This week we spent it in Delaware, the coastal stretch of Bethany, Dewey, and Rehoboth. It was a last-minute change from our promised week in Kiawah, South Carolina. We had to cancel due to the hurricane.

It has been a few days of peach eating. Long naps under thin sheets. A puddle of sand in the shower drain. A sunburn behind my ears. A baby nephew napping in the crook of my shoulder and my neck. A crumbled animal cracker stuck to my sock moments later.

I like this part of Summer, when it is just embers and afterglow. Sometimes it’s a promise we couldn’t fulfill. Sometimes it’s a last minute change that is just as good. And sometimes it’s a meal one throws together just to get the bellies full. That’s how this pasta came about.

Goat Cheese and Pesto Pasta with Vermont Creamery

Ingredients:

1 box spaghetti (½ cup reserved pasta water)
10 oz goat cheese
½ cup pesto
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped basil
¼ cup chopped walnuts
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook spaghetti or other pasta to box directions
When spaghetti is fully cooked, reserve ½ cup pasta water
Drain pasta and set aside
Put still-warmed pot back on stovetop with heat on low
Combine goat cheese and pesto, stirring until just beginning to soften and melt
Add pasta water and lemon juice, stir to combine
Add spaghetti and fold into goat cheese mix to coat pasta
When ready to serve, sprinkle with basil, walnuts and season to taste