Recipe: Sausage Spinach Pasta

This recipe came about by opening the cupboard and fridge and taking stuff out.  It turned out great.  Everyone liked it. Success!

Sausage Spinach Pasta
Time = 30 min
Servings = 8

Ingredients
1 lb mild sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c Marsala wine
1 box (1 lb) penne pasta
1 tsp salt
1 large bunch spinach, chopped (stems discarded)
Fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes
1/2-1/3 c shredded parmesan cheese

Directions
1.  Cook sausage in a large frying pan over medium/high heat for 5 minutes.  Add chopped onion and cook until the onion is opaque and sausage is no longer pink.  Add Marsala wine.
2.  Meanwhile heat a large pot of water to boiling.  Add salt and pasta to water.  Bring back to boiling and cook for 8 minutes.
3.  Add spinach to sausage mixture and stir until wilted.  Add fresh black pepper.  Add sun dried tomatoes.  Reduce heat to low to keep warm.
4.  When the pasta is done, drain reserving 1/4 c of the liquid.  In a large bowl, mix pasta with sausage and spinach.  Mix in shredded cheese.

Notes - If you want to kick up the heat, add 1 tsp of red pepper along with the black pepper.

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Cheap Baked Beans

Servings = 10 - 12

Time = approx. 2.5 hrs (30 min active)

Ingredients

2 c dry black beans, rinsed

2 c dry pinto beans, rinsed

14 c hot water, divided

2 tsp salt, divided

1 lb bacon ends

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1/3 c ketchup

1/2 c molasses

1/4 brown sugar

2 T mustard

1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

In a large stock pot, add beans, 8 cups hot water and 1 tsp salt. Bring to boil; boil for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, cover and let soak 1 hour. Drain and rinse. Return beans to stock pot. Add 6 cups hot water and bring to boil. Simmer 1 -1.5 hours or until desired consistency. Drain and return beans to stock pot.

While the beans are cooking, fry bacon ends until crispy - cool on paper towel. Drain the grease, but don't clean pan. In the remaining bacon grease, fry onion and green pepper until just tender.

When the beans are done cooking, tear bacon into bite-sized pieces and add to the beans along with the onions, green peppers, 1 tsp salt and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust molasses, sugar, salt and/or pepper. Simmer for 10 more minutes to let the flavors meld.

Notes - Dried beans are very economical and easy to store in bulk. You can get bacon ends at your local butcher. Bacon ends are the parts of the bacon cut off when those lovely strips are made - the ends are cheaper than the strips. You can also use plain sugar rather than brown sugar, which is a little cheaper. These baked beans freeze well. I make a batch and freeze half in individual servings for a quick meal another time.

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Slow Cooked Pork Roast

1 pork shoulder roast

1/2 c water

1/2 c applesauce

1/4 c apple cider

1/4 c Dijon mustard

Instructions

Place roast and water in slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk together applesauce, apple cider and mustard; pour over roast. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Yummy sides that go with the pork are baby potatoes cubed and sauted with olive oil and Italian seasoning and twice baked green beans steamed then baked seasoned with Mrs Dash original.

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Moo Shu Pork
Serves 4
Time = 40 min

Ingredients
1 c white rice
3 T hoisin sauce, plus more for dipping
3 T rice vinegar
2 T pineapple juice
2 cloves garlic, diced
salt and pepper
1 3/4 lb pork tenderloin, cut in thin strips
2 T olive oil
8 oz shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 14-bag coleslaw mix
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk hoisin sauce, vinegar, juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Add pork and marinate for 10 minutes. Prepare rice according to directions and keep warm.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over high heat. Add pork (reserve marinade) and stir-fry until browned. Transfer to a plate. Add 1/4 c water to the skillet to deglaze; pour over pork with the remaining marinade. Add remaining oil to skillet. Add mushrooms and stir-fry until lightly golden. Add coleslaw and cook until wilted. Add pork and scallions; heat through. Season with salt. Serve over rice.

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Chicken-Bacon-Ranch Mac and Cheese
Number of Servings: 4
Prep to Serve: 20 min

Ingredients
8 oz elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 slice bacon
1 chicken breast, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 T butter
1 T flour
1 ½ c milk
1/3 c cream-of-mushroom soup
¾ c cheese, shredded
½ t onion powder
½ t garlic powder
½ t salt
½ c Colby jack cheese, shredded

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting oil. Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove and let cool, then crumble up. In the pan with bacon grease, add chicken and sauté over medium heat until done. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Combine milk and soup; whisk into butter/flour. Bring to boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat a let stand for 4 minutes. Add ¾ c cheese, onion and garlic powder and salt; stir until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.

Preheat broiler. Spoon mac-and-cheese into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with bacon and Colby-jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Notes: To make vegetarian, omit bacon and chicken; add mushrooms.

Submitted: Mindy Brooks, from Cooking Light magazine

Working Moms Recipe of the Week - March 19, 2010

Hawaiian Pork Chops
Number of Servings: 4
Prep to Serve: 25 min

Ingredients
4 boneless pork chops (½ inch thick)
1 T plus 2 t lime juice
Cooking spray
4 round slices of pineapple, coarsely chopped
1 small red onion, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine pork with 1 T lime juice and let sit 10 minutes. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Add pineapple and onion; cook 4 minutes or until tender. In a bowl, combine pineapple mixture with remaining lime juice – cover to keep warm. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper; place in skillet. Cook pork 5 minutes, flip and cook 5 minutes or until done. Serve pineapple mixture over chops.

Notes: You can also BBQ the pork.

Submitted: Mindy Brooks, from Cooking Light magazine