Mr.Harland's Fresh Tomatoe,Garlic,Basil,Goat Cheese Pasta....Yum !!!

Years ago,there was a beautiful and wonderful restaurant in Fresno,Calif. called "Harland's"Restaurant. The floor was laid in black and white large tiles.I believe the booths were black,and there were cream colored tulip lights in vases behind the booths.It was very romantic ! Dining in there one night,I ordered the Fresh Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta.What was brought to me a little while later was this pan of ooey,lucious ,fragrant Heaven !The goat cheese was melting over a fragrant pan of chopped tomatoes,lots of garlic,basil and olive oil. Well,I like to take risks if I have looooved a dish, often calling the chef to ask for the recipe.Imagine my shock when Mr.Harland kindly gave me the recipe over the phone ! I couldn't believe he'd share such a jewel with me !

This is how you make it....Boil some water in a pot and cook some Angel Hair pasta or some spaghetti(about a pound for maybe five people) Chop up in 1/2 inch pieces about 10-15 Roma tomatoes.(The Roma tomatoes are best because they are denser and won't water down the flavor of your sauce.)Chop a whole head of garlic in 1/4 inch pieces.Keep a log of goat cheese cold in the fridge,to crumble on top later.Chop about a cup of fresh basil in 1/4-1/2 inch pieces.Have parmesan cheese ready too.Pour 1/8 inch extra virgin olive oil in a medium-large frying pan.Heat the oil on medium low-medium heat.Cook the garlic a few minutes,until soft,but not brown.Add the Roma tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.Add the basil at the end,just before serving,and a little salt and pepper,to taste.You can add a little more olive oil now,if you think it needs it.After placing the hot pasta and sauce on a plate,crumble some cold goat cheese on top. Then grate some fresh parmesan cheese over all (or use some already grated) .The parmesan cheese adds another level of flavor and saltiness.

I just love it when tomatoes are in season ,where I live in the San Juaquin Valley ,in California ,and I can make this dish,or just to eat them with salt and pepper ,and maybe a little sprinkle of fresh basil !! The dry heat here in the summer makes the most lucious tomatoes ever !! Choose very red tomatoes,and make this dish when tomatoes are in season ONLY !!

Love thoughts.....(When I say "he",I mean he or she) ......When I think of being very selective in choosing red,ripe tomatoes in season.... my thoughts are on being selective in choosing a future mate with good character.Observe things like.....does he drive carefully when you are in the car......does he stay sober at parties,so he can safely drive you home.......how does he treat animals.....is he kind to servers in restaurants.......does he love and respect his parents,or is he angry at them......if he's angry at them,he may very well treat you with that same anger.....is he patient and forgiving.....or does he explode in anger........does he apologize easily........does he encourage your interests or does he only talk about himself ......are you both of the same faith.....?

Take time to get to know him,at least a year or two.....stay friends for a long time and DON'T SLEEP with him !!!!!!!! (until the wedding night !!!).........observe his friends.....he most likely will be LIKE them.Ask him a bazillion questions..........If you're engaged to him,go to many sessions of pre-marital counseling.(They offer this at churches)The counselor will ask you questions that you may not have thought of.

My Swedish great-grandmother said to her children....."It's not da looks that count.....it's da character." Good advise Great Grandmother !

Amities,(good wishes)
Poppy (Katy)

P.SWhen I was twenty,My grandmother took me on a trip to Europe.(She had been a ballerina,and had the opportunity to dance in Paris for a few months) She wanted me to see Paris and many other beautiful sights.I was shocked when we went to Italy, to see how slender the Italians were......they eat pasta as a SIDE dish......not a huge main dish........as stated by Mireille Guiliano.....author of "French Women Don't Get Fat". Now I get it !!!

Apple Coleslaw and Salmon Cakes !

Letters from a former flower child on food and love......

Food......

The other day I went to Kanaloa Seafood,a place that sells fresh fish in Santa Barbara.Fish is fresh if it has shiny eyes,firm flesh,and no smell.I bought some fresh halibut and a cute little crab cake.I eat about a quarter pound of fish if I'm eating alone,or 1/2 pound if I'm sharing with my dogs ,Chrissy and Abby,or a friend.I sauted the crab cake in a little olive oil in a small frying pan,on both sides,until golden brown.Can you smell that wonderful aroma? Whoa baby !!!

I pondered what would go with my crab cake,and decided that coleslaw would marry quite nicely with crabbie.So, I looked in my fridge and found an apple,some purple cabbage,a carrot,some parsley,and some fennel.These vegetables were chopped up amd mixed with organic mayonaise. It's basically a salad made up of what's lurking in your fridge. Watch out,this could be dangerous ! I also boiled some tiny red,purple,and yellow potatoes for about 15 minutes and then tossed them with some butter.

Well,here's a simple but colorful,and scruptious dinner that doesn't take alot of time or break your back !

Love......Have you ever noticed that you become similar to the friends you hang out with ? It becomes easy to think,talk,act like them,as well as adopting their values.It is difficult to maintain your own values if your bestest friends have different ones.Let's say you want keep your self sexually pure until marriage,to avoid sexual diseases,pregnancy,and a broken heart.Then it's a good idea to befriend one or more people who are also committed to sexual purity.Make a promise to eachother to stay pure until that wedding night.Checking in with eachother, and asking how you are doing with this promise keeps you accountable, and gives you STRENGTH ! It's like being an alcoholic and deciding not to hang out with heavy drinkers.Decide which friends are safe for you and which friends will be a danger to your life.Keep the safe friends with similar values and morals and say adios to the losers ,the crabbies! Having a hard time finding friends with good morals ? Have you thought of visiting a church with a high school,college,or singles group ? Former flower child advises starting here,and if you don't like it,try another one !

Soo lovies...peace love and coleslaw from me my kitchen to yers..............................................................Poppies
   P.S. Well,guess what ! I don't eat crab or any shellfish anymore because Adonai in the Bible says not to (It's not healthy.)...sooo....please substitute the word salmon anywhere that you see the word crab ! Salmon is so much better for us anyway !