Sausage Gravy over Cannellini Bean Puree

Hello my food friends! It's been too long, but it's definitely not because I've been sitting in my hammock wrapped up in a book and nice cold beverage (although you wouldn't hear me complaining if I were!) It's actually been one of the craziest, funnest, most exhausting months of my life. I wouldn't have traded any of it though for the memories and for the chance to spend so much time with family. In short phrases here are some of the things we've been up to.

Packed my bags to stay a month in Idaho. 

Received a phone call the day before my flight informing me that the mountain my parent's live on is on fire. 

Panicked. 

Followed the news all night long, learning hour by hour that more houses were being destroyed, not having any idea if one of them was my parent's (66 homes were completely destroyed). 

(They had JUST finished building it). 

Flew to Idaho anyway, with no idea if there would be a house to stay in or not. 

Found the house standing, but damaged with burn and smoke. 

Slept in six different beds in the course of a week, completely displaced. 

Mourned at church with and for those that lost absolutely everything. 

Finally moved back into parent's house for the duration of vacation, the smoke damage was no longer a danger to us. 

Still managed to throw in a good deal of swimming, bbqs, boating, a trip to Utah and Yellowstone, and relaxing. 

Endured the worst flight of my life, consisting of a missed flight (plane ran out of fuel), a child wetting their pants, horrible motion sickness, a freezing unplanned sleepover at the airport, an attempted robbery of my son's newly purchased neck pillow, and lost bags. I was alone with two kids. 

Needless to say, it's been a wild month, but one that I'll NEVER forget. With all that happened though, I was so glad that I was able to be there, especially with my parents, who were dealing with a lot at the time. My heart really goes out to the victims of the fires all over the country. While we didn't experience such a loss firsthand, we witnessed those that did, and it's tragic. Memories, valuables, sentimental treasures, all gone. The one blessing in our area was that no one was hurt, and we are so grateful.

On that note, let's talk about food!

My apologies to Kim, my dear bloggy friend who shared this amazing recipe, for the poor photo.  It does not do this delicious dish justice and you're really better off just going to her site for the recipe and pics.  However, I'd be remiss if I didn't at least gush about how delicious this unique dinner is.

First off, bean puree?  Hello!  Where have you been my entire life?  It's cheap, it's quick to make, it's a lovely "polenta style" palate for a million different toppings, and it's seductively delicious.  If you are a fan of beans, you must rush to make this.  It doesn't hurt either to have a rich, meaty gravy to go on top of this.  I would happily make this again and again.

Since Kim is wrote this rockstar recipe, I'm going to send you to her kitchen to check it out.  Check our her other stuff too, she never disappoints!

Ok food friends and family, I really do think I'm back for good.  Vacation season has ended for our family so I plan to be able to say hello a lot more.  Check back soon!

Fresh Tomato and Sausage Pasta

I had a great day today! My son started his first day of preschool today, and that combined with my daughter being in school, left me gloriously child free for two and a half hours! I grabbed a friend, who is also newly childless and we hit the town... Well okay, we hit a craft store, and the mall, but we also fit in a late breakfast at Whole Foods, as well as peaceful conversation without any whining, hitting or biting. It. Was. Fantastic.

Afterward I picked up a little boy who walked with a bit more swagger in his step. He was, afterall, a preschooler, which makes him much cooler. We enjoyed some time at the park afterward, because even though it's September, it's still hot, and humid. I'm actually okay with it though because I'm not quite sure I'm done eating all of my summer favorites, like this dish.


I rarely repeat recipes on my blog, but this goes down as one of my all time favorite recipes. It's basically all of my very favorite foods in one skillet, basil, pasta, tomatoes, cheese, sausage, delicious! I felt like it would be remiss of me not to re-introduce it, especially when the weather still allows it.

Fresh Tomato and Sausage Pasta
Cooking Light September 2009

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked penne
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup vertically sliced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 pounds tomato, chopped
6 tablespoons grated, fresh pecorino Romano cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage and onion to pan; cook four minutes, stirring to crumble sausage. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 2 tablespoons cheese, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and basil.

Serves 4: 2 cups pasta, 1 tablespoon cheese

Per Serving: 389 cal, 10.7g fat, 21.6g prot, 4.5g fiber, 27mg chol

Baked Penne and Sausage Supper

It's been a hectic morning, but we're already done for the day, and now we are all in jammies watching Tangled. Have you seen Tangled yet? I'm pretty sure it's the cutest cartoon ever made.

And while we are all snuggling and munching on Pirate's Booty, it's hitting me how important it is to embrace the small things that make us happy. We can't always escape life with a cruise or ease the pressure of life with a new car, but we can be grateful for life's day to day mercies and gifts. Here are some of those things for me...

*Reading a book and reaching that twist or climax in the plot that makes me gasp, or laugh out loud (resulting in really weird looks from my family).

*The store clerk that comps a treat for my kids and has them smiling all afternoon.

*Finding that article of clothing that fits so well that you're convinced it was made JUST for you.

*A three hour gab fest with your best friend at Cheesecake Factory, Buffalo Blasts included.

*A passing kiss on the arm from your little boy who in that moment just needed to let you know that he loves you.

*Your husband coming home early, when you didn't plan on him coming back until way past dinner.

*Eating a dish full of pasta, AND sausage, AND cheese, without feeling any guilt because it happens to be light!

Baked Penne and Sausage Supper
America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

Ingredients

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 ounces hot or sweet Italian turkey sausage, cut out of it's casing
salt and pepper
8 ounces whole wheat pasta (I used regular)
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch square baking dish with vegetable oil spray and set aside. Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until mostly smooth, about 5 pulses.

2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Stir in the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in the processed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook, until slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until almost al dente but still firm to the bite. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

5. Add the meat sauce and reserved cooking water to the pasta and toss to combine. spread half of the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining pasta and 1/2 cup mozzarella.

6. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let cook for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4: 1 serving is 1 4 inch square

Per Serving: 380 cal, 13g fat, 45g carb, 22g prot, 8g fiber



What are some of the small things that make YOU happy?

Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula Fettuccine

This dish helped me to make a very important discovery.

I love arugula.

I don't know what it is about this leaf. It's got flavor that so unlike regular lettuce. It's sharp, slightly bitter, and fragrant. It's especially good in dishes like this, partially wilted, coating the whole meal in an earthy, green flavor. After I made this pasta, I had a bunch of arugula left, which lasted for about a day because I was looking for any excuse to eat it. I do believe that arugula will be a permanent staple in our house.

This was a DELICIOUS pasta. It's pretty much ready as soon as that pasta is cooked, and the flavors are incredible. My whole family loved it, and even the leftovers disappeared quickly, always a good sign!

Sausage, Arugula and Tomato Fettuccine
Cooking Light December 2010

Ingredients

1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated fettuccine (I just used dried, I wasn't in THAT big a hurry)
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces Italian turkey sausage
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups baby arugula leaves
2 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, shaved, mine was shredded

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2/3 cup cooking liquid.

2. While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Break sausage into bite-sized pieces and add to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently to crumble. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper; cover and cook 2 minutes. Mash tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to break them up. Cover pan; reduce heat to low, and cook 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add pasta, reserved 2/3 cup cooking liquid, and arugula; toss well. Sprinkle with pecorino Romano.


Per 1 1/3 cup: CALORIES 356 ; FAT 13g (sat 4.2g,mono 4.2g,poly 2.4g); CHOLESTEROL 92mg; CALCIUM 168mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.3g; SODIUM 706mg; PROTEIN 19.8g; FIBER 3.9g; IRON 3mg

Bowties with Sausage and Roasted Peppers

During these dark days with no oven (long, drawn out sigh) I'm grateful for dinners that can all be done on the stove top like this. Granted, I'd have to use roasted peppers from a jar, but hey, these are tough, oven-less times we're living in.

It's kind of impossible to not like this meal, my kids happily chowed this down. Originally the recipe called for Orecchiette, but there was none to be found at the grocery store, so I found these itty bitty bowties instead, aren't they cute! To lighten it up a bit, I used turkey sausage, which in my mind is just as delicious. I also loved the fresh roasted peppers, they offer a bright and sweet addition to this savory meal. This recipe makes a lot, so when we pulled it out for leftovers, I tossed it in marinara to make it a bit different, and it was just as delicious. This is so great for a quick and easy weeknight meal, enjoy!



Bowties with Sausage and Roasted Peppers
Adapted by Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart

Ingredients

2 medium red bell peppers and 2 medium yellow bell peppers, four flat sides cut off core, ribs and seeds discarded
course salt and fresh ground pepper
1 lb orecchiette, small bowties or other short pasta (next time I would use about 3/4 lb)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat the broiler. Place the peppers, skin side up, on a fol-lined baking sheet; broil 4 inches from the heat until charred, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; steam for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a paper towel, rub off the pepper skins, reserving any juices in the bowl. thinly slice the peppers crosswise into 1/4 inch strips; return to bowl. Set aside.

2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the roasted peppers; cook until heated through.

4. Transfer the sausage mixture to a large bowl; add the pasta, butter, reserved pasta water, and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

Zuppa Toscana

Whenever I go to Olive Garden for lunch, I'm always sure to get a bowl of this tasty stuff. Zuppa Toscana, with it's hearty kale and delicious sausage, you really can't go wrong. The only thing better then eating it at a restaurant, is eating it at home donning pajamas and warm fuzzy socks, whilst watching your favorite show. I also love making things like this myself because I can lighten it up without lightening flavor, like using turkey sausage, and fat free half and half. Mmmmm, delicious.

Zuppa Toscana
Adapted From Allrecipes

Ingredients

1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper
flakes
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth
6 potato, thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 bunch fresh kale, tough stems
removed

Directions

1. Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Cook the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and kale, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through.