Extreme Budget, Day Two - Broccoli w/Cavatappi

Tonight we had cavatappi with broccoli. Why cavatappi? Because that's what pasta I already had in my pantry. Day two on my extreme food budget, my goal is to only buy $25.00 of food for the week.
Very basic but tasty pasta dish with simple ingredients. I could eat broccoli & pasta every night of the week.

Still sticking to my budget plan I am happy to announce The Nudge is really into it. Now he wants to know exactly how much I spent on dinner.
I bought a head of broccoli which was priced at $1.99 'each' as opposed to 'per pound' (which I love because you can always find a large bunch amongst the average ones). I cut the heads into florets, peeled the stems and made two portions from one bunch. I will use the other half for my ham and corn chowder.

Rule of thumb.......1 cup dry measure = 2 cups cooked pasta
So if you are making enough for dinner and 2 lunches you will need 2 cups dry.

You will also need 4 cloves of garlic (minced), 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, a 1/4 cup olive oil (plus extra for garnish), a 1/4 cup white wine, 1 cup pasta cooking water, 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese, 1/2 large head broccoli, 2 cups cooked pasta and salt & pepper to taste.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. When it starts to ripple, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the white wine and bring to a simmer.

Add the broccoli to the pan and season with salt & pepper. Cover and simmer for 4 minutes. Add the pasta cooking water, the grated cheese and stir. Drain the pasta and add to the broccoli, stir until it starts to bubble and cover.

Serve with extra cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

I cut 6 slices out of my ciabatta loaf, lightly warmed them and dinner was served.

Cost for dinner (not including pantry items): $2.45
1/2 bunch broccoli = $1.00
4 cloves garlic = $ .60
1/4 cup cheese = $ .50
Bread = $ .35

Total for the week so far: $6.05

Next meal up is Tuna Casserole with a healthier twist.

While I was writing this post, my electricity went off without warning. I had just cleaned out my freezer and threw away all the buckets and bottles of water strategically placed around the house and all I could think of was....OMG, please make this outage a turnoff to finish fixing the rest of the town for everyone to be up and running and not another long ordeal.

In an hour and a half, it WAS back on and I had a spotless, organized and completely labeled computer wiring area under my shelving unit. This time I was taking advantage of down time to do something on my list. I felt good that I didn't let it get to me instead of like the way I felt those 14 days.
Will I ever shake those feelings away? Probably not, but I will be better prepared for what could happen the next time they predict a storm coming my way.