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You've heard about the dyslexic, agnostic, insomniac?
He lay awake all night pondering the existence of dog.
I know they exist.
They're all at my house.
That is my Emma laying in the front, with the 2 puppies (yes, puppies) and brother, Wellington standing.
They came to help pick the grapes. Well, they watched, actually, but their human helped pick. They're lovely dogs: calm, well-behaved, loving, 
friendly…but they are a bit on the large side.
And they do need to be with people. Which means they are wherever we are, laying quietly, yes, but it's still a lot of dog to have around the kitchen table.
My two are on the other side of the table. I didn't have a wide enough lens to get them all in the photo.
They're also very clean dogs… but, they still bring in leaves, twigs, and, um, rather a lot of pretty white dog hair.
I very quickly got to the point of simply ignoring it all, telling myself there was no point in doing any cleaning until they leave. Very liberating, that thought!
I do, of course, have to cook – just for the human, the dogs brought their own food.
There will be more dog pictures at the end of this post but for now, I'll get to the important stuff and ponder the existence of pasta for Ruth's Presto Pasta Night. Visit her wonderful blog, Once Upon A Feast, this weekend for a round-up of all of the lovely pasta dishes from around the world.
When one is only cooking for two, but still wanting to be creative, one ends up with lots of 'bits'. I want two kinds of beans in something but they both come in 15oz cans….
I made a salad of chickpeas and eggs for a starter last week and had chickpeas and tapenade leftover, so….
Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Tapenade
1 1/4 cup pasta, rigatoni 
2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp oregano
7 – 8 oz chickpeas
4 oz green beans
1 cup cherry tomatoes
3 – 4 tbs tapenade
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup shredded cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions. Note cooking time and add beans to water during last 4 minutes.
Mix vinegar, Worcestershire, oil and oregano. Pour over chicken and allow to marinate for 10 – 15 minutes. Cook on barbecue grill or in a nonstick skillet, 12 – 15 minutes, turning once.
Top and tail beans. Cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces. Add to boiling pasta water for 4 minutes.
Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Put tomatoes, chickpeas, tapenade and olive oil in large bowl, mix gently. When pasta/beans are done, drain and rinse with cool water. Add to bowl and toss gently with tongs to combine. When chicken is done, remove, slice and add to pasta. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.
White dog hair optional…
See how nicely they pose for the camera?
Please note that there is not a pointy-nose brown dog included in this family photo.
She may be queen of the house but she is also the smartest one of the group – 4 white to one brown are not odds she's willing to mess with, especially when the white ones are all family.
She just sticks her pretty pointy nose in the air and ignores them completely.
On another note, this is my 300th post. Who would have thought I would have had enough words!
Well, actually, mon mari never doubted it… I'm still trying to work out if that was a compliment or a very thinly veiled insult…
If he's not careful I'll feed his dinner to the dogs….
And a last note: After the kids dogs leave on Friday, and I have a chance to recuperate, I'll be back to, not just quickly scanning, but actually reading and commenting on all of you're lovely blogs….
À bientôt!
Wow! 300 posts, way to go girl!
Great story, and naturally, great food. Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Night.
Yum! Love your pasta dishes!
Very nice recipe.
I think I will post my pasta recipe as well for Presto Pasta Nights.
Greetings, Margot
I need to try and use tapenade like this, not just spread on toast.
ps: that’s a lot of dog in one house!
the dogs are beautiful as is the pasta.
Shayne
I love recipes like this that use tapenade as a sauce. Thanks for the inspiration.
Your dogs pose! Incredible! My dog, the best of photographer’s dog, ever so patient when he has to wait for me taking photos, hates to be photographed, he puts on a special suffering face and tries to escape his fate.
I don’t know what I love more- the dogs or the pasta. What a fantastic post! This dish sounds incredibly flavourful. Love the sound of it!
Aww such beautiful dogs!! And the pasta sounds delicious!!
Thanks, Ruth!
Thanks, Margot…yes, please post:-)
Meredith, that is way too much dog for any house…
Thank you, thank you, Anh and Shayne!
Lydia, I’ll eat olives in any and every form!
Ilva, the white ones pose, the little brown bitch turns her nose up…
Truffle, the pasta was good…the dogs really are nice, and extremely well-behaved!
Mainyacha, I’ll pass on the compliment…thanks!
Katie, This is a most fabulous pasta dish. I always think it genius when leftovers can star in another dish! This really does it.
Hey, I think your brown girl is one smart lady!
Hi Katie, loved the post and the dogs and the bike riding, chasing leaves and each other and love that you have 300 posts!!!! Congrats!!!!
The pasta sounds so yummy. I’m starving right now so am off to see if I have any garbanzo beans! 😀
300 posts….I am doing the happy dance! Congrats! And the dogs – beautiful!!! I am a really good dog sitter…:)
Tapenade on pasta is a great idea. Way to go on 300 posts!
Beautiful dish – my kind of cooking! And beautiful dogs! I love the way they “participate” in our lives by just being there.
300 posts? Wow! I just started blogging in January. I have no idea how long it will take me to get to 300…..And, in fact, I’m not even counting!
A bientot!
Congrats on 300 posts and getting help to pick your grapes! 😉
I’m a dog nut and I was so distracted by all those beauties I didn’t pay attention to the pasta. Sorry! I promise to go back. What kind of dog is yours, and her offspring? They are wonderful. I have two German Shepherds (aka “German Shedders”) so like you, I have gotten used to walking over big balls of hair until I can get around to vacuuming, which is never often enough. Also, like yours, they have to be wherever we are. I love it.
Thank you for visiting my site because now I have found a new site to visit! Your dogs are beautiful and I am impressed that they sit so still for you.
I’m glad you had enough words for 300 posts, and am excited to try your recipe 🙂
All the best,
Lindsay
p.s. did you see my paris post when you stopped by? i would love your feedback for future trips!
Tanna, leftovers are an art – or lunch… The little pointy nose bitch, is, well,…
Thanks, bluezebra, fortunately for my sanity 3 of the dogs were just visiting…
Chris, They’re all very well behaved…until they see a rabbit, sigh….
Keven, thanks on both counts!
Toni, actually I wasn’t playing really close attention either: the 100th and 200th post slipped right by but this one kind of jumped at me.. It happens…
Jeni, mine is the one laying done in front. The other 3 were visiting with their human. They are all a Landseer Newfoundland / Pyreneen Mastiff cross. My little German bitch is mostly Germen Shepherd..
Lindsay,. I’m going back to read it – anything about Paris…
Those dogs are gorgeous and I was wondering about the breed — it’s a good-looking mix.
I love the picture of all the dogs lying asleep on the kitchen floor. I used to have two dogs, but since the death of the older one we’re down to one, and I sort of miss the dogs spread out across the floor thing — one takes up so much less space than two. Of course, two German shepherds take up far less floor space than this group.
(I’m being completely distracted by the dogs but the food does look delicious!)
Julie, yes they are gorgeous dogs, and the breeder is quite proud of them… They are also the kindest, gentlest dogs I have ever known. They are still damn big to be sprawled across the kitchen floor!
What gorgeous dogs! But I see your point – if they all lay on my lounge floor, there would not be much floor left for humans… And well done on your 300th post! Far more prolific than me 🙂
Jeanne, they do take up rather a lot of room…and they don’t ‘move’ easily.