As you can imagine, rolling in at 4:30am tends to screw up the next day. And the rain took care of the rest of any outdoor plans we had. We all slept in until noon and didn't really get rolling out the door until 3pm. At that time, our house guests moved themselves to a hotel uptown while X & I cruised around Soho (great rainy day activity) and did a little shopping. Then we headed back to the hotel, I mean apartment, and made dinner.
I completely screwed it up.
I had gotten all these ingredients to make this pasta dish and just destroyed it. I started by making the garlic bread (we buy frozen and reheat here - don't ask). I remembered to take all the pans out of the oven before I turned it on this time, yeah! So my burners are covered in pots and pans, and I have two open to use.
I didn't want to buy fusili because I already had orchette. I overcooked the pasta (the water never boiled and I was eyeballing it like I always do), undercooked the frozen shrimp, bought the wrong olives (they had stones), and for the finale...no arugula. The arugula is a funny/sad story. I bought arugula and basil on the same trip. I was using "basil" all week to add to dishes and thinking gosh, this basil sure doesn't have any taste. Then by today it's all wilted and I am pulling out the "arugula" and it says BASIL on the bag. Hm. No wonder. By the way, this arugula wasn't "bag" stuff, it was fresh and had the exact shape as the basil. My nose was telling me something was funny but I just couldn't figure it out until I put them together. Damn.
My heart is sinking as X walks into the kitchen and I'm trying to figure out how to improvise after so many things just going completely wrong. I've lost heart and it's not fun anymore (our motto for NY).
So, for dinner I had oranges, soggy overcooked pasta, and shrimp, and the rest of the bottle of that white wine. I can't wait to drive in my car, buy groceries, and cook a fabulous meal in my own kitchen.
