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Today was just one of those days where, even though I accomplished a lot, I feel like I accomplished nothing at all. When those days come around, I have to remind myself to do a little bit of self-care. Today, that meant going for a long walk, taking a nap, making a lovely spinach pesto pasta and then watching a ton of Graham Norton. I’ll share a little bit about the pasta and the TV show if you’d also like to add those bits to your self-care routine.
So, let’s start by introducing you to Graham Norton. I don’t know when I discovered this hilarious British talk show, but I can go do hours-long rabbit holes watching back-to-back episodes and compilations. I’m sure most Americans are familiar with late-night American talk shows. Celebrities make the talk-show circuit to promote their newest shows, and they always feel a bit forced and only semi-entertaining. Usually the focus is on the single celebrity and their chemistry with the host is either funny or downright awkward. And sometimes, they may even humanize a horrible extremist presidential candidate.
But Graham Norton has a different formula for his shows. He invites groups of celebrities, a lot of them from the British Isles. He has them all snuggled together on a big red couch and then plies them with loads of alcohol. The result is unpredictable and usually hilarious. It also helps that Graham is witty, charming, and quick on his feet as a host. He always manages to dig up embarrassing anecdotes but leads his guests to tell the stories themselves. It’s just a perfect combination for when you’re feeling blue.
And now for my quick and easy spinach pesto pasta recipe. I whipped this together because spring has come, and I had a box of baby spinach that I wanted to use up. The amounts listed below are not exact. The beauty of a pesto recipe is that you can put what you like in it and adjust different ingredients to fit your particular tastes and to use up what you have on hand.
Spring Spinach and Cashew Pesto pasta
(Serves 8; or 3, according to my husband)
Ingredients
5-oz box of spinach (you can use more; this is just all I had left in the fridge)
A couple of handfuls of basil
3 garlic cloves
Juice from a half lemon
One-third of a cup of roasted unsalted cashews
One-third of a cup of grated Pecorino Romano
Eyeball the amount of olive oil (I use enough to make the pesto a bit creamy and then add water until the pesto is slightly loose)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound of gemelli pasta
Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (optional; my husband isn’t a huge fan, so I add these in at the end)
Directions
Boil a large pot of water and salt the water. Cook your pasta according to directions. Make sure to save some of the starchy pasta water for the end.
While your pasta is cooking, put all the ingredients except for the pasta and the tomatoes into a food-processor. I add the olive oil and the water last and only until the pesto is slightly loose. The amount of pesto this makes is more than I add to the pasta, so I save it later to eat it in sandwiches or on top of chicken.
When the pasta is done, drain it and reserve some starchy water. Add the pasta back to the pot. The heat should be off. Add pesto to your liking and add some of the starchy water. Stir and serve with the tomatoes if you like and some extra parmesan cheese.
It’s easy to make and feels lovely to eat after a stressful day.
What are the self-care routines you engage in?
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