by Judy Pierce
Pistachio Pasta serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 pound whole wheat angel hair pasta
1 1/4 cups milk
6 ounces feta cheese (If you prefer, you can substitute blue cheese. Ozette wants to try it with mozzarella sometime.)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped parsley
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan and add pistachios. Sauté until nuts are fragrant. Add milk and cheese. Cook over low heat until feta has melted. Drain pasta in a colander. Put pasta in a bowl, add cheese mixture and toss until blended. Sprinkle chopped parsley on top.
Bugette Burrito – serves 4. Our favorite spiders, Abigail and Gertie, insisted that their Bugette Burrito recipe be included. Ozette put on her thinking cap and came up with a variation – minus the bugs – she thinks you will like.
Ingredients
4 9-10-inch flour tortillas
1-2 cloves chopped garlic
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 2/3 cups canned black beans, rinsed, drained
2 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeño chile (omit if you don’t like spicy foods)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cups lettuce, torn into small pieces
Plain non-fat Greek yogurt
Your favorite salsa
8 tablespoons grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 2 ounces)
4-6 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (omit if you don’t like cilantro)
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Wrap tortillas in foil. Warm in oven until heated through, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and onion. Stir over medium-high heat until golden, about 4-6 minutes. Add cumin and chili powder; stir. Add bell pepper and corn; sauté until almost tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add beans and jalapeño (if using); Simmer on low heat for 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Place warm tortillas on plates. Spoon filling down the center, dividing equally. Top each with 2 tablespoons cheese, then 1-2 tablespoons each of Greek yogurt and cilantro. Add lettuce, tomato, and salsa. Fold sides of tortillas over filling, forming packages. Turn each package, seam side down, onto plate.
Garbanzo Legumettes – Ozette hates getting popcorn kernels stuck in her teeth, so her friends devised this recipe. It’s a crunchy, delicious snack that is a wonderful change from popcorn.
Ingredients
3 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or substitute 3 cups of canned chickpeas (about 2 15-ounce cans), rinsed and well drained.
1/4 cup olive oil
6-8 cloves of finely minced garlic – use more or less depending on how well you like garlic. (Ozette claims it helps her stay healthy.)
Salt and pepper to taste, if desired
Preheat oven to 450-degrees Fahrenheit. Using paper towels, pat chickpeas dry. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with cooking oil.
In a large bowl, toss together chickpeas, oil and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper if using. Spread in single layer on cookie sheet.
Stir occasionally while baking. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until chickpeas are very crunchy but not burned. Cool 5 minutes before serving.
About the author
Originally from Washington state, Judy lives on 17-acres in the mountains of North Carolina with her husband and four rescued dogs. She has worked in environmental education, feature writing, advertising and university teaching. Judy’s writing is influenced by her love of nature and work with Bichon Frise rescue and wildlife rehabilitation. When she’s not writing, she loves to raise and use herbs, bicycle, hike, camp and visit family on the West Coast.Visit her website at www.talesfromfarlandia.com.
Table of Contents
1 A Scruffy Nest Guest
2 What Goes Up, Must Come Down
3 Flying High – Maxwell to the Rescue
4 An Unexpected Reward
5 The Gift of the Acorn
6 The Word is Out
7 Up the Creek with a Paddle
8 Skydiving, Minus the Parachute
9 Skydiving Squirrels
10 The Metamorphosis of Oliver
11 A Delicious Opportunity?
12 A Sticky Situation
13 Oliver’s Misadventure
14 A Pink Blob Indeed!
15 The Floured Apron Caper
16 Where, Oh Where, Have Oliver’s Boxers Gone?
17 Hail Queen Ozette!
18 The Secret of the Acorn
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