Picture Day

Today was Spring Portraits Day at my girls' school. I used to dress them up in their best clothes. No, wait, that's wrong. I used to go out and buy them new outfits for picture day. I'd do up their hair really nicely, and make sure they knew to brush their hair and check their teeth before the camera snapped their images into their places in history.

Then it hit me.

My girls don't have perfect hair. They don't wear fancy dresses. So I don't want pictures of perfectly coiffed children in frilly, pink gowns, with big silky bows in their hair. I want pictures of my little athlete with two ponytails (one purple tie, one blue tie) and a hairband (because she's in that awkward growing-out-the-bangs stage) and the other kid, who's into doing her own hair, can do whatever she pleases (even if her part is crooked). I let them wear what they wanted. Little Kitty wore her Rock Star shirt (it's grey with white sleeves and grafitti on the front) and jeans. Bayberry wore a purple shirt and jeans.

It's who they are.

And it's awesome.

Part of who I am is a frugal cook. The other day, I made straw and hay. It's delicious. Prosciutto gives it a wonderful perfume-y flavor. But is it frugal? Sure, if you get a good deal on prosciutto. But what about for regular days? Can't I do better than that?

So I created this dish. It's very similar to straw and hay. It's more budget-friendly, and it's saltier. But it's more down-to-earth. It's more me.

Cheesy Pasta with Bacon and Peas

Ingredients:

• 1 box tri-color rotini
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 a large onion, diced
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 5 slices of bacon, cooked crisp, drained, and crumbled
• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

How it's Done:

1. Boil pasta. 
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a saute pan. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. 
3. Add milk, salt and pepper, and parmesan cheese. Cook and stir until simmering. Remove from heat and stir in mozzarella. Stir in peas and bacon.
4. Drain pasta. Toss with sauce. Serve.