My husband thanks you. Why? Because my desire to give you all a recipe forced me to actually cook dinner tonight from the random ingredients in my fridge rather than relying on a spaghetti standby. And while I'm the president of the Spaghetti Lovers Club, here's something a little more sprucy.

The three main components of this dish are the pesto, the meatballs, and the pasta. Do the whole thing or a variation, but here's what we inhaled at our dinner table on our couch having wonderful conversation watching the news Sportscenter.

Artichoke Pesto Pasta

For the pesto, blend the following in a food processor or blender:

• half a can of quartered artichokes in water with the liquid drained off
• a couple of handfuls of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• a small handful of pinenuts, about 1/4 cup
• a handful of fresh basil and parsley (mostly basil)
• a dozen turns around the bowl of extra virgin olive oil
• a couple good pinches of salt and pepper
• a good handful of grated Parmesan cheese

Blend it until it's the consistency you want. I like my pesto a little thick.

For the meatballs, don't feel like you have to make your own. I just had some ground turkey I needed to use and a free half hour. My basic recipe is half a pound of ground turkey (or pork or beef or a combination), one egg, a couple of handfuls of Italian bread crumbs, and salt and pepper.

Whisk your egg first so you don't have to work the meat too much. Because what happens if you overmix the meat in the glass mixing bowl you got at the dollar store for a dollar? Yep. Tough meatballs. Bummer. Roll them into little balls, about the size of a grape. These are actually really good to feed kids - the perfect size. And if your kids are old enough to not lick their covered-in-raw-meat fingers, give them this job.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and give it a good dose of extra virgin olive oil. Yeah, it's so the meatballs don't stick, but it's even more for flavor. Can you tell I'm enjoying my new camera?!

Then put the meatballs in the hot pan, spaced apart so the air gets around every piece and they cook evenly. And remember... DON'T TOUCH. Let the meat cook for a couple of minutes before you flip them. Drain the cooked meatballs on some papertowels until you're ready to serve them.

I cook some whole wheat penne in well salted water, and in the same skillet over LOW heat, I toss the cooked pasta (barely drained since I want some of the moisture to keep the dish together), some artichoke pesto, the meatballs, a little extra salt and pepper if it needs it, and an extra drizzle of olive oil. After we ate it, we both thought it would be over the top with some lemon zest mixed in at the end, too.

And the good news? Both the pesto and cooked meatballs can be frozen for another day. Awesome, right?