Happy May! And for me, happy to be home!! What a pleasure to be cooking in my own kitchen where I have everything I need close at hand.

John said he felt like pasta so while he heated up the water, I got the mushrooms cut up and in a sauté pan followed by some onion and garlic. When the pasta was getting close to done I added the stems of the broccolini. When John drained the pasta I put in the broccolini florets and then he dumped in the orecchiette. I made a sauce with some reserved pasta water and a little olive oil.

Usually I do not put cheese on my pasta and just keep it vegan but tonight I wanted parmesan strips on top. I feel like since yesterday was a travel day that it still counted as vacation and I could splurge a bit. But on Sunday it is back on the straight and narrow as I need to lose a few pounds gained over the last two weeks. I know it is never a good idea to let my weight go up even a few pounds without doing something about it. I am, after all, a serial dieter and I have been down this road too many times.