The Meal That Almost Wasn't...and Probably Should Not Have Been

It started with a mysteriously empty box of pasta. Only 1/4 of a box left. Hmmm. Very strange. Okay, there's another box of a different shape in the cabinet. They can be combined.

Then there was the missing can of chickpeas. Okay, half chickpeas. Half cannellini beans. I can deal.

This dinner isn't proving to be as simple a meal as it's supposed to be, but that's okay. So, I get out an onion to try out my new onion chopper I picked up at Williams-Sonoma today. Cut the onion open--it's rotten inside. That's okay...I have a red onion. It might look a little funky, but it will work. Yep, you guessed it. It's bad inside, too. So, we went with shallots. Lots and lots of shallots. (Oh, and the chopper didn't work all that well. I'm not sure it gets to live in my kitchen.)

And to add insult to injury, although this is a meal we've really enjoyed it the past, it was just...blah. Nothing. I'm eating a slice of four-day-old pizza. Yeah, that's how bad it was. So, now I have three dirty pans and a dinner I don't want. Some days, ya just gotta step away from the pasta.


(Ever watch Tim Allen's show....can't remember what it's called. You know how the neighbor, Wilson, only showed his eyes? Well, you're getting a Wilson-ized picture tonight, because there was just no way to make this pretty, either.)

Chickpeas and Pasta with Sizzling Sage and Garlic