My Dirty Little Secret

 

It’s something I’ve tried to hide for a long time.  I’ve been known to bring out the smoke and mirrors from time to time.  It’s my dirty little secret.

I’m …

 

a bad cook.

 

There. 

I said it. 

I’m a bad cook. 

Bad cook.  Bad cook.  Bad cook.

 

But I want to be better.  Sure, I do cook for my family most nights and offer them organic fruits and veggies, but when it comes right down to being creative in the kitchen- I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer. 

I know someone who is.  She’s my neighbor.  She’s got the gift, plus a cool kitchen and great pots and pans that make me giddy.  She is so sweet to invite me over and teach me.  I just follow everything she does and try very hard not to embarrass myself.

With our two year olds playing at our feet and tearing up the house, my friend decided I needed to learn this new recipe:  Sweet Sausage and Bowtie Pasta.  My first job was to grate fresh parmesan, chop onions and prepare the sausage.  I was a sweaty mess.

 

She chopped the garlic…

 

…then poured boiling water over the tomatoes so they could be easily peeled. 

Huh! 

Who knew!

 

Yep, they’re done!

 

I peeled, seeded and chopped the tomatoes.

(This is real life here, friends.  No Photoshop today… overly ripe banana, old sippy cup, and random potato.  It’s how we roll.)

 

Then she got out her bad boy cast iron cookware, and I began to drool.

 

She calls them Le Creuset. 

They are very expensive she tells me. 

I tell her I’m considering selling a kidney.  Do I even need two?

----------------------------------------------------

I learned an important cooking tip today.  One I will use for a long time.  If I have no idea what to make for dinner and my husband is just about to walk in the door, I should throw some onions and olive oil in a pot and start cooking.  The aroma will confuse my husband and make him think I have something great planned for dinner.  You should try it!

 

Next, we added the diced tomatoes to the onion and sausage mixture, along with the rest of the ingredients.  Then my friend went out to her garden and got fresh parsley to add to our meal… and stopped to feed her chickens, too.

She is just like Pioneer Woman, except without a cookbook.

 

So by 10:30 am we both had dinner ready for our families that evening.  All we had to do was heat and serve. 

Here’s the recipe, if you’re interested…

but just don’t tell anyone my dirty little secret.

 

Sweet Sausage Bowties

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
1/2 cup whipping cream (I used half and half)
1 pound farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh basil (I used fresh parsley)
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

     Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and crushed red pepper. Sauté until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender and sausage is browned, about 3 minutes longer. Add tomatoes and cream (or half and half). Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
     Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot. Add sausage mixture and toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry. Transfer pasta to serving dish Sprinkle with basil (or parsley). Don’t forget to serve with freshly grated parmesan!

 

So tell me…

What’s cookin’ at your house?  If you would, please tell me what you’re loving to cook right now or a link to one of your own recipe blog posts.  I need ideas!

Encourage one another,