Top 5 Tuesday•Top 5 Songs

"What is your absolute favorite song?"
A common question one is asked. Should be easy, right? Wrong. This is probably one of the most difficult questions for me to answer. I have a different favorite song for different moods. Like, do you want to know my favorite party song,? Or my favorite chill song? Or my favorite Bollywood song? There are just too many songs to pick one favorite, and my favorites are constantly changing!

I absolutely love listening to music! I hate silence. Hate with a passion! Very rarely do enjoy the quiet (like if I'm out traveling in the wilderness... but even then there are sounds of birds chirping, trees swaying, and rivers flowing). I have created a need to have something playing in the background. I enjoy listening to the newer, less-famous musicians as well as the Top 40.

These are some of my recent favorites.

Life of the Party - Shawn Mendes

Happy Little Pill - Troye Sivan

Shower - Becky G

Higher - The Ready Set

Locha-E-Ulfat - 2 States

Notice how the songs aren't numbered. It was difficult enough for me to narrow down to a top 5. It would be too much of a challenge to rank them.

♥

Nirali

Jamie Oliver's Tapani Style Rigatoni Pasta - Vegetarian

So this summer I have started baking and cooking. At first it started with a burning desire to make cupcakes. After making cupcakes I began considering making actual meals. I already knew how to make simple stuff like pasta, sandwiches, ramen noodles, and of course microwaveable meals. While watching one of Saccone-Jolys vlogs, I saw the family eating this particular pasta. So I did a quick search on the inter web and decided that I wanted to make this for my family to enjoy.  The only problem was it required anchovy fillets and my family does not eat meat (well my brother and I chicken and turkey but that's about it). I did some research online for good substitutions and found that kalamata olives work best. After a quick trip to Walmart, I had all the ingredients necessary and a few days after I made the pasta. It tasted AMAZING! Everyone loved it. The recipe is as follows.

Ingredients:

500g Dried Rigatoni Pasta

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan

4-5 Cloves of Garlic

3 Red Chillies (Fresh or Dried)

2-3 Bunches of Fresh Basil (about 1/2 oz)

20-30 Kalamata Olives (make sure you take out the seeds!)

about 20 Cherry Tomatoes

Olive Oil

Directions:
1. Add the pasta to boiling water, turn the heat up high, and cook pasta according to packet instructions.
2. Add the parmesan, 4-5 peeled cloves of garlic, and 3 chillies (stalks removed) to a food processor and whiz until fine.
3. While the food processor is running, add 2 bunches of basil, the kalamata olives, and two thirds of the cherry tomatoes.
4. Whiz to paste, then add a glug of olive oil, season if needed, then set aside.
5. Half the rest of the cherry tomatoes and set the rest aside.
6. When the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pot. Add the tomato paste and gently stir to coat the pasta. The pasta shouldn't be completely drenched in sauce. You can add a splash of water to make it silky and loose.
7. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl, toss quickly, then scatter the remaining cherry tomatoes and basil on top.
8. Enjoy the pasta with some garlic bread or a salad! :)

The recipe I followed said the serving size is 6 people, but it was just enough to fill the hungry tummies of me, my mom, dad, and brother (keep in mind that my brother and I are hungry teenagers). 

I am also linking the original recipe if anyone would like to make the regular version:

Jamie Oliver- Tapani style Rigatoni Pasta

♥

Nirali