The napkin rings, candle and candle holder, Pier 1, the bee plates, April Cornell and the white plates, Target. My garden produced the beautiful daffodils and the gold forsythia is clipped from a neighbor’s garden.

Vegetable Lasagna
From: epicurious.com

Ingredients
7 oz lowfat goat cheese
1/3 cup chopped pitted black olives
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp minced garlic
4 cups prepared pasta sauce
1 lb whole-wheat lasagna (Architect made her own!)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 small zucchini, diced
2 small summer squash, diced
3/4 cup bottled roasted red pepper, diced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
print a shopping list for this recipe
Preparation
Heat oven to 375°F. Mix goat cheese, olives, thyme, basil, oregano, and garlic in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce on the bottom of an 8" x 11" baking dish. Add one layer of lasagna and season with black pepper. Add a layer of zucchini, squash, and red pepper. Dollop spoonfuls of goat cheese mixture over vegetables and spread to cover. Repeat layers, finishing with pasta and sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan on top, cover with foil and bake 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 minutes or until top browns. Let stand 10 minutes; serve.

No posts from me for two weeks. Sister and older daughter, who will be at the house watching Stella, may guest post! Have my newly arrived copy of "Gone With A Handsomer Man" by Michael Lee West to read on the plane!

Arrivederci!