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Spicy Sausage Pasta

By on October 17, 2013

from Julie of By The Recipe.

I met Beloved 15 years ago.

We joke that once we got married, the real me came out. Prior to that, I was setting the trap. Hook. Line. Sinker.

When we first moved in together, I was caught vacuuming the baseboards. Beloved couldn’t believe it! I’m not exactly what he thought, but on some level he was impressed. Impressed enough that he walks down memory lane and says “remember when…?”

To my defense credit, I was vacuuming the baseboards because the home we moved into was a new construction, and the baseboards had so much drywall dust in them that anyone would have been compelled to vacuum them.

I’ve still been known to vacuum the baseboards, but really, not that often. I can probably count on my first three fingers the number of times that I have.

I go through fits and spurts as to how much or often I “clean” my house. I say “clean” because I don’t think you would ever come to my house and say it’s dirty. Our sheets get changed on a regular basis. The bathrooms is clean. The kitchen may be chaotic, but it’s clean underneath the dishes I used to bake in the afternoon, the homework sitting on the table, and the cookbooks strewn about. The laundry? Now that is a whole other story. I’m quite good at getting it done. Done meaning that it goes into the wash, then the dryer and then the laundry basket. What I am challenged with is the folding and putting away. And it seems that I have passed this on to my little people.

Once, when we put our house up for sale, a friend of mine said, “wow, I’ve never seen your house so clean!” Ouch. Really? Watched Hoarders lately?

I’ve learned over the years that it’s all about priorities. Do I enjoy going to friends’ houses that are spotless. Absolutely. Do I wish that my house was like that? Sometimes. Rarely.

Once when my little girl person was 2 years old, we were invited to a playgroup friend’s house. Both girls were the same age and seemed enjoyed spending time together at playgroup, as much as 2 year olds do. The mom seemed nice. The whole time we were at their house, the mom followed the girls around, cleaning up after them. Very pregnant at the time, I wasn’t about to offer to help, so the whole time, three or so hours, I sat and watched the girls play, and the mother clean. Granted, this is an extreme example. But of course I left there feeling relieved to be out of there completely inadequate about my cleaning abilities. Nothing ended up happening with the friendship. The next time we had a play date at our house, my little girl person threw sand at the other girl and that was the end of that.

In the years that have passed I do my best. Best being subjective. It always depends on other things that need to be done. I teach 4 hours a week of fitness classes, of which I need to prepare for. I volunteer a great amount of time at my little people’s school (Beloved says it’s my full time job that I don’t get paid for). It depends on the cooking or baking I am compelled to do (which I do often because let’s face it, I’d rather cook and bake, than clean). And I’ll be honest, sometimes I get caught up in my book.

Beloved is happy. My little people are happy. If you ever stop by unexpectedly I will invite you in, offer you tea (because remember I don’t make coffee) and something I’ve baked might still be warm out of the oven.

In our house we live. In our house we laugh. In our house we love.

Spicy Sausage Pasta

Found this one on Pinterest. I had left over sausages from last night, so I thought it would be the perfect time to try this one. It was announced to be a “keeper”; the scale by which all new recipes are graded in our house. Perfect for a week night meal.

1 tablespoon olive oil
5 or 6 cooked sausages, mild or hot Italian, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups of canned diced tomatoes, keep liquid in reserve
1/2 cup of reserved canned tomato liquid
1 1/2 cups of water or low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup of cooking or heavy cream (heavy cream will give a thicker sauce)
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cup of Mexican style shredded cheese (mozzarella and cheddar with jalapeños)
Thinly sliced scallions
Salt, to taste

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet) until smoking.

Add the sausage and onion, and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the water/broth, tomatoes, heavy cream, uncooked pasta, and pepper, and give the mixture a good stir. Bring to a boil, cover the skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice while cooking. Preheat the broiler while the pasta is cooking.

Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Taste, and add salt as needed. Top with the scallions and remaining cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned – about 3 minutes.

Adapted from A Bitchin’ Kitchen

 

Julie of By The Recipe says this about her food writing:

I’m not sure which came first: my sweet tooth, or my desire to bake.  Before I was a wife and a mother, I was a baker.  I love to bake.

Before kids, I wasn’t much of a cook. After kids, my cooking abilities improved, I guess because I needed to feed my family. Over the years I have come to enjoy cooking, almost as much as baking.  But let’s be honest, the best part of baking and cooking are the accolades of a great mouthful of food. That inspires me.

When I cook, I cook by the recipe. Almost always.

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