As I’ve previously written, my cousin is getting married in Sarasota in June, and we’re making a mini-vacation of it and staying a few extra days. I’m really excited about the possibility of going to Egmont Key, which is a state park and wildlife refuge. You can only get there by private boat, but lots of outfits in the area will take you on excursions. This one includes snorkeling and dolphin watching. Beware, the website is just awful, but I’ve read reviews of that business and they’re legit. I think Denny and I and my parents might go on such an adventure. My dad’s not much into swimming/snorkeling, but he might be convinced by the opportunity to see tortoises and birds and collect seashells in a historic environment.

It’s probably because I’ve spent most of my life land-locked, but there’s something amazingly thrilling to me about seeing ocean creatures (especially mammals) in the wild. Shedd Aquarium is cool and all, but it hits me on a much more visceral level to see a dolphin jumping around in the ocean as opposed to jumping around in a pool. I’ve always wanted to learn to scuba dive, but it never seemed practical since I don’t get to tropical environments very often. Snorkeling is still fun and requires much less investment. Still, that’s on my “when my mom wins the lottery and kindly shares with me” (because I never play the lottery) list: get scuba certified and take advantage of said certification.

Also, this just in! I used to be hot but now I’m cold. Good thing I have a jacket.

So I’m definitely making pasta for dinner, in a browned butter sauce with morels and chicken, but what kind of pasta should I use?

In my cupboard I currently have:

• Orzo (probably not right for this)
• Couscous (see above)
• Whole wheat penne
• Linguine

Which one should I use?  I think the penne and the linguine are the front-runners.  The penne is healthier, being whole wheat, but I wonder if the slightly heartier taste would work well with the morels, which are also rather earthy.  Would it detract from them or complement them?

The linguine is just normal semolina, pretty neutral.  Help!