Internet friends, meet my wonderful friend, Chris.

Not that that fact is in anyway relevant to this pasta.  But after spending a week at "camp," he came home yesterday morning and slept {passed out} the WHOLE day.  So it's just fun that he's back up and alive {and now shaking his sadly beheaded stuffed dog at me}!  Also fun: only spending 20 minutes on dinner and having your husband think you're a genius!


But seriously.  You know those nights when you have meetings during dinner hours?  Because the world has yet to adopt my rule that the hours from 6-8pm are for DINNER.  Not meetings.  Not homework.  Not even tv.  But dinner with the family {or husband and Moose in my case}!


I also have rules about getting up before 8am and getting out of bed during rain/sleet/snow/dreary days that I'd like to speak with the universe about.  But one thing at a time.  And first up: this baked, beautiful pasta!!

Basically in the time that it takes to bring water to a boil and then boil noodles in said water, you are finished with the prep.  Meaning that you can put it in the fridge and instruct the husband when to preheat and bake it so that when you walk in the door at 8pm, dinner is ready!  Whew.

And it's Thursday, and I can tell you're tired {ok, I'm still on Mountain time, so that 6am wake up this morning was brutal, and thus I'm tired}, and dinner really needs to not take an hour to prepare.  I'm mean really, can you actually go wrong with anything topped in mozzarella cheese?

Baked Sausage Pasta
Serves 4

1lb rigatoni pasta
1 35 oz can of crushed tomatoes (good quality)
1/2-3/4 lb of mild pork sausage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup fresh spinach, torn
2/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Boil noodles according to al dente directions.  Cook sausage over medium-high heat.  Place noodles in a 9x13in glass baking pan and mix in sausage, cherry tomatoes, basil, spinach, and all of the sauce.
Top with cheese!

Bake for about 20 minutes at 375 (and you can refrigerate the whole thing for up to a day before).

I think pasta is the sixth love language...

And nothing says comfort to me like pasta.  But why is it that I always forget about making pasta with meatballs?  I must make pasta with regular sauce four times a month, but meatballs about twice a year.  They are almost as simple as regular sauce, but infinitely more fun to eat.


These meatballs are extra special because my Wyoming brother-in-law hunted and killed an elk, then shared the spoils with us.  So these are elk sausage meatballs!  But don't worry, I've taken into account that you all don't have awesome elk-slaying brothers-in-law and adjusted the meat in this recipe.  And the secret ingredient in this recipe: CHEESE. bahaha!


Not the fancy asiago that the Barefoot Contessa's recipe calls for {she uses the most expensive ingredients.  Geez, her food is great, but I am not about to spend $20 on truffle butter just because she tells me to} but rather parmesan {and maybe a little monterey jack I had leftover}.


I always tear up some spinach leaves and cook them into the marinara sauce as well, you know, just to make the whole thing healthy.


Is anyone doing anything fun this weekend?  I think I'm going to talk Mr. S&S into taking me to see Silver Linings Playbook at some point, and we probably need to give the pup an outing.  He's been looking at us rather longingly lately.  Also, I purchased a big bag of blood oranges at Trader Joe's, so they'll need to be turned into something fantastic.


But you should definitely add these meatballs to your weekend agenda.  They freeze very nicely, too.

Pasta with Meatballs
Serves 3-4, inspired by the Barefoot Contessa's Spicy Turkey Meatballs

1 pound of pasta (I vastly prefer short noodles, so no spaghetti here, but follow your heart)
1 pound of ground turkey
1 pound of italian sausage
1 cup breadcrumbs or panko, or a combo
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs
1 28 oz can of good quality* crushed tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed.
2 handfuls of spinach
3 shakes (about 1/8 teaspoon) ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Measure out breadcrumbs and pour milk into them.  Then add breadcrumb/milk mixture to the turkey and sausage.  Add in cheese, red pepper, oregano and mix well.  Finally, add olive oil and eggs and mix with your hands until everything is evenly combined.  Form into 2 inch round meatballs and place onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, saute the garlic in a little bit of olive oil until it becomes fragrant.  Add the crushed tomatoes and spinach.  When the meatballs are finished, add 8 or so to the sauce and let simmer while you cook the pasta.  Finish the sauce with the few shakes of nutmeg and serve with parmesan on top.

*This is not the time to skimp: the better quality tomatoes, the better the sauce will taste.  However, if your sauce has a little acidity or metallic taste from the can, add in a few tablespoons heavy cream (or 1 tablespoon melted butter mixed with 2 tablespoons milk) to take away that bite.

Ready for your close-up?

Hey there, Pad Thai.  I know, it's ludicrous to even be discussing more food after the overwhelming undertaking that is Super Bowl Sunday pot lucks.  I am still tasting buffalo chicken dip {which I'm pretty ok with} and feeling a tad bloated from over-indulgence.

By the way, how was your Super Bowl?  After losing power {thanks teenage texter for knocking down THREE utility poles next to our house}, I couldn't make a new batch of mac & cheese cupcakes {but I'm SO honored by all of you that told me you made them!!}, so we showed up {ridiculously} early to our {wonderful} friends' house for the party.  Then of course, I watched 2 seconds of the game, the entirety of Beyonce {loved it.  come on, people, she was paid to dance}, shrugged about the power outage {used to live in Louisiana, those are very normal}, then fell asleep once things got good {back at our home, don't worry}.


But back to the fact that we still have to eat dinner tonight.  Hopefully, you are having a light salad and thinking healthy thoughts.  Because I'm not, and heaven knows someone needs to.


But pad thai.  Yes.  Ok, confession: I can never bring myself to order anything else on the menu at Thai restaurants.  It's too good.  And this is me: the woman who gets pouty when Mr. S&S orders the same thing as me because then I don't get to try two things.  Pad thai is the exception.

However, making pad thai at home is an undertaking.  To make the real stuff you need ingredients like tamarind and fish business- things I am not about to buy for one meal and then resent the space it takes up in my home.  No thanks.  That is where this recipe comes in.  It uses all things I already have in the pantry!


Also, it does not include sprouts.  Brussels sprouts are my friend, bean sprouts make me gag.  Blech.  Add them if you want to, but don't bring any over here.

Poor Woman's Pad Thai
Serves 3 

2 large chicken breasts, cut into bit sized chunks
1 pound/package medium size egg noodles
1 large carrot, shredded into peels
2 cups spinach

For the sauce:
1/3-1/2 cup soy sauce (start with 1/3, test if you want more)
1 tablespoon srirachi
1/2 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons peanut butter (I use crunchy, because I live on the edge)
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (optional, if you don't already have it, don't worry)

Topping Ideas:
Chopped peanuts or cashews
More srirachi
Big squirt of lime juice
Cilantro leaves

Mix the sauce ingredients together.  Pour 2 tablespoons of the mixture over the chopped chicken, then cook chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat (takes about 6-8 minutes).  Meanwhile, boil the noodles (aim to have the noodles and chicken finish cooking about the same time).  When noodles and chicken are cooked, pour the noodles into the large skillet.  Add the carrots and spinach, then reduce the heat and stir the sauce into the whole mixture.  If you think the noodles are under-coated with sauce, add another spoonful of peanut butter and a tablespoon of soy sauce.  Make sure to stir well and serve hot with toppings!


Now, anyone want to come over here and make us dinner?  Super Bowl Monday should just be for sleeping...