Shopping Around the World

Thanks to everyone for another great edition of Shopping Around the World last month.  It’s so awesome to see the various prices around the world – and the pictures with recipes!

This month we have a suggestion from my brother Easy.  This month we are highlighting PASTA – what is your favorite PASTA dish?  How do you make it?  What kind of noodles do you use?  What is in your PASTA?  There is no limit count on ingredients – Share your recipe and picture!

I’m going to let mom take care of this recipe this month – she mumbled something to me about not being around while she cooked it.  So we all know what that means.  It must contain P.O.R.K.  Snorts with piggy laughter – take it away mom.

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One of our favorite pasta dishes to make here at the Hotel Thompson involves Cavatappi pasta – which translated from Italian means corkscrew.  As you can see by looking at the shape of the pasta – it does have the twisted look.

So we take a box of Cavatappi and put it on to boil in a pan (a box of Cavatappi is $1.00 for the entire box and that’s a lot of food!).  In doing this so we add salt to the water and a little oil so the pasta doesn’t stick.  Now some peeps will argue about the oil and the salt – you do what you think is best.  Here I prefer to do this.  While the pasta is boiling, you are going to fix the base of the pasta.

In a skillet you are going to add some thick cut chunked pancetta – which is an Italian bacon made from the pork belly that is salt cured and seasoned.  If you don’t have pancetta, regular chopped up bacon or chunks of leftover ham will do.  Cook it until brown.  (Pancetta can be a little pricey – we always keep some in the freezer.  We usually will get two pounds at a time at $10.99 per pound.  For this recipe, we will use an entire pound – $10.99)

When finished, add some chopped tomatoes, pepper, a few pepper flakes and oregano (or any other seasonings you want) to the party.  (Seasonings are something we usually keep on hand and tomatoes run us $0.99 a pound – a pound for this recipe).  Let this all marry together and by this time, your pasta should be al dente.  Drain your pasta and add it straight to your skillet.  Mix all of these ingredients together and let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Right before serving, top with freshly grated parmasean cheese (we also keep this on hand and it ranges $4.99 for a pound – use as much as you want)

Total cost for the meal is around $14.00 and this meal will last us several nights for the two of us.  In the long run, the price far outweighs the servings.

 

Thanks My Friends! – Mark Your Calendars

Thank you so very much my friends for participating in my first Bacon’s Show and Tell yesterday.  It was such a great joy in seeing everyone’s different favorite toys they had as children.  They brought such good memories to us here at the Hotel Thompson as I’m sure you had as well.  A special shout out to my Cousin Sammy for filling in for me yesterday.  I really appreciate your help Cousin!  I can’t say thank you enough for looking after Bacon’s Show and Tell.

Let’s mark our calendars for Thursday, July 31, 2014, to have our next Bacon’s Show and Tell.  This time though, let’s highlight that one toy that you really wanted as a child but you never got while growing up.  I’m sure we all have that one thing we dreamed about but never showed up at birthdays or Christmas.  On Thursday, July 31, 2014, let’s get that one toy finally and talk about what it meant to us.

Now as for me being PMIA (piggy missing in action) yesterday.  WOW – could it have been a longer day for us here at the Hotel Thompson?  Mommy took off work – that should have been my first clue that something was amiss during the week – especially on a Monday.  Are you ready for the breakdown?  Snorts – tighten your seat belt here we go.

First up – may I present to you Albert – mom’s Smart car.  He had his “physical” yesterday.  Yep, I said it – physical.  The good thing about a Smart car is that you can go 10,000 miles before an oil change.  It counts it down for you and let’s you know when you need to take it in for a change.  Great perk.  Down side – it takes synthetic oil and costs more than normal.  But like mom said, once every 10,000 miles makes it only getting an oil change around once a year.  And I bet you didn’t know that my mom comes from a long line of grease monkey’s.  She has been known to change her own oil – go mom – but not on Albert nope.  She hasn’t tried although she’s watched videos and wants to attempt it one day.  (And speaking of working on cars, snorts, mom has to tell you about a story with daddy on that one day).  But I digress.  So after Albert’s oil change, mom has to reset Albert to count down another 10,000 miles.  Why?  Because the professionals don’t know how to reset him.  Rolls piggy eyes.  Really?  And you call yourselves professionals – snorts.

Second up – I had to go for my yearly “physical”.  Joy. Yay.  Super.  What a fun time.  I’m going through a shedding phase – which is normal.  Mommy neglected to write this on the family calendar.  I wonder why?  Surprise for the piggy?  Sure why not.  It really wasn’t that bad – not considering.  My vet, Dr. Corine, is wonderful and she smells great.  What I don’t like is the waiting room.  Dr. Corine is an exotic pet doctor.  There was a snake as a patient in the waiting room yesterday.  You trying to give this piggy a heart attack?  Mr. Snake stayed to himself but my mohawk was up on my back.  Shivers.  And I might have – stress MIGHT – have peed on the floor.  Okay – I was a little nervous.  Who wouldn’t be with that anaconda in the room with me?  I’ve seen videos of them eating my kind.  Shivers.  But I didn’t have to wait long before Dr. Corine took me back for my “physical”.  She went down the list – eyes clear, temp good (don’t even ask – and no she didn’t buy me a drink first!), teeth good, ears good, hooves good – mom’s been doing great at keeping them trimmed.  Then we got to the weight.  I weigh a whopping 48 pounds.  WOW – I’m a pig – snorts – literally.  I’m healthy.  My pot belly is not over abundant and my face is not puffy.  But do you know Dr. Corine had the nerve to tell mommy to watch my weight?!  Watch MY weight.  Really?  Stomps hooves.  As if.  I am a miniature pot bellied piggy.  I have standards to maintain Dr. Corine.  Bite me.  Snorts.

🙂 So that’s why I was PMIA yesterday.  Of course after my “physical”, guess who else had their physicals?  Yep, mom and dad.  I think I heard mom say bite me too – snorts.