I think I’m going to start writing Public Service Announcements.

You know, really impose my set of ethos on the populace at large.


Don’t smoke. Don’t drink and drive. Get prostate exams and colonoscopies regularly after the age of 50. Exercise. Eat dessert first (see post on cinnamon butterscotch bars for the science behind this one – it’s proven to be life-altering). Wear sunscreen. Eat orange vegetables (hourly). Spread peanut butter on everything. Including the aforementioned orange vegetables.

Yeah. I really feel like I have a lot of life lessons that I should impart to the world.

My favorite. Being this.

This is your brain:

This is your brain on medical school:
Does that look at all functional in any way to you? No. It looks like a bird’s nest. A really delicious bird’s nest. But not the kind of thing you’d want to be regulating your bodily functions. Especially not the really critical stuff. Like digestion.

Really. I know the parsley looks pretty. But would you trust it to perform a triple bypass? I didn’t think so.

And while we’re at it. Don’t take candy from strangers either. It’s not a good idea.
But Joanne.

You might say.

Isn’t medical school supposed to make you smarter?

Maybe. I certainly know a lot more. Like, for example, that achalasia is a condition in which your esophageal sphincter can’t open and so food remains stuck in your esophagus and can’t move into your stomach. Bad situation. Really bad.

Then again. I also persisted in thinking all weekend that the first of my two exams this week is on Tuesday. When really. It’s today.

No wonder Sophie and Adam looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I was going into anatomy lab last night rather than staying in and studying physiology.

Sigh. Very. Very. Sigh.

So. Conclusion?

If someone offers you admission to medical school?

Just. Say. No.

Go to cooking school instead.

Any questions?
Baked Lemon Pasta
Serves 4, adapted from the Pioneer Woman

1 lb spaghetti
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 cups cottage cheese (PW uses sour cream. I had cottage cheese in my fridge. It ended up tasting kind of like paneer. So I was happy.)
1/2 tsp salt
parmesan cheese
parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.

In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.

Add sour cream (cottage cheese) and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.

Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)

When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

This is my submission to Presto Pasta Nights which is being hosted this week by Kirsten of From Kirsten’s Kitchen To Yours. It is also my submission to Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman!
Now. From medical school we go to Kitchen Stadium where the contestants in this weeks BSI are anxiously awaiting the proclamation of this week’s secret ingredient. So without further ado.

CARROTS.

You know. Those orange vegetables that we all have sitting in the crisper of our fridge. We’re not sure how they got there. But this week. We are going to learn how to use them so that they are not discovered, covered in mold, a month from now.

So please submit your recipes that feature carrots to me by Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at [email protected]. Here are the guidelines:

  • Participants create a unique recipe using the BSI. You can also do a dish from someone else’s recipe, but you’ll have to give credit to the source.
  • You do not need to have a food blog to participate. Just email me the recipe, preferably with a picture.
  • I will review the recipe and pick a favorite (no random integer, I promise, Biz!).

And you can also browse through previous contests hosted by these fabulous bloggers below :

Week 69: Burp and Slurp Brussels Sprouts

Week 68: Fun Fearless Foodie Parmesan Cheese

Week 67: Natalie’s Killer Cuisine Cocoa Powder

Week 66: Travel Eat Love Coconut milk

Week 65: Run Beans Run Tofu

Week 64: Chicago Marathon Val – Mushrooms

Week 63: Biggest Diabetic Loser Cheddar Cheese

Week 62: A Fit and Spicy Life Balsamic Vinegar

Week 61: Peanut Butter Fingers – Nutmeg

Week 60: Jenn Eats Nutritiously Now – Garlic

Week 59: Home Cooked Em Cinnamon

Week 58: The Balanced Broad Flax

Week 57: Cookin Fanatic – Blue Cheese

Week 56: Foodie in the City – Ricotta Cheese

Week 55: Savvy Eats – Maple Syrup

Week 54: Sound Eats – Dried Fruit

Week 53: Mega Nerd Runs – Acorn Squash

Week 52: Healthy Tipping Point – Pancake Mix

Week 51: Live, Laugh Eat – Almond Butter

Week 50: Balance, Joy and Delicias! Cauliflower

Week 49: Healthy San Diego Living – Chickpeas

Week 48: Thought 4 Food – Yogurt

Week 47: London Foodie in New York – Chocolate

Week 46: Johnstone’s Vin Blanc – Oats

Week 45: Guilty Kitchen – Figs

Week 44: Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet – Peanut Butter

Week 43: The Sophisticated Gourmet – Brown Sugar

Week 42: My Kitchen Addiction Lime

Week 41: Nutmeg Nanny Coffee

Week 40: Chayaís Comfy Cook Broccoli

Week 39: Healthy Delicious Plums

Week 38: Zoe – Feta

Week 37: ChezWhat– Potatoes

Week 36: Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice Blueberries

Week 35: Girlichef -Greens

Week 34: The Ungourmet Watermelon

Week 33: Bread + Butter Bell Pepper

Week 32: Burp and Slurp -Corn

Week 31: Say Yes to Salad Kabocha

Week 31 1/2: Simply Fabulous Now Cherries

Week 30: Thinspired Bananas

Week 29: To Be The Whole Package Almonds

Week 28: Kristas Kravings Lemon

Week 27: From French Fries To Flax Seeds Coconut

Week 26: Plentiful Plants Avocado

Week 25: Training Fuel Eggs

Week 24: Dinner at Christinaís Cabbage

Week 23: Hey What’s for Dinner, Mom? Strawberries

Week 22: One Bite at a Time Basil

Week 21: Just Sweet Enough Black Beans

Week 20: What I Ate Yesterday Kale

Week 19: What’s for Dinner Orange

Week 18: BranAppetit! Spinach

Week 17: Tales of Expansion Dates

Week 16: Biggest Diabetic Loser Zucchini

Week 15: Sweet & Natural Peppermint

Week 14: bella eats [and runs] Ginger

Week 13: Coffee Talk Walnuts

Week 12: For the Love of Oats Pumpkin

Week 11: Trying to Heal Sweet Potatoes

Week 10: The Inner Workings of a College Graduate Eggplant

Week 9: Itzy’s Kitchen Pears

Week 8: The Fitnessista Cranberries

Week 7: Tri to Cook Lentils

Week 6: Rhodey Girl Tests Polenta

Week 5: Eating Bender Butternut Squash

Week 4: Care to Eat Apples

Week 3: On a Lobster Placemat Mushrooms

Week 2: Hangry Pants Tomatoes

Week 1: sportsnutritionliving Quinoa

You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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81 Responses to Pioneer Woman’s Baked Lemon Pasta…and the BSI

  1. Pam says:

    My gosh girlie….you have been busy….what a list! Food looks divine and as always love your post….he he!

    xoxo

  2. Luigi says:

    Technically don’t we have two ‘brains’? I thought the digestive system was autonomus? I am sure I heard that somewhere, QI, I think.

    Great recipe, and another entertaining read Joanne! 🙂

  3. Kim says:

    I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for awhile now! I like your addition of cottage cheese. I can’t hang with sour cream, it makes me gag.

    Good luck on your exams today! I’m not even in medical school and my brain looks like spaghetti:D

  4. Hey, love the pasta dish. Hey, I so wanna go to cooking school but I have already chosen my field a decade ago..its too late for me.

    I will send you a dish made with carrots. I will also send you couple of entries for the Irish-themed event. 🙂

  5. Love the pasta…and an event with carrots is interesting!

  6. looks super delicious…loved the pasta and lemony flavour in it

  7. Lea Ann says:

    I get so mad at my RSS feeds, I just realized your posts haven’t been coming through. I’ve got alot of catching up to do. This pasta looks amazing!

  8. Amy says:

    I changed my mind about hanging out for fear our conversation would go something like this:

    YOU – “…that achalasia is a condition in which your esophageal sphincter can’t open and so food remains stuck in your esophagus and can’t move into your stomach.”

    ME – “Haley and Trevor both poop regularly.”

    Carrots, huh? You’ve got my wheels turning.

  9. I really do not know how you do it all! The world will be lucky when you are a doctor.

    Carrots…I may take you up on this challenge 🙂

  10. The lemon pasta sounds really delicious, I like the addition of cottage cheese too.

  11. Debbie says:

    The lemon pasta looks delicious and is perfect for spring! I don’t know how you go to medical and still find time to cook and post. You are incredible!!!

  12. Elra says:

    Carrots, there are no limit on what we can cook with them, but we’ll see if I can participate.
    Lemon pasta sounds superb!

  13. This sounds like a wonderful dish – even with the brain references!

    I just made yummy carrots last night – I’ll see what I can come up with!

  14. Baked lemon pastas sounds interesting and looks delicious…A great event dear:)

  15. chrystad72 says:

    hey hon!!! I so missed all your gorgeous and amazing foodie pics. Its good to be back i’ll tell ya. I love how you incorporate med school and food into one post. Ha! It rocks!! I love how comforting this dish sounds and the addition of the cottage cheese is great! Love it!! Cool contest too…Id love to learn more about it. Yey! I hope you have an amazing day girl!

  16. Bob says:

    Mmmmm, lemon pasta. That looks wicked good.

    Heh, I remember listening to med school horror stories when I was working in a hospital. Good times. For me. Since I wasn’t in any of them. 😀

  17. Mo Diva says:

    joanne, nothing is more comforting than a big ol bowl of pasta! i loves loves loves this post!

  18. Ann says:

    Awww…good luck with the exams! Seriously, how do you manage all this AND the blog? If misery likes company, I forgot to pay my damn credit card today, so given the fact that the credit card company will now want a pound of flesh and blood in return aslate fees, I might be on par with your anatomy lab specimen.

  19. Gulmohar says:

    lol…that’s so funny…I was ROFL at the non-functioning brain at medical school..

    Well, that may not look like a perfect brain but it does look like a great dinner..:-)

  20. You are a funny gal, and I adore you for it! This pasta looks refreshing and delicious.

  21. Lori says:

    Your pasta looks great! I just ran out of carrots, but hopefully I can pick some up before the weekend and think of something for BSI. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

  22. Jagruti says:

    Lemony pasta looks good and tasty!! like the way you write up gal…lovely post!!

  23. Mari says:

    Hey love! I’m sorry medical school is stressing you out like woah but just try to focus on the big picture =) you are amazing and will do great things in the kitchen and the lab!

    So I was stalking your page last night and I still don’t know what I want you to make for me…it’s your fault! you have way too many good eats.

  24. Faith says:

    I love your public service announcement! (And I also think dessert is best eaten first! 🙂 ) The pasta looks wonderful – they crispy noodles are my favorite part! Carrots are such a great idea for BSI!

  25. Linda says:

    Great looking pasta! And I’m all for eating dessert first… and carrots… I love them… mine never turn moldy… we all love them here… even the dogs!

  26. Chris says:

    You are hilarious!

    I love the pasta next but I’d have to go with the sour cream:)

  27. I would love nothing more than to dig into that plate of bird’s nest pasta! I’m having pasta envy right now. Carrots? I love. I will think of something.

  28. I have a few carrots left! Will have to think up a good recipe for BSI.
    That brain is soooo icky 🙂

  29. Julie says:

    how perfect is the timing of this post because i feel like thats what my brain looks like right now.

    i actually should be doing what i’m spending my money on and write papers and study for the exams i have coming up but instead i’m wasting serious time and procrastinating while drooling over your brain images and cinnamon butterscotch bars in the posts i’ve missed due to dumb school. should we just quit and read blogs and talk about food all day everyday?

  30. Giada’s Lemon Spaghetti is a staple in our house, but this baked version looks just as delicious. A little ick on that brain picture though. 😉

  31. Pam says:

    How do you do it all? The spaghetti looks awesome!

  32. I made that recipe with sour cream and it was good, also.

    Carrots are fun to do and we do use our carrots, so there. I just have to remember BSI.

    Carrots, carrots, carrots BSI BSI BSI……

    Now to remember for a few more days.

  33. Delicious! I Love the cottage cheese sub – expecially if it was like paneer.

  34. PJ says:

    love your baked lemon pasta, Joanne, and that beautiful red colored spaghetti too. The event on carrot is so interesting.. I might have something for the event, if I can squeeze in posting it by the time 😀

  35. Juliana says:

    Joanne, lemon pasta sounds and looks good, love lemon in any way and shape 🙂

  36. Cristie says:

    Lemon pasta sounds really fresh and wonderful. No one on the web has anything close to your blog, you are so original! I love it.

  37. Debinhawaii says:

    Thanks for all the great advice! 😉 The pasta looks delicious–I love anything lemon.

  38. ruchikacooks says:

    Cooking school any day than med school Jo..Atleast you can make mistakes in the kitchen and discover(!!) a new dish 🙂

    Pasta looks delicious, veg version too! Carrot is it? Will send some your way soon.

  39. Shannon says:

    i’d say the same thing about grad school 😉 achalasia, sounds like it would be aweful!! hmm, carrots, eh? i don’t have any in the kitchen, hopefully I’ll be able to pick some up!

  40. Mary says:

    Good luck with your exam. I’m sure you’ll do well and come Friday they’ll all be over and you can have a weekend celebration. Your pasta looks terrific and as a lemon freak I know I’d enjoy it.

  41. it does look a wee bit like a brain but a tasty one!

  42. Mmmm, sure looks delicious! You get an A for the recipe! Now, how did you do on the test?!

  43. Azita says:

    this lemon pasta looks great! lovely post!

  44. Deepa says:

    love the lemon pasta..too good..

  45. Velva says:

    I wish I would have said yes to culinary school. No doubt my feet would have hurt and back ache but, oh it would have been worth it. If only I knew now, what I did not know then…..
    The world is going to need to doctors like you so, you can be a doctor that likes to cook- 🙂

  46. Barbara says:

    Always knew my brain was a pile of spaghetti. With cheese.

    You’re going to end up a caring doctor….we want you to stay in med school. You can do culinary school later. You’ll all ready know how to carve. 😉

  47. Andreas says:

    Pasta with lemon and cottage cheese sounds good to me.:)

  48. Kristen says:

    It’s amazing, but I think that having five children(two of whom are teenagers) has resulted in my having the same brain you got from medical school: noodles!

  49. Baked?! This looks and sounds really good!

  50. Honestly Joanne I don’t know how you manage to juggle all of it and keep your own brain razor sharp.
    Not sure about that pasta recipe but I like the gist of it, you know cheese, lemon, parsley, I would throw in some garlic. Sure.

  51. Erica says:

    What a great pasta dish!Love all the ingredients!Beautiful brain 🙂

  52. Nicole, RD says:

    I probably knew you were in med school but my brain is that of a 9,384 year old and probabkly forgot. Rock on! I totally want to go to med school. I say that, but not really…I like sleep way too much. And blogging. How do you ever find the time!? And that pasta looks killer! Saving that recipe!

  53. Maria says:

    Love this pasta dish!

  54. Just bought a giant bag of carrots yesterday! I’ll have to get experimenting in the kitchen!

  55. mail is the best. something about snail mail is awesome!

    and yes LARABARS REIGN SUPREME OVER ANY BAR! lol. cinnamon roll is good…but i realyly like ginger snap!

  56. Hi am real late here and u have some fantastic going ons here ,have to follow ur links and check em out…..
    would love to join the PW fan club too if dont have to post too often.
    Well,i signed a new blog but with the same google account-as far as i checked the feeder seems to be working…ok i was jus building my blog when this happenned so dunno how it’ll go but the i couldn evn post on my original blog…signed in yesterday and am still tweaking the html code n playing around …added a few features and lost a few hours sleep over getting this 🙂 )))
    It began as red but is now pink…hope u like it,do lemme know what u think….any tips are so welcome….
    http://brightmorningstarsfoodie.blogspot.com/

    and ofcourse this pasta rocks …we had pasta for dinner too and well yet am craving here :-))))

  57. Karine says:

    That looks great! Great idea to substitute sour cream for cottage cheese.

  58. Une bonne recette de pâtes.
    J’aime beaucoup.
    See soon

  59. Karen says:

    I love baked spaghetti… it just tastes different, somehow. I like that you used cottage cheese in this — more texture, I would think.

  60. Danielle says:

    I think I tagged this recipe from Pioneer Woman to try someday. that someday hasn’t come yet….but thank you for reminding me that it’s there cuz it looks sooo goooooood. and yes…go to cooking school instead of medical school. At least with cooking school, you can practice your skills at home (safely and legally)

  61. Veronica M. says:

    This is my first visit to your blog and I have to say your placement and use of periods is brilliant! You crack me up! I’m excited to participate in this week’s BSI (I’m new to this challenge–the brussels sprouts was my first) b/c I know exactly what I’m going to submit! Thanks for hosting.

  62. this looks great…..i have a similar recipe from giada….

  63. Ohhhh, I pretty much want this RIGHT NOW!! Too bad I have the flu. And don’t want to cook. And am going to have leftovers instead. BUT, when I am ready to cook again – I WANT THIS! 🙂

  64. tigerfish says:

    Is this crispy pasta? I cannot imagine eating one whole plate of crispy spaghetti :O

  65. aquadaze says:

    Thanks for visiting me Joanne. Well, I gave it a thought, I’d rather keep my weather, though you can have the tea 🙂

    BTW, I have some carrots for you, mail it in a bit!

  66. Michelle says:

    Gorgeous pasta dish, love the combo of flavors!

    I’d love to enter your BSI “carrots” and I’ve got a killer recipe I’ve been wanting to make too. Not a problem with making it, it’s getting on my blog by the 14th that’s the problem!! Dang!

  67. Bridgett says:

    Great use of the cottage cheese. I have her book but have not made this particular recipe, but who can beat a delicious pasta dish. I think my brain looks like the pasta on a daily basis, especially after my kids get home. That is the time when I will make this comforting dish.

  68. theUngourmet says:

    Yes, but doctors typically make more moolah than chefs!

    Great pasta!

    I haven’t done a BSI in forever. Hmmm. I’m thinking…

  69. Johanna GGG says:

    wow that pasta looks almost as amazing as that huge list of bsi round ups – I just wish I had the time to follow up each link. At least I can believe that I will try and make the pasta one day – it really looks delicious

  70. Shirley says:

    That pic of the brain reminded me of my internship days!(ECTs!) I love the flavours in this pasta.

  71. lauren says:

    mmmm. I just made an awesome carrot puree… maybe I can come up with another carrot dish for this week.

    just noticed that the link to my blog in the past hosts list if broke. Do you mind fixing it for me? 🙂

  72. Katy ~ says:

    Yummm, that pasta looks good. So nice to see a pasta without red sauce (though I love that as well!). Nice bright flavors. Good brain food!

  73. Ruth Daniels says:

    Poor you! Never having been through Med school, but having been married to a Med student, I commiserate the long hours, stress, insane amount of knowledge you have to tuck into your brain.

    So glad you still find the time to write funny posts and share very delicious Pasta dishes with Presto Pasta Nights. This one is a particular favorite. Passover is coming up and since I’ve actually found kosher for Passover noodles, I’m bookmarking it!

  74. Muneeba says:

    Hey girl! I didn’t see any message from you in my gmail account, so didn’t know that this was to be your submission for FFPW … will add it in today.

  75. monicajane says:

    hello…I’m popping in to say hello…I’ve been MIA…

    your brain on medicine looks much preferable to the brain all by itself!

    you, I believe, have the most popular cooking blog I look at!

  76. Lynn says:

    Yum, that lemon pasta sounds good. And again I say, yum.

    I made a really tasty soup a couple weeks ago with carrots and pumpkin puree. I’ll find it and email it to you 🙂

  77. Kerstin says:

    What a tasty lemon pasta! It looks addicting. It’s weird, but I’m not a huge carrot fan unless they are in soup or carrot cake – I will have to think about this one 🙂

  78. Nithu Bala says:

    Delicious Pasta..Love your event with carrots..will send you an entry..

  79. Julie says:

    The pasta looks superb! I think cooking school is a super idea..I wish that is what I’d done 🙂

  80. biz319 says:

    Thank you for not using random integer! 😀

    Here is my submission – thanks for hosting this week!

    http://biz319.wordpress.com/2010/03/14/bsi-carrot/

  81. My favorite is eating dessert first, though I think I was born having learned that already =p. Yummy looking pasta, but better in your tummy than in your skull hehe.

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