Back from Londres (that's French for London)

Arriving back from London on Saturday after a week there, I slept for the day and most of the night -- remembering to set my alarm for at least 12:30 so I could make it to Franprix, the one grocery store that stays open on Sundays in Paris.  

My alarm rang at 12:30 but since I live a block away from the Franprix I decided to give myself an extra 10 or so minutes to rest. Done. 

12:50 I got up, washed, dressed and walked to the Franprix. 

FERME

It closed at 1:00 on this particular Sunday. Many stores in Paris make up opening and closing times on an ad-hoc basis, especially if the store is open on a Sunday. So I walked back to my house, taking the long way home and thinking what I could even do that day. Everything was closed so I ambled through this great park near my house on the way home. Let me tell you: even the homeless are classy in Paris! A homeless gentleman was doing his laundry, hanging it to dry on a make-shift drying rack, playing the guitar a little and generally being a classy, classy fellow. He was the King of Hobo Chic, effectively taking Mary-Kate Olsen as his bride. 

Jardin du Forum des Halles

Later that evening I got home and realized I had to make myself some dinner. To my cupboard I went. Pasta. Frosted Flakes. I shuffled over to the fridge hoping for some help. Butter. Milk. Margarine. Orange Juice. Some purple liquid in a tupperware. 

I saw some tomatoes in the bottom drawer and asked my roommate if I could have one. He said he thought they were left by the girl that left a few days ago. Perfect! From what little ingredients I had, I whipped up a pretty tasty dish. I went to bed pleased with myself that night. 

Recipe for Pretty Tasty Dish with Minimal Ingredients: 

(yields 1 serving)

1 tomato

1 tbsp. butter

1/2 cup milk

Paprika (to taste)

Cayenne (to taste)

Dried Oregano (to taste)

1 serving of pasta

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Place tomato in boiling water for 15 minutes (skin will loosen and peel off before it's ready). Remove tomato and skin, discard skin. Pour pasta in the boiling water used for tomato. 

While pasta boils: Mash steaming tomato in a bowl along with spices and oregano. Place butter in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Pour mashed tomato in melted butter and mix. Slowly pour in milk, continuing to stir. 

Once pasta is boiled, take a spoonful of pasta water and mix in with the sauce, dumping the rest. Immediately pour drained pasta back into a pot, follow with tomato-butter sauce. Mix. Serve.