broccoli macaroni

I’m stress eating.

As we speak I’m pounding graham crackers. Breaking them into their four respective pieces and then shoving the rectangle in whole.

I just finished a sleeve.

Grad school is not fun. It’s not in a warm and fuzzy bubble like undergrad. It’s cold and mean and lacking directions and expensive. $100 to go to a conference? Nope I’ll put that toward utilities, thanks.

Tonight when I battled my way home through the stupid traffic that is even stupider than usual because of the Grand Prix this weekend I needed me some broccoli macaroni.

This was our token dish at Loyola, aside from chicken cutlets and Rice-a-Roni. Another one of Danielle’s family recipes that she passed on. It’s simple and balanced and delicious. Plus I can’t believe I’ve lived here almost a week and I haven’t stunk up the house with garlic yet.

This is what you need:

Pretty basic things that most people have all the time. I used fresh broccoli purchased in my Safeway shopping spree from Sunday but I’ve made it a gazillion times with frozen florets and it’s equally delicious. Danielle used to only use the florets but I happen to like the stems and I don’t discriminate.

The recipe specifies “macaroni” but really you can use any short cut pasta you like. As you can see, I used bowties. Farfalle if you want to be a fancy Italiano. Cook the pasta according to the package directions (don’t forget to salt the water!) and set it aside.

Steam or boil your broccoli until it’s beautifully green and al dente.

Start to cook the garlic in a little bit of olive oil- I used one clove in about a tablespoon of oil. If you didn’t notice, I like garlic. If you’re like my mom you might think one clove of garlic is appropriate for four servings. Use your discretion. It only takes a few seconds- once you start to smell it, add your breadcrumbs. I used about 1/8 cup. Stir it together and lightly toast everything together.