by David Maciel
Sponsored by Ray’s Food Place, Furber Plaza 
In January if you’re like me I try to take off those holiday pounds. This gluten free pasta dish is low in calories and very satisfying. You can substitute any pasta and add cooked chicken or shrimp to mix it up.

Ingredients
• 8 oz or about 2 heaping cups of your favorite gluten-free pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper use ½ – ¾ tsp if you want spicy
• 2-3 garlic cloves minced
• 2 cups grape tomatoes halved
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 10 Kalamata olives pitted and coarsely chopped
• ½ heaping cup marinated artichokes
• 3-4 tablespoon of tomato paste to the recipe.
• 4 cups baby spinach
• ¼ cup torn basil leaves
Optional: Parmesan, feta or ricotta, salt for serving

Instructions

• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil (without salt). Add pasta; cook 8 minutes or until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water then drain in a colander. Set aside.
• While pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add red pepper and garlic; sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant.
• Add tomato paste, stir over heat for about 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes, broth, salt, black pepper, artichokes and olives. Cook 5-7 minutes or until tomatoes begin to break down, stirring occasionally.
• Add pasta, and simmer 2 minutes. If needed add more liquid, reserved pasta water, hot water or more broth as desired.
• Stir in spinach and basil; cook 2 minutes or until greens wilt.
• Remove from heat and serve.
• Top with cheese if desired. Enjoy!

Our wonderful Mom/Grandma passed December 4th, 2025.

She was an amazing woman who loved life and faced each day with joy. She turned 106 on Dec. 2nd. We used to ask her what her secret was to such a long life and she always said she just didn’t worry about things– she thought it was a waste of energy. She would get up each day and get dressed to go out “just in case someone called and wanted to go somewhere”. Wherever she went and whatever she was doing was always an adventure to be enjoyed. She will be so missed but we, her family and friends, are so lucky to have known and loved this one-of-a-kind very special lady. We love you Mom – thank you for giving us so many years of pure pleasure and loving care.

The family would like to thank all of you at the Cloverdale Senior Center for all your care and attention to Erma over the years. She always loved participating in your activities and made some wonderful friendships there. We have no doubt it was a contributing factor to her long life.

This message is from Judy Burden, Erma’s daughter- in-law.

It has been 18 years since we lost our daughter, Courtney, to Ewings Sarcoma. We realize that despite our tragic loss that we have a lot to be thankful for in our lives.

We are thankful for the guidance God provides to us every day. We are thankful for family, friends and our community. We are thankful for our home, health and all the necessities that keep us comfortable on this earth.

This Thanksgiving, we went to Fort Bragg and put a Memorial lock for Courtney on the Trestle Bridge at Pudding Creek. We gave Thanks for this sweet girl and for the time we had with her.

We will be planting a beautiful Rosebud tree in Courtney’s memory at the Cloverdale River Park on Jan.5, 2026. The Rosebud was donated by the wonderful folks at the Cloverdale Home & Garden – Ashley, Scott, Gary and Starlight. Hope to see you out there.

“Life is only as bad as you make it”