7 Today and a quick recipe for Y'all

Our little Emily was 7 today which although smashing has rendered me completely knackered.

Not sure if "Our" Emily is the right thing to say but I'm certainly not comfortable with the stepdad tag! Why are there no good alternative names for this situation?

I guess it doesn't matter at all because I'm just so happy and thrilled to bits that she's part of my life, even when she is a little pickle but I'm expecting far worse in the next 10/15 years !!!

Midnight it was before she finally settled down, no doubt excited about her birthday and all the presents.

Anyway we were up too late for her to even open all of them so she's having to save it until she gets back from school which is something I would never have been able to do, they'd be wrapping paper everywhere.

Moving on........

I had an interesting request on Twitter yesterday. A friend challenged me to tweet a recipe in 140 characters or less (Twitter Tweets are limited to this you see) so after some thought I did it so for you non-twittererererererers out there here it is.....

Actually before that I'll give a little bit of info about it.

The dish itself is a peasant dish which originates in the Italian region of Abruzzo which is north of Rome and probably more renowned for it's Montepulciano wine which itself is one of my favourite tipples and naturally goes well with this very simple dish.

I first came across it when I was living in Rome staying at the marvellous Massimo D'Azeglio hotel on via Cavour. In the hotel they have this fantastically opulent restaurant where I dined virtually every night. You can easily do this here as the menu changes daily depending on what is at the market in the morning.

Of course when you eat in Rome you eat well! Four courses is the norm - Antipasti, Pasta, Meat or Fish and Dessert. Played absolute havoc with my waistline (and I've never really recovered) the only break from it was when I came back to the UK every now and again and virtually fasted.

So eating this way made me kind of look out for dishes that wouldn't leave me too full up for the next course but at the same time satisfying and that's how I stumbled upon this little gem, which is now firmly rooted as my favourite pasta dish and it's one I urge you all to try.

I've not worked it out but even using the best dried pasta and best extra virgin olive oil you can find I'd guess that it'll still come out at less than 50p (0.60€/$0.76 US/$0.87 AUD) per portion.

Anyway here it is in it's Twitter form -

Olive Oil into pan on medium heat. Add chopped Garlic & Chilli Flakes, warm through. Cook Spaghetti al Dente then coat in oil and serve.

Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Chilli or as the Italians would say Spaghetti alla Aglio, Olio é Peperoncino.

Anymore challenges out there? Perhaps you've only got a few things in the cupboard and want something to make out of them or any funny food combinations you've tried?