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This is a different kind of dish I tried the other day. I don’t end up making pasta as often in the summer months. Most meals are grilled and quick to make. As I have mentioned many times before, my husband loves cauliflower in any form and cuisine. I usually end up making it with Indian flavors- but for this meal I decided to pair it with pasta and sausage. I read a recipe in a magazine where the cauliflower was served in an anchovy sauce- I love anchovies and use them anywhere I can.

So, for this dish, I cooked the sausages with the anchovies, garlic and thyme. Somehow I always think of thyme when I cook with cauliflower- the two work really well together. I roasted the cauliflower in the oven and added the florets to the sausage mixture once they were golden brown. I paired it all with some orcchiette pasta (they look like tiny little ears). I love buying different shaped pasta- it makes for an interesting meal.

To add great texture to the dish, I roasted some leftover bread cut into small pieces with a drizzle of olive oil. Once the croutons were golden brown and crispy, I added them on top.

The pasta was delicious- essentially a one pot meal since it had everything in there.

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the florets on to a lined cookie sheet and drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the salt. Mix well and bake for 45 minutes or till the florets are golden brown and soft. Keep aside.

• 3 to 4 slices of sour dough bread cut into ¼ inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Place the bread pieces on a small lined cookie sheet and drizzle the olive oil. Bake in the same oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or till the bread pieces are golden brown and crunchy. Keep aside.

• 1 four pack chicken sausage, taken out of the casings and crumbled
• 3 to 4 anchovy fillets
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
• ½ pound orcchiette pasta, cooked al dente
• ½ cup spare pasta water
• ½ cup fresh ricotta cheese
• Salt

In a large frying pan, add the olive oil and anchovy fillets. Cook on medium heat for a minute or two. Add the crumbled sausage and cook on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic cloves and fresh thyme. Saute for a minute and add the cooked pasta and pasta water. Add the cauliflower and mix well. Next, add the ricotta cheese and mix well. Cook for another minute or two till the cheese is heated through. Add the salt and taste for seasonings. Serve each plate with a sprinkle of crispy croutons on top.

I hardly ever make gnocchi. I do always notice it in Whole Foods- in there fresh pasta section. I have had it a few times before in restaurants and also during our trip to Italy last summer. It obviously depends on how well the gnocchi is made- if it is well made, it can be fluffy and light. If it is not made properly, it tends to be tough and heavy.

A friend had tried the gnocchi at Whole Foods and told me it was really good. I was browsing, and the red pepper gnocchi caught my eye. I bought it not knowing what to do with the pasta- but I was sure I could come up with something delicious.

The day after turned out to be a cold and rainy day- perfect for a sausage ragu, I thought- hmm, with lots of red wine- yum! I also decided to utilize the red pepper gnocchi. So, that is where this recipe came from. I took the sausages out of their casings and cooked them with onion, garlic, rosemary and wine, of course…

It was so nice to smell the lovely aromas in the house while sipping some wine and enjoying the evening. My daughter was at a play date and my husband wasn’t home from work yet. It is my favorite thing to do- being in the kitchen, cooking while enjoying a glass of wine.

Anyway, the meal turned out delicious. The gnocchi was excellent- although- my daughter didn’t care for it much. She liked the ragu part but didn’t like the smoky red pepper flavor as well as the gnocchi texture. The adults thought the gnocchi and the ragu complemented each other really well- especially with a glass of wine.

Try this dish- it is perfect for a weekday since it doesn’t take very long. Serve it with a salad and some delicious wine, of course.
Click here for the recipe… »

I made this meal on a Monday- the beginning of the  week is extremely busy for me. I have lots of chores and my daughter has piano and ballet back to back. By the time we get home it is six o’clock and she is famished and wants dinner right away. I try to have something ready for her as we enter the house. I mostly make something ahead of time and heat it up as we walk in.

I bought fresh raviolis and green beans from the super market and I already had fresh tomato sauce in the fridge. I decided to cook the raviolis simply in the tomato sauce and serve them with the green beans sauteed in basil pesto- yes I had pesto in the fridge as well.

It was an easy and fast meal. I sauteed the beans in a little olive oil and cooked them till they were tender with a crunch. I then added the pesto and turned the heat off. It was a simple side dish with a lot of flavor.

I cooked the raviolis in lots of salted water (fresh pasta takes all of a few minutes to cook) and transferred them over to the simmering tomato sauce- thats it.. dinner was ready.

I love taking help from the store when it comes to fresh pasta. It is great to make it at home but obviously it is a bit time consuming and definitely not conducive for a weeknight meal.

It was a quick dinner followed by bedtime for my daughter and a glass of wine for me once she was down.
Click here for the recipe… »

My daughter was having one of her play dates again and two of her friends were coming over and staying for dinner. My daughter loves having her friends over for dinner- “it is so much fun”, she always says. I usually remind her that I have to make something healthy and usually from scratch so it is quite a lot of work me me- but honestly, I enjoy it too. Especially because I get to try out different kid-friendly dishes and see their reactions.

For this particular dinner I needed to make something in advance since I was not going to be home. Our sitter would be giving them their meal. I had two chicken breast on the bone which I decided to roast with the skin on. I shredded the meat once it was nice and juicy after taking the skin off. I bought bowtie pasta to make things a little interesting. I bought baby spinach since I needed the meal to be made in one pot and it also had to be well balanced.

I cooked the pasta and mixed the shredded chicken and baby spinach in the sauce pan. I added some homemade tomato sauce to give the pasta additional yummy flavor. I transferred the pasta into an oven proof dish and mixed in and topped with some shredded mozzarella cheese.

It was simple and quick. Once I got home I was curious to know their reactions. I was told they were all skeptical at first since everything was mixed in together but once they tried it- they liked it. My daughter who is more used to eating such meals thought it was delicious.

Next time you have a dinner play date for your kids- try the bowtie pasta with spinach and chicken.

Click here for the recipe… »

This is the quickest meal I have made recently. It was a rare unscheduled weekend day and we were planning to do absolutely nothing. My daughter usually is very good at keeping herself busy or playing with her Daddy on the weekends. I like to get a bit of a break where I hide in my room to read a book or watch a movie.

My daughter somehow secured herself a play date for the whole day. Her friend came over at 10 and stayed till around 3. She was thrilled. Actually we all were. My husband needed to work from home and I decided to go out with a friend for coffee.

Before leaving, I wanted to make a quick lunch for them. I did have a couple boxes of macaroni and cheese but I wanted make something else. I had a pack of chicken sausages in the fridge- which my daughter loves. I sauteed them quickly and added frozen broccoli florets. I boiled some penne on the side and added the cooked pasta with some of the starchy liquid to make a simple sauce. I topped the pasta with some light shredded mozzarella and that was it.

It was a fast and delicious meal- perfect for a quick lunch for the kiddies. Try the chicken sausage and broccoli pasta- it is yum!
Click here for the recipe… »