RECIPE: SPAGHETTI LIMONE PARMEGGIANO

This recipe is from the cookbook My Father's Daughter, and it's one of my favourite pasta dishes. I especially like making it in the summer since the flavour is light and we pick the basil right out of our garden. It is so easy that you can make a side salad while the pasta is cooking. And, it is Monkey approved.

Ingredients:
Box of spaghetti
Coarse salt
1 lemon
1 1/2 cups grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3-5 tablespoons of pasta water, to thin
Handful fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Boil spaghetti in salted boiling water, according to the package directions.

Grate the zest (skin) from the lemon into a large mixing bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl (I like to squeeze the lemon into a smaller bowl to remove the seeds before adding it to the lemon zest).

Add Parmesan cheese, pepper, a pinch of salt and mix in the olive oil to form a wet paste.

When the spaghetti is cooked, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the lemon and cheese mixture and mix. Add the spaghetti to the bowl and toss thoroughly to coat each spaghetti strand (add more pasta water if needed to thin lemon and cheese mixture). Roughly tear in basil leaves.

Enjoy!

BEST NON-MATERNITY, MATERNITY WEAR: JAMES PERSE

Pregnancy is a time when I want to look and feel good as my body goes through daily changes, but style and maternity clothes tend to be polar opposites. My remedy is James Perse, a casual clothing line made with soft, breathable fabrics that seem to relax with each wear. The dresses are particularly comfortable and flattering for the baby bump. And, the best part is that you can wear them long after your bump disappears.

(Dress 1 / Dress 2 / Dress 3)

ACCIDENTAL HAND CREAM

Apparently, you can tell a woman's true age by looking at her hands. I'm in trouble. I've always focused on trying to keep fine lines away from my face, while my neglected hands remain dry, chapped and cracking. To add to my problem, I don't like the feel of greasy hand cream. It's a conundrum, you see?

Let me take a bit of a detour ... Monkey has inherited my dry skin. You know how some babies have the softest skin -- especially on their chubby thighs? That was not my little guy. Instead, he had little rough, red patches of dry skin that he itched constantly. I was determined to find a cream that worked for him and was free of harsh ingredients. My search ended with Calendula Baby Cream by Weleda Baby. Calendula is a flower and its extract soothes, heals and protects his sensitive skin, making it baby soft.

And, this cream has also worked wonders on my hands. I use it before bed and I've noticed a dramatic improvement. It's thick, but it absorbs fairly quickly and the fact that I only have to use it once a day means grease-free hands during the day.

Now, my next resolution is to wear sunscreen on my hands daily since they are constantly exposed pushing a stroller and playing outside with Monkey...no more sun spots to defy my age!

Do you have any hand cream favourites to share?

(Image)