Ten Dollar Dinners

I find myself, shockingly, to be a big fan of the Food Network show Ten Dollar Dinners! The reason I'm shocked is this- I am often quite a food snob, especially where cooking shows are concerned. (Also, when it comes to food, I often Spend Too Much! Get it? Ha...) When I first tuned in and saw a perky blonde American woman, I thought, "Oh, here we go, another Sandra Lee, here to tell me to dump cans of soup into everything." I was ready to mock, but instead I was intrigued by Melissa's recipes. Not at all unsophisticated, pretty frugal, and the ones I've made have been just delicious!

Now, some of the recipes aren't at all complicated, but, like many of Nigella Lawson's, gentle reminders that you only need a few things to make a cheap, tasty, and healthy dinner. Garlic Oil Sauteed Pasta with Broccoli was one of those recipes. Sauteed Cannellini Beans was another. Both were really good. This weekend I'll be making Lentil Quinoa salad with Pesto shrimp, (Google it yourself, I'm tired of adding links!) but the recipe I want to rave about today is Garlic Spaghetti.

Just a few simple ingredients, no time at all, and I had 6 portions that got me through the week. Yes, there's butter in it, but what you get is a richness and smooth taste that plain spaghetti sauce often misses. Melissa's recipe is a little rich, so I made some adjustments. Below is my version, and, damn, is it good.

Also, I ate this so fast I didn't get around to taking photos, but, really, it looks like you'd think it would.

I box whole wheat spaghetti

5 tablespoons olive oil

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar tomato passatta

3 tablespoons butter

salt and pepper

grated parmesan to taste

fresh basil leaves

1. Cook pasta according to directions on box

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil gently and add the garlic. Cook over low heat 20-30 minutes

3. In another pan, heat the passatta and butter. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted

4. Dump in the olive oil with garlic, salt and pepper, and simmer 10 minutes

5. Toss with the spaghetti, and add torn basil leaves and parmesan when serving.

Supposed to be 4 servings, but make it 6, trust me.

Humanity

Some really shocking news out of Egypt this week. CBS reporter Lara Logan was attacked in Tahrir Square. She was separated from her crew, and according to the statement CBS released, she experienced a "brutal and sustained" sexual assault. That description is chilling to me, but hardly more so than the reactions to this crime that I've been reading since the incident was reported.

Now, I'm not at all a fan of Ms. Logan's reporting. Scroll down a few posts and you'll see why. That being said, I am still amazed at the vitriol I'm reading about this woman and this crime. The nastiness tends to fall into one of three categories:

1. "Whatever- she sucks and is a terrible reporter"

Like I said, I can't stand Lara Logan's reporting, but aside from sociopaths and this douche, who can't see that this doesn't matter now? Is the world so shockingly Black and White, Us and Them, that average people don't mind when their ideological opposites are tortured? Wow.

2. "What did she expect? That's what happens to pretty blondes in dangerous places."

This one has many angles, and they're all vile. First is the implication that CBS should have sent either a man or an ugly girl to get the story. Never mind the fact that most TV reporters are hired in part because they're "telegenic", we end up confirming the old nonsense that women can be divided into 2 categories- Ugly/Serious and Pretty/Vapid. Shockingly, there are unattractive idiots and beauties with brains, but who am I to take issue with a stereotype that makes judging women easier? Secondly, since attractiveness is something that women often enhance with makeup or nice clothes, yes, pretty lady, you brought this on yourself. Wash off that lip gloss and put on some overalls, because if you don't, well, you're just asking for trouble.

3. "Just shows you what a bunch of animals Muslim men are."

How lucky we are in the Western world, to live in a culture where rape never happens... oh wait, unless you count these women, and these women, and what this Mormon dad just confessed to doing to his own fucking daughters... But still, it's so much easier to blame this on the lack of respect for women in the Middle East. It's entirely true that there is systematic oppression of women all over the world, and Arab nations are some of the worst. Still, it takes a true simpleton to lump all Arab men together as rapists because of this crime, while naturally not applying the same standard to Western men. Our men are individuals, but Foreigners are all the same. Citizens of the Idiocracy are losing the ability so see shades of grey and to appreciate complexity. And the gall required for right-wing assholes who are doing their best to roll back reproductive rights in the US to get all Feminist when bashing Muslim men is off the charts.

Blame and justification are fear-based reactions. This is the time to reject these emotions. A terrible thing has happened to a fellow human being. She deserves compassion, respect, and privacy. Let's be better people, and give them to her.