I decided I should take a break from obsessively checking the radar before I talked myself out of tonight's flight entirely.  In case you don't know me, I should explain.  It's simple, really.  I am terrified of flying.  Fear isn't rational, people.  Don't try to talk me out of this one.  (Now my slight fear of revolving doors and automatic flush toilets? I could be convinced to relinquish those).  If you haven't flown with me, or with someone who is similarly anxious about airborne travel, this is how we feel. (seriously, if you click on a single link in this blog ever, let it be this one. it is hilarious, maybe not so much so when I'm actually flying, but definitely when I've got both feet safely on the ground)

What I'm getting at here (sorry, fear makes me particularly inarticulate) is that I need a distraction from trying to calculate whether or not the storm clouds will reach the flight path of my plane between now and 7pm.  Having a background in business and English is not helping the cause, here. 

So, you finally get to hear about Sunday dinner! Two posts in one day! My attempt at false enthusiasm in the face of imminent fear! 

Initially, the plan was to exploit the grills by the pool at Allie's building.  That bright idea was quickly tabled in favor of something indoors.  DC being the center of the massive heat wave and all, we figured it would be totally unenjoyable for all involved, which is the antithesis of the meaning of Sunday dinners.  So this is what we turned out instead:

I know you think you know what this is, right?

But if you were right, then it wouldn't be served with...corn...right?

If you guessed pesto, you fell for my oh-so-clever little trick. It's actually...

...espagueti verde, a recipe Allie found on the blog Serious Eats.  When she sent it to me, the recipe made me immediately think manchego lime corn! manchego lime corn! Ok, I doubt I had that much pep in my step after two straight weekend days in the office, but I really love corn, so, I don't think I'm too far off in my recollection.  I had just stumbled upon the recipe while leafing through an issue of Bon Appetit that I scored for 40% off at one of the innumerable Borders that is closing.

I don't have much to say about the preparation of these dishes, because it was honestly pretty spectacularly easy.  Allie handled the pasta/sauce, I handled the corn.  It took maybe fifteen minutes total (minus roasting time for both corn and poblano peppers, but I'm talking hands on stove time here).  Allie generously cut the jalapeno for my dish (my first and last un-gloved brush with hot peppers ended up ruining a pair of contacts) while I ignored the recipe's direction and tried to shuck the corn while it was still hot (don't do that, it's stupid). 

mmmm, roasted corn.

(but really, they aren't joking when they say: let it cool)

corn, red pepper, lime, jalapeno, butter...so many things i love in one bowl

All joking aside, this was a delicious alternative to grill night.  The pasta sauce wasn't at all spicy, and we actually all agreed we'd throw a little red pepper in there next time.  But if you don't particularly like spicy food, you could make this pasta and love it just as much as we did is what I'm saying. 

The perfect end to the meal, I think, would have been this Mexican chocolate ice cream.  Now I just need to buy that ice cream maker...