this shit rocks no. 52: (frozen) broccoli pesto pasta!

Plus tinned fish, timers, and antioxidants.

One of the most charming things about LA is that sometimes it takes 90 minutes to drive 12 miles to dinner and then 20 minutes to drive that same distance back home. Anyway, I did that this week to go try out Kippered, a tinned fish and wine bar. I know that I talk about tinned fish too much. Like, we get it, Sara, you’re hot.

Even though it drained every ounce of my being to get to this bar, it was such a treat once I arrived (plus Mariah was there waiting for me!!). There is an insane amount of tinned fish to choose from (we got a lovely smoked trout and some dilly mussels), but my favorite item that we ordered was the hot and garlicky and buttery cockles.

I don’t go downtown often, but when I do it’s for COCKLES. Aside from this lovely dining experience, here are some other things that have brought me joy recently.

Multi Function Electric Timer

You may have noticed this in my most recent reel, but I just invested in some timers because I was sick of using my gross kitchen hands on my iPhone to set a timer. And sometimes I need more than one timer going because I am a very serious recipe developer.

My dumb ass still had to the nerve to scorch a batch of pine nuts while toasting them this week because I was too proud to set a timer. Won’t happen again!!!!

Amazing Grass Greens Powder Sweet Berry

I am not entirely convinced that greens powders are anything more than a productive task that you can check off your list in order to feel better about your day. Despite this, I have still been enjoying this powder. I used to take Ath*tic Gr**ns, but it was way more expensive and the flavor took some getting used to. This one is delightfully tart and fruity and makes drinking water first thing in the morning FUN.

I am obviously not a medical professional, but my friend Emma is a nurse (and she’s hot, which is not for nothing) and I noticed her drinking this every morning when I saw her a couple months ago, so now I do, too.

Broccoli Spinach Pesto Pasta

Serves: 4-6

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

I love frozen vegetables, especially in the dead of winter when the produce aisle is on the bleaker side of life. I used frozen broccoli and frozen spinach to whip up this weeknight friendly pasta dinner. If you want to use fresh, you certainly can, and if you happen to have any fresh herbs on hand (parsley, basil, chives, mint), those would all be a welcome addition to the pesto, as well.

If you want to scale this down to a ½ pound of pasta, I would recommend reserving half of the broccoli pesto for salads, bowls, toasts, or roasted veggies.