Saturday Recipe Swap--Whole Grain Spaghetti with garlicky kale and tomatoes

Last night we had a house full of family.  My mom and dad came over for dinner and so did my older sister Paletza.  The kids were beside themselves with all the tickling and playing.  Mark adores my dad--Granpa!! He calls his name until my dad picks him up and sings a song with his cute little deep voice.

Mark calls my mom Anma and makes a song about her too.  He's at the age where he can recognize them from a picture...as I type he is saying their names and singing!

Julia loves for everyone to visit her room and see her big girl bed and play with all her princess dolls and American girl dolls.  She got 3 bitty babies for Christmas...one bitty baby from Grandma Judy...she named her Sophie, and twin bitty babies for her birthday from Aunt Laurie which she named Brenna and Brody, when company comes over she shows them how she can change their outfits, put them in her bitty baby high chair and rock them to sleep.

While all this fun was happening I got to try out this new recipe from my Real Simple Magazine...so far this month I've tried 3 new recipes and they are all really good, can't wait to share them with you!

Ingredients you will need:

6 ounces of whole grain spaghetti (I just made the whole box because we had 5 adults and 2 kids to feed)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced (using a red onion really gives it a special flavor, don't substitute)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
kosher salt, and black pepper
1 bunch of kale, thick stems removed and leaves torn into bite sized pieces (about 8 cups, it's amazing to watch it all shrink down)
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup chopped roasted almonds (we didn't use since my dad isn't a nut fan)
1/4 cup grated cheese (we used much more, being cheese lovers and all)

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to package.  Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water, drain pasta, and return pasta to pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, cook stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 4-5 min, Add the kale and cook, tossing frequently, until tender, 2-3 min, Add tomatoes and cook tossing frequently, until they begin to soften, 1-2 min more.

3. Add kale mixture, almonds, cheese, and reserved cooking water to the pasta and toss to combine.  Serve with additional cheese.

I bought a delicious loaf of crusty bread from Wegmans to go with the meal!  It was a hit!  My kids loved the spaghetti!!!