Bird Nest Spaghetti

Happy Spring!

In Arizona it has been Springtime weather since mid October. Though, we did have one fairly chilly day when we needed a sweater. That was a tough day for us! But for most everywhere else the entire winter was brutal. After awhile it was just funny to see the rest of the country digging themselves out of another polar vortex. My Connecticut born husband was especially happy that he didn't have to shovel a driveway!  How do you people with children do it? I have to give you mad props for that!

By the end of May we will welcome an entire summer of over 100 degree days (who will be laughing then?!) When it is that hot outside there is nothing much you can do. There is the play area at the mall, play dates at Target, or watching 'Frozen' for the 800th time in the air conditioned house.  In this kind of heat, the littlest ones will literally melt; the older toddlers will lay in a puddle of their own sweat unable to move while speaking some form of jibberish; and bigger kids will live submerged in a swimming pool for 3 months equipped with their own SCUBA gear and a feeder tube with smoothies running all day. 

But on this day the weather is AMAZING, again. Let us welcome springtime with a fun bird's nest dinner. My kids actually thought this was a real nest with a real egg and a real bird. I was pretending the bird was chirping and at one time even chirped loudly while thrusting the nest towards their nose. The little one screamed and ran away pretty darn fast (but don't worry she ran back laughing!) They were scared to touch it and, in the end, scared to eat it. I suggest bringing the theatrical part of it down a notch with the younger, more sensitive kiddos.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1/2 BOX OF COOKED SPAGHETTI
• 1 EGG
• 2 TBS PARMESAN CHEESE
• OLIVE OIL
• MINI MOZZARELLA BALLS
• MARINARA SAUCE

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta based on directions on the box. Drain pasta and place back in pot.
Mix together the egg and parmesan cheese then pour it over the pasta and mix it in well.

[You could also add in cooked spinach to the pasta to get some extras veggies into your bird lovers.]

Generously grease a muffin tin with olive oil. Divide pasta evenly between the tins (it is about 1/2 cup.) Then twirl the pasta round a fork to get it in a nest like shape. Remove fork and using fingers make an indentation in the middle of the pasta. Drizzle the pasta with some olive oil.

Place in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove pasta and allow it to cool for 10 minutes; this helps the nests to hold together when you remove them from the muffin tin.

Once cooled, gently scoop out the nests and fill them with marinara sauce and a mozzarella ball.

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