Lemon Linguini with Peas & Prosciutto

I cooked.  And I took pictures.  I guess that means I'm back.

Back from where? From ten different states, 14 different beds (plus one tent), more than 40 days away from home.  From hosting seven guests from Brazil, from translating EVERYTHING, all day long... I'm back from writing math curriculum on the East Coast, being a bridesmaid in Denver, and traveling up and down the West Coast.  From attending four different weddings and shooting one -- my very first.

Yup, I'm back. My husband even said so last night when he came home to a house that smelled of good ol' homecooking... "Ahh, Babe, you're back."

LEMON LINGUINI WITH PEAS & PROSCIUTTO

Adapted from EVERYDAY FOOD, June 2006

SERVES 4  •  PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES  •  TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES

ingredients

·        12 ounces linguini (I used Trader Joe’s garlic-herb linguini for extra flavor)

·        2 tablespoons butter

·        2 shallots, finely chopped

·        1/2 cups of whole milk

·        ½ tablespoon flour

·        1 small package of frozen peas, thawed

·        8 sliced prosciutto, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

·        1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

·        1 tablespoon zested lemon peel

·        ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.
2. Meanwhile, make sauce: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat; add shallot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add milk, flour, peas, and prosciutto; bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Simmer until peas are heated through, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Stir in lemon zest and juice. Pour sauce over pasta; add Parmesan, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add enough reserved pasta water to thin sauce as desired. Serve immediately; top with additional Parmesan, if desired.

 COST: $10.45     COST PER SERVING (4): $2.61

Nutritional Information
calories 338.1   •    total fat 16.2g    •    fiber 2.8g    •    sugars 4.3g   •    protein 17.5g

The US Presidents and Rainbow Chard Rigatoni

I have been living and breathing information about the US Presidents these past few weeks.  Learning them in order; finding out who their Veep was and who else was on their cabinet; discovering what made them great -- or not so great -- leaders of our country; reading interesting tidbits about their personal lives.

FYI, John Quincy Adams liked to swim the Potomac daily -- in the nude.

Why do I have such a hobby as learning about the presidents, you ask?  It all boils down to a Social Studies Fair and 25 students who wanted to be presidents for the evening.  Maybe for life.

It's hard work transforming third graders into presidents -- research and reading and poetry writing along with 'interviews' they must transcribe... painting 'self' portraits as well as writing and memorizing speeches... coming up with a stellar costume. But they did the work and last night it paid off.  The Hall of Presidents was open and the public (parents and friends) enjoyed.

And now Teacher is going to crash...

But first I need to share a little bit about this rainbow chard you see here.

I hate the stuff.

Ok, ok, I don't hate it.  I used to.  A lot.  Something to do with it being the only vegetable that continually grew in our little garden growing up, making it and its super sandy texture a common occurrence on our dining table.

'Common'?  Maybe an understatement.

So when I went to Farmer's Market last week and my friend said, "Oh, you really need try this!" and I saw the nice price of one buck, I had to give it another try.

And?

Well, maybe that sandy texture I remember wasn't as bad as my memory claimed it to be.  The taste?  Not that bad... according to my husband it was actually quite good.  In fact, he would like me to repeat this dish. Soon.  So, I guess chard isn't all that bad.  This dish isn't, that's for sure.

I guess I can't say I hate chard all that much anymore... and I can definitely say I might know more about the US presidents than the average American ;)

RAINBOW CHARD RIGATONI
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living, June 2006

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound rigatoni, or other tubular pasta
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds Rainbow chard, leaves cut into 1/2-inch strips and stems cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine 
• 1/3 cup fresh ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) almonds, toasted
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta; cook 3 minutes less than package indicates. Drain.
2. Heat butter and oil in a large pot over medium heat about 1 minute. Add garlic and onions; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in chard, lemon zest, wine, 1 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until chard has just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Stir in pasta, ricotta, and almonds. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Divide among 4 serving dishes. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan.
   
   

   COST: $6.27    COST PER SERVING (4): $1.57

Do You Hear the People Sing? (Roasted Acorn Squash Pasta)

In T-minus two hours I will get to do something I have been waiting for since August: see Les Miserables!  (Actually by the time this post goes up I will have seen it, but bear with me, at this moment the excitement is flowing.)

//source//

Here is something about me you might not have known about me, but I am a major musical girl.  Love love LOVE them.  I first discovered this as a teenager, roaming the streets of London with my senior class.  Piccadilly Circus offered us any musical we could want, and I made the call: Les Mis.  I had never heard of it before, yet I was scared to watch Phantom (true then, not true anymore...), so I just went with it.  My friends did not argue.  From the moment I stepped into that theater and watched this beautiful and ugly story unfold before my eyes, I was hooked.  Anna and the King, Phantom of the Opera, Grease, Miss Saigon (which I have seen both in English and in Portuguese!)... I cannot get enough.  

But none has touched me like Les Miserables.  

Maybe it is because it was my 'first love', maybe it is because both London and San Francisco did it right.  I don't know, really.  But I do know this: I have been waiting for this moment (first chance to see it on the big screen since it came out two days ago) ever since I saw the preview in Aug.  I have been counting the days. And I no longer have to say, "One day more..."

But first we dine on our roasted acorn squash pasta with kale and toasted almonds.  Vegan and full of rich vegetables, not to mention quite tasty...  (Asked in my best Chandler voice) Could tonight be any better?!

How about you -- Yay or nay for musicals? Favorites?

Roasted Acorn Squash with Kale and Almonds

Recipe from Everyday Food, Dec. 2012

Prep: 10 Min    Total Time: 40 min    Servings: 4

ingredients

• 1 acorn squash (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch wedges, then crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
• 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 pound medium pasta shells
• 1 bunch curly kale, tough stems and ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together squash, garlic, and 1 tablespoon oil and arrange in a single layer; season with salt and pepper. Bake until squash is soft and lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove garlic from skins and toss with squash.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 1 minute less than package instructions. Add kale and cook 1 minute. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain. Return pasta and kale to pot, add squash mixture and remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, adding enough pasta water to create a light sauce that coats pasta. Serve topped with almonds.

COST: $3.53   COST PER SERVING (4): $0.89

Whole Wheat Pasta with Walnut Garlic Pesto

It has been ages since I have posted a new recipe.  And by ages I mean two weeks.  But when you love to cook, two weeks can seem like ages.

Yesterday, though, the business slowed down a bit and the rain paused long enough for me to do what I enjoy.  Who cares that there was laundry to be done and work to do?  The conditions outside were right, and I wanted to cook.

This is not actually a new recipe.  In fact, this was one of my original recipes on this blog.  But it was time to do it again.  What can I say -- my pictures in the early days were atrocious.  ATROCIOUS.  Oh well, I have lived and I have learned.  And I needed an easy unprocessed recipe for dinner.  What's easier than pasta???  I like the ingredients on this bag of penne:  organic whole wheat flour.  YES.

Pesto is always so easy to make if you have a food processor, and this pesto is no different:  walnuts, garlic, parsley, olive oil, and lemon juice.  Mix it up and that's it.

The recipe called for cooked mushrooms and spinach, but there was no spinach to be found in my fridge... but there were brussel sprouts!  Yes, you heard me correctly -- I added brussel sprouts.  Don't yuck my food just yet.  These things taste good when cooked right!  And I cooked them right :)

The end result?  A fast, unprocessed, vegan meal that you can make in 20 minutes or less.  And a happy, happy Tiffany.

Man, it feels good to be back in the kitchen!

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food with Rachael Ray, August 2010

Ingredients

TipBuy walnut pieces, which are cheaper than whole walnuts, when the shape of the nut doesn't matter.

TipToss a small handful of baby arugula with the spinach or brussel sprouts.

TipSpice up the walnut sauce with crushed red pepper.

• 1 pound whole wheat penne rigate pasta

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 cups white mushrooms (about 5 ounces), thinly sliced

• 1 cup brussel sprouts, leafed or spinach

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 cup walnut pieces (about 4 ounces), toasted

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley

• Grated peel and juice of 1/2 lemon

• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and return the pasta to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Stir in the brussel sprout leaves and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
3. Using a small food processor, mince the garlic. Add the walnuts, parsley and lemon peel and process until finely chopped. With the machine on, add the lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Process to form a paste.
4. Add the walnut pesto and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the pasta; toss to coat thoroughly. Stir in the mushroom mixture, adding more pasta water if needed; season with salt and pepper.

COST: $6.83   COST PER SERVING (4): $1.71 

Stinky Pee and Asparagus & Goat Cheese Pasta

Be forewarned, I am going to be talking about bodily functions.  Well, more specifically, one bodily function: pee.

I know, I know.  Ew, gross!  But honestly, it isn't really.  We all do it.  And some of us, after eating asparagus, do it with a little stench attached. 

Actually, that's not the truth.  I read this article recently that stated that everybody gets stinky pee after they eat asparagus, but only 20% of the population has a gene that allows them to smell it.  What a privilege, huh?

So these people who have this gene, these "Super Smellers" can pick up the scent of asparagus when they, you know, go.  Or when others around them go.  However, these people are often able to smell other smells that might be hidden to the rest of the population -- good smells.  Which is why I am proud to say I am a super smeller.  Asparagus pee, and all.

Pee aside, there is something else I should say about asparagus:  You want to roast it and mix it with goat cheese and pasta and then eat a lot of it.  You really, really do.  Trust me.

Trust somebody who writes about pee?!  Yes.  Because it means I am honest.  And I honestly think you will enjoy this dish.

How about you?  Are you a Super Smeller?  If you are, be proud.  We are small group, but united we can stand strong.

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food, May 2007

• Prep Time 20 minutes
• Total Time 25 minutes
• Yield Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 bunches asparagus (2 pounds total), tough ends removed
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 lb. fusilli
• 5-8 oz. soft goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 to 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta. Place asparagus on a large rimmed baking sheet; dot with 1 tablespoon butter, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, tossing occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes; cut into 2-inch lengths.
2. While asparagus is roasting, generously salt boiling water. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Set aside 1 1/2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.
3. In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup pasta water. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth. Add goat-cheese mixture and asparagus to pasta; toss to combine, adding more pasta water if necessary for sauce to coat pasta. Serve pasta garnished with chives.

COST: $10.22     COST PER SERVING (4): $2.56

Need To Do vs. Want To Do... (Rigatoni with Broccoli and Sausage)

I woke up this morning with the birds singing and the sun shining in.  Literally.  The sunshine I enjoyed, but I wanted to throw a shoe at the birds.  I guess I am not related to Cinderella.  But it was all good because it is Spring Forward Day.  Oh how I love today!  Yes, I may "lose an hour" (which I will gain back in nine eight months, so it really isn't losing so much as postponing it...), but know the sun will be up until later tonight.

7:19 to be exact.

Woot-woot!

I was all ambitious this morning.  I had a list of things I needed to accomplish and another I wanted to accomplish.  My "want to-do" list included things like read The Mockingjay, make another batch of what I made yesterday and take beautiful pictures, watch some CSI.

None of those things happened.

Instead, I conquered my "need to-do" list, or at least most of it.  I am still in the process of doing so.  But I have checked off "wash the dishes", "clean the stove", "run errands", "sweep and mop the floor", and "write a card to my grandpa" (although that one belonged on both lists, really).  There are still more things to be done however.  I guess this is one of those days that I will chalk up to "productive" rather than "fun". 

At least I will have a clean kitchen to show for my day.

But we all know how long that lasts...

But I did get to enjoy some of that tasty dish above.  Last night we had it and it was OK.  Well, truth be told I didn't really like but my husband did.  He really really liked it.  So much so that when I said, "Good, I am glad you like it because I have so much leftover you get it for lunch for the next three days," he replied, "Excellent!"  Now, if you know him you would find this odd because the only thing he can eat three days in a row with out complaining about it is either beans and rice or bananas.  Shoot -- he likes to eat beans and rice with bananas.  Another one of those weird things I just mentally mark a tally under "cultural differences".

Leftovers was the lunch plan for today and so I figured I would just eat it again.  Good thing!  This time it had more flavor.  Like a lot more flavor.  I liked it this time around, a lot.  Now I want to include in our "Meals We Want to Eat Again" list.  I will just make it a day or two before we plan on having it. 

Completely off the topic, <insert brilliant segue here> I bought radishes for the first time in my life.  I don't really like radishes, but they were just too pretty to pass up.

See what I mean?  Besides, I am sure they are very healthy for me and blah blah blah... Truthfully though, I believe that.  So I got them.  I have been slicing them very thinly and putting them into our salads.  My husband doesn't like them either so I am getting practice at being a mom --> sneaking in the healthy stuff so that they don't know they are eating it.  Ha!

The time has come for me to get back to my to-do list...

Whatever, I am totally going to catch up on some CSI.

Recipe from Everyday Food by Martha Stewart, March 2012

Rigatoni with Broccoli and Sausage

Yield: 6 Servings          Total Time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 2 heads broccoli, cut into florets (about 4 cups)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus the juice of one lemon
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (I used chicken sausage... tastes GREAT)
• Parmesan, grated, for serving

 DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions.  In last 2 minutes of cooking, add broccoli and cook until bright green and crisp-tender.  Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and broccoli.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together oil, garlic, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.  Add to pasta after pasta is drained, adding pasta water as needed until it forms a light sauce.
3. In separate pan, cook sausage over medium heat until browned and cooked through (about 8 to 10 minutes).  Remove from heat and add to pasta.  Toss well and serve sprinkled with Parmesan.

Cost: $10.69                   Cost Per Serving (6) $1.79

Include a small salad on the side, and your meal is just a little over $2.00

A Week of New Recipes -- Day 5: Spinach & Mushroom Pasta with Walnut Pesto

I have actually made this recipe before, nothing "new" here.  I had snatched it up as a recipe I wanted to try before I decided to do the weekly meal plan.  But I liked it last time, so I wasn't too disappointed to see it on the menu again.

Like last time, I substituted chicken sausage in for the ham.  I love me some chicken sausage!

And this recipe is dairy free, which also make me a very happy woman.  Cheese... I have quite the love/hate relationship with it.  My taste buds love it, my stomach hates it.  So whenever I can make a good recipe without cheese or any other dairy product I get excited. 

However, this time didn't out as good as last time.  I don't know what happened, but it just wasn't very flavorful.  I was able to fix it by adding a little more lemon juice and some salt.  Maybe that was my problem to begin with, the lemon I was using was a little dry.  So, this time it didn't get the best of marks (7 and 8), but if memory can be trusted (along with that blog post I put up at the time), it was a pretty solid 9/9.5 last time.  That just means I need to make it again and make sure I have a fresher lemon this time!

My changes are in italics. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound penne rigate pasta
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Half a pack of chicken sausage, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 cups white mushrooms (about 5 ounces), thinly sliced
• One 6-ounce bag baby spinach
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup walnut pieces (about 4 ounces), toasted
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley
• Grated peel and juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and return the pasta to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Push the sausage to the side, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
3. Using a small food processor, mince the garlic. Add the walnuts, parsley and lemon peel and process until finely chopped. With the machine on, add the lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Process to form a paste.
4. Add the walnut pesto and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the pasta; toss to coat thoroughly. Stir in the sausage mixture, adding more pasta water if needed; season with salt and pepper.

COST = $8.15       PER SERVING (3) = $2.72

Pasta with Walnut Pesto (Vegan & non-vegan possibilities)

Remember back when I was missing my husband because he was travelling while I was all alone with nobody to cook for?  Remember how I flipped through the latest Rachael Ray magazine and found four delicious recipes to try?  Well, we tried one the other night.

(Picture taken from rachaelray.com... this one is much
prettier than the one I took!)

Oh.my.goodness.  So good! 

The best part is that it has no dairy, nothing fattening, and since I don't like ham, I left that part out of the recipe.  I actually put in chicken sausage, but you could easily make it without and you have a vegan dish that tastes amazing.  Or you can put sausage in (like I did) and it tastes amazing as well.  Either way: amazing.  Seriously, it's just pasta, spinach, mushrooms, and a pesto sauce made of garlic, walnuts, parsley, lemon juice, and some zested lemon peel.  Super natural, super healthy, super easy, super delicious... basically, it is the new Super Food!

Here, have it... I took out the "add ham" parts to make it purely vegan (since I know those of you with this diet don't get as many recipes as the rest of us) but if you want to try it with the sausage just cook some in the mushroom pan before you put the mushrooms in.  Try it and let me know what you think :)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound whole wheat penne rigate pasta    
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin oive oil    
• 2 cups white mushrooms (about 5 ounces), thinly sliced
• One 6-ounce bag baby spinach
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup walnut pieces (about 4 ounces), toasted
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley
• Grated peel and juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and return the pasta to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
3. Using a small food processor, mince the garlic. Add the walnuts, parsley and lemon peel and process until finely chopped. With the machine on, add the lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Process to form a paste.
4. Add the walnut pesto and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the pasta; toss to coat thoroughly. Stir in the mushroom/spinach mixture, adding more pasta water if needed; season with salt and pepper.

(Recipe and picture taken from rachaelray.com)

The future is looking bright...

My husband has been out of town for the past few days and won't be back for a few days more.  With him being gone it is certainly different around here.  Quiet, for one.  Not because he talks a lot -- more like I have no listening ear available for me which means I cannot do my usual amount of talking.  Except when I talk out loud to myself... 

Anyway, moving on... 

I think the time I realize his absence the most is around dinner time.  I have no one to cook for and no one to eat with.  (And no one to do the dishes... hahaha!)  I have been eating really simply.  No worries, I am getting my greens and my food groups are all represented, but it is definitely much simpler food.  Less of it, too, because I just do not enjoy eating as much when I am sitting by myself.  I need him to come back for many reasons, but one is so I can have good food to both cook and eat again!

When he does, this is what I want to make:

(All photos courtesy of rachaelray.com)

ONE: Salmon with Lemon-Dressed Vegetables

TWO: Crunch on Top Tuna Burger

THREE: Roast Chicken with Panzanella

FOUR: Spinach and Mushroom Pasta with Walnut Pesto

Can you tell I have been spending some time looking through a Rachael Ray mag?  Go ahead, click on a link above to be taken to a recipe and if you try it before me, let me know it goes.  Otherwise, look for an update hopefully soon!

(A wife that not only misses him, but misses feeding him, too.  Isn't my husband a lucky guy?)

You win some, you lose some...

I love trying new recipes.  The anticipation of something new, the process of learning new cooking skills, and of course, the great taste that comes along with it.  Most times I hit the jackpot.  New dish, new fave, all is well in the world.  But then there are the other times...

... like when I tried homemade spinach gnocchi for Christmas dinner and we wound up with something that resembled a pile of bird droppings on our plates...

Yeah, sometimes it doesn't work out as planned.

This Monday I tried something that just sounded amazing.  A-maze-ing.  Fusilli with ricotta and crispy kale.  As a lover of pasta, this was one I had been waiting for.  Finally, it was time to make it happen. 

First, I needed to find the Dinosaur Kale, or as I called it, "flat kale."  Known in Brazil as couve, Paulo was ecstatic.  His mom makes a side dish with chopped up couve, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and some salt.  Yum.  So I set out, knowing what I was looking for.  But apparently, in the entire South Bay area, I was the only one.  Lucky, Trader Joe's (which I was pretty sure wouldn't have it, but you never know...), Safeway, and finally Whole Foods.  Surely Whole Foods would have it, as they carry all things weird and organic.

"Oh, Dino kale?"  the checker asked.  Excited head nod from me -- Yes, you have it!  "Yeah, with all this rain it stopped coming.  I think it was ruined for the season, but you know, I am not really sure about that. I might just be making that up.  Come back and check in a few weeks."  Bummer.  After two hours driving around, I picked up that stupid batch of curly leafed kale, which I found at EVERY grocery store and could have bought hours ago, paid the high price that one pays to buy food at Whole Foods, and headed home.

All of that, and I wasn't that fond of the dish.  What a waste of time.  Well, Paulo's coworkers said it smelled really great and he told me it made for wonderful leftovers and apparently (according to that wealth of knowledge we call Google) it is quite popular, but nah, not going to happen again.  The crispy kale, however, that is a repeater.  (Click on picture to get recipe). 

Photo from Rachael Ray Magazine

Simple change I made: chicken sausage instead of regular.  Healthier (as much as sausage can fall into the "healthy" category) and tasty.  Move over girls, chicken sausage is my new best friend!  (Which is why, if you come at any given time, you will find a pack of it in my fridge.  And it comes in so many flavors!)