Can we just talk here for a minute?
I feel like my brain cannot work anymore.  It's like it get's stuck or something.  I wake up in the morning and everything's cool (aside from being ridiculously lazy at that early hour).  I'm focussed.  I'm alert(ish).  My mind is clear.  I bike or run to work... I'm still good.  I'm a fully brain functional human.  I work with boys ranging in age from 9 - 18 for 6 hours straight.
I'm off the rails.  I can't think.  I have trouble forming a sentence.  I can't remember my great ideas from earlier in the day.  I don't even know if I had any ideas.  All I can think about is what I did at work, the blur of boys that sang for me that day, the running from room to room that I did.  Then I get home.  I know that I said I was done with canning but then I got this huge bag of plums in the food box.  I don't even remember ordering them but they're gorgeous and local and I'm going to do something great with them.  I got some more tomatillo's because the salsa turned out so beautifully that I decided (in the lucid moments of the weekend) that I should make another couple of jars.  Then I saw the ground cherries (gooseberries) at the bottom of the food box and they need to be taken care of as well.   Oh yeah, and I almost forgot the beets.  So it's gonna be game on with the canner again this weekend.  And if anything, that's where my brain is.


So while I'm blurring through another whirlwind day with more boys than I can count and thinking about when I can get started with my new canning projects, I'm forgetting all about dinner... now.  We have nothing to eat... except beets, tomatillo's, ground cherries and plums.  You can't live on that.  However, my brain can't do much beyond dealing with a toaster at this rate.  Listen very little can go wrong with life when you roast vegetables before you use them.  So...
It was sheer necessity.
We needed it.
The fridge needed it.
The vegetables needed it.
So, I roasted two vegetables:  Eggplant and Red Pepper.  Nothing more.  I wouldn't have been able to function with more than that.    I boiled some pasta.  I made a quick sauce.  I tossed it all together.  I didn't think too hard.  I grated some parmesan on top.  I served it... and then my kids asked for mashed potatoes.  My head hurts.  I need help.


Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Pasta
serves 6

1.

3/4 of a medium eggplant, partially peeled cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/2 med red pepper, sliced
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Toss all of the ingredients together.  Place on a baking sheet (in a single layer if possible) and bake for 20 minutes (veg should be cooked through and golden) - my addled brain didn't even sprinkle with a little salt but you will totally remember to do that).  Remove from oven and set aside.

2.

2 cups uncooked pasta (I used penne noodles)
water

Add pasta to boiling, salted water.  Cook until al dente (check the package).  Drain and set aside (keep a little of the pasta water)

3.

1 cup goat cheese or cream cheese
1 1/2 cup ricotta or yogurt cheese (I used yogurt cheese and that's a whole other story)
1/2 cup (or so) reserved pasta water or cream
1 veggie bouillion cube
3/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup basil and parsley coarsely chopped
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
dash pepper sauce and nutmeg

Heat the goat cheese, ricotta and pasta water or cream over low heat.  Stir until the sauce is well combined and thickening just a bit.  Add in the veggie bouillon cube and 1/2 cup parmesan.  Stir until the bouillion cube is mixed in.  Add the herbs, salt, honey, pepper sauce and nutmeg.
Cook together for about 7 minutes.  Check tastes and adjust if necessary.
Toss the pasta together with the sauce.
Pour into a big bowl.
Add in the roasted veg on top and toss gently (if you want).  Sprinkle the remaining parmesan on top.
Serve.