Pasta with Peas and Sausage

This recipe is a bit different that what you would expect from pasta recipe, or at least somewhat different than what I would expect. I really want to try it, but of course with some of my own modifications. I would probably use turkey sausage in place of the Italian sausage (although nothing beats the taste of REAL sausage) and sour cream or plain yogurt in place of the heavy cream.

Pasta with Peas and Sausage

1 pound rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
12 ounces frozen green peas
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In a skillet heat oil and saute garlic over medium heat. Brown sausage in skillet. Once brown add frozen peas and simmer for 5 minutes. Slowly add heavy cream and butter to skillet; bring to a slight boil. Add more cream if necessary. Cook for 5 minutes. Toss with cooked pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.

It's too hot to cook!

With temperatures hovering around 100 and the central air unit struggling to keep the house bearable the past few days, it's just been too hot to cook!

I've been making the kids a some oatmeal on the stove in the mornings before it gets hot, but the rest of the day we've been eating fruit, sandwiches (PB&J, PB&banana, tuna, or egg with the egg cooked in the microwave) and a lot of ice cream!

I'm ready for a nice cooked meal myself, and I'm pretty sure the kids are too.

Easy frozen fruit treats!

One thing I haven't made this summer is frozen treats for the kids! Here's a recipe that calls for fruit and either juice or yogurt. Yummy! (This recipe uses "popsicle" as a generic term for a frozen treat though it is actually a name brand.)


Super easy frozen fruit treats

Juice or yogurt
-orange juice
-cranberry raspberry juice
-strawberry yogurt
-blueberry yogurt
-plain yogurt

Fruit
-mango, in chunks
-raspberries
-blueberries
-strawberries, cut up
-pineapple, in chunks
-kiwi, sliced

Use plastic popsicle makers or plastic cups with popsicle sticks.

Fill your containers with fruit first. Then, pour in juice or yogurt. Insert stick (or lid if using popsicle maker) and put in the freezer. Let freeze overnight.

Cheesy Italian Tortellini

This recipe is one I definitely want to try. How easy could it be to cook up a delicious meal? I think the kids would really like this, too.

Cheesy Italian Tortellini

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
1 (16 ounce) jar marinara sauce
1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated or fresh cheese tortellini
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Crumble the ground beef and Italian sausage into a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain.

Combine the ground meats, marinara sauce, mushrooms, and tomatoes in a slow cooker. Cover, and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours.

Stir in the tortellini, and sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar cheese over the top. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes on low, or until the tortellini is tender.

Free recipe books

One of my favorite sites, About.com, has a wonderful listing of free recipe books!

You can get everything from sweet potato or black olive recipe cards to recipe booklets from companies that make spaghetti sauce, salad dressing, jelly,baked beans, raisins and the list just goes on and on!

There is a recipe cookbook for diabetics as well as booklets offered by organizations that promote food products like salmon and catfish.

To get some of the recipe booklets you need to register at a site, which of course is free.

Nacho Bake

This recipe came from a box of shells and cheese. I was whipping some up for the kids and noticed the recipe on the back of the box. I threw in what I had from the recipe and made a few substitutions. I'll post the recipe as it is listed and then note how I really made it.

Nacho Bake

1 pkg. shells and cheese dinner
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare dinner according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, brown meat, drain. Add taco seasoning mix and water to the meat, simmer 5 minutes.

Stir sour cream into prepared dinner. Spoon half the dinner mixture into 8-inch square baking dish, top with layers of the meat mixture, half of the cheese, and the remaining dinner mixture. Cover.

Bake 15 minutes; top with salsa, remaining cheese and the crushed tortilla chips. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Michelle's quick version (not as detailed)

1 pkg. shells and cheese dinner
1 can tuna
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup coarsely crushed nacho chips
1/2 can diced tomatoes with chilis

Prepare dinner according to package directions. Add tuna, sour cream, and diced tomatoes with chilis. Stir well and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Place on top of crushed chips.

I liked it fixed this way but the kids said it was too spicy. Good thing I didn't use the whole can of tomatoes with chilis. Next time I'll try fixing it a little closer to the recipe.

Pasta recipes!

There's a great list of pasta salads at Recipes4Living!

Pretty much everyone loves a good pasta salad. If you don't like one in this list there are several others in the list you're bound to love.

I'm going to try the broccoli and tortellini one first, I think, and then the tuna pasta salad! Yum, yum!

Here's one of them:


Broccoli Tortellini Salad

6 slices bacon
20 oz. fresh cheese-filled tortellini
1/2 C. mayonnaise
1/2 C. white sugar
2 tsp. cider vinegar
3 heads fresh broccoli, cut into florets
1 C. raisins
1 C. sunflower seeds
1 red onion, finely chopped

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook tortellini in boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, and rinse under cold water. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar to make the dressing. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, tortellini, bacon, raisins, sunflower seeds and red onion. Pour dressing over salad, and toss.