Creamy Penne Pasta with Andouille Sausage

I received some yummy and organic pork andouille sausage this week.  They are local and made with no hormones or antibiotics.  I wanted to do something different than the obvious; grilling them and throwing in a bun.  So I did a search online and found one that looked promising.

The original recipe called for turkey andouille sausage.  Well, obviously, I substituted with my pork andouille.  And it called for baby spinach....I had regular spinach on hand.

(Excuse the messy plate.  I was so excited to eat I didn't have time for fancy staging. LOL)

OMG....it was DELICIOUS!!!  I totally could see ordering this in a restaurant.  It had just the right amount of spiciness and so creamy.  David had three servings, he loved it so much.

You MUST try this!!!

You can find the original recipe here Creamy Penne Pasta with Turkey Andouille Sausage

Pasta Primavera

Sadly, I don't have a new camera, yet, to dazzle you with my fabulous meal. (just pretend there is a fantastic picture here that inspires you to make it TONIGHT!!!)

I had an abundance of veggies that needed to be used, and just happened to catch an episode of Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger, this weekend, on the Food Network.  PERFECT way to use up all my veggies and enjoy a healthy, flavorful meal!!!!

Pasta Primavera

I added zucchini,  a bit of onion and some jumbo shrimp. 

TRY IT!
edit: (I've made it several times and each time have used diffrent vegetables. Very easy to adjust to what you have on hand!!!!)

Pie Making....a year later...

Sooo, last year I shared my story regarding my yearly pie making tradition.

This year I set out to make pies, as usual. Only problem is my oven had "blown up" a few days earlier and we were waiting on the part to come in to repair it. So my sister in law offered her house and ovens to me. I thought that would work out since we were having a family dinner over there anyway with a few friends. Of course, as I arrived I was subjected to some teasing from everyone. Lots of jokes all evening long about my pie making history. This only fueled my desire to make the PERFECT PIE (kinda like the Perfect cheer?)

All was well. I only had one glass of wine.....I was on track....I was focused........my ingredients were assembled....I was ready to prove myself. I was feeling good about the experience.

THEN....I go to insert a knife into the pumpkin pie to see if its done. I decide to lick the knife. I immediently sense something is wrong. I take another taste.

CRIPES....I FORGOT TO ADD THE SUGAR!!!!!

Needless to say.....I am passing on pumpkin pie duty to someone else. I will stick to pecan and apple.

And the teasing continues...............

Auntie, let's bake a cake!!

Yesterday, when I was talking to my nephew I told him that when I watched him today we would bake some cookies or a cake.

Today when he got here, he comes in the house and says "Auntie, let's bake a cake".

So here is Eastons cake....he frosted himself. Did I mention he is THREE????!!

Penne in Vodka Cream Sauce

Penne in Vodka Cream Sauce

4 ~ 12 oz packages of penne rigatoni

salt

2 T. butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1 shallot, diced

1 small bulb of garlic, diced

1 cup vodka

3 ~ 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes

salt/pepper

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1 handful of chopped fresh basil

~Put on a large pot of water to boil.

~ In a large skillet, melt butter and add olive oil over medium heat. Saute shallots till tender. Add garlic and saute a few more minutes. Add vodka. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, till reduced about half. Add canned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.

~ salt boiling water then add pasta. stir occasionally and cook till al dente.

~~ Right before pasta is done, add cream to tomato sauce mix.
Stir well then add the cheese and basil. Simmer a few more minutes.

~~ Drain pasta really well. Add to sauce and stir well.

~~ Season with more freshly ground pepper.

***This served 12 people....with room for seconds and thirds.***