Penne vodka amore!

Just made the best penne vodka ever! Bill was grunting in happiness the entire time he was eating! Sorry for the crappy pic. I went in my room to watch the bachelor and so happy about how good the pasta came out, so I just took the pic on my bed! And yes that is my white bed blanket with a plate of pink sauce sitting on top! I'm not scared!

A drizzle of olive oil

3 small shallots

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup vodka

Italian seasoning to taste

pepper (Bill added some salt to his)

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1/2 can low sodium chicken stock

couple leaves of fresh basil

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Cook penne. Finely chop garlic and shallots and saute them in the olive oil for a few minutes. Pour in vodka and cook until vodka is about half of what was poured in (3-5 minutes). Pour in can of tomatoes and chicken stock and spices and simmer about 15-20 minutes. Rip up basil into small pieces and add cream. Pour sauce over pasta when it starts to bubble.

Serve with garlic bread!

So GOOD!!

PS. it is better when you have pasta imported from Italy. Cosco sells some (although I haven't tried theirs yet). The imported pasta tastes so much better than the regular grocery store stuff. If you live in N. Utah, check out Tony Caputo's in SLC.

I've been featured

Well, my apron has! This is kim, blog owner of this blog http://kimberrymuffin.blogspot.com/

She cooks and bakes and specializes in cupcakes! Yumm-o

And as always, you can check out my aprons at http://www.kissesnlollipops.etsy.com

kimberrymuffin.blogspot.com/2011/01/where-did-you-get-that-amazing-apron.html

Bill would love it if I made this! looks delicious!

Zuppa Tuscana

Did you know you can make your own Zuppa Tuscana from Olive Garden? When I first heard this I was wondering why, you can get all you can eat soup, salad and bread sticks for $6.95 at the restaurant. And you don't have to do the washing, chopping, cooking, cleaning involved. But then I thought about it. Yes, $6.95 for me, but what about the hubs? Well, that is $13.90 and if the MIL comes along, that would be $20.85 + a $4.00 tip, and we would probably over stuff ourselves and be uncomfortable for a few hours, and I would probably gain about 5 lbs in water weight from the salt intake and be really sad when I put my pants and wedding ring on for the next day or two.

So, why wouldn't I want to make my own? And I can control the calories and salt!

2 cans of chicken broth (I used reduced sodium)

1 lb. sausage (others say spicy is best, I used reduced fat, I may try turkey next time, I need to compare the nutrition facts to which is healthier)

2 large russet potatoes (next time I will use 3 so I have more left overs)

1 large onion (I will use white next time to add more spice, but yellow tasted good)

1 small handful of REAL bacon bits (you can get turkey bacon but I don't like it, I also have a small hand, so if yours is big, use your judgment)

a few sprinkles of crushed red pepper (this is why I don't need spicy sausage)

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 bunch of kale or Swiss chard

5 cups of water (since I will add 1 more potato next time, I will probably start with 7 c)

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

Dice the onions and mince the garlic. Cut the potatoes in half long ways and then about quarter inch slices. Put potatoes, garlic, onions, chicken broth, and water in a pot and simmer until potatoes are soft.

Meanwhile; cook sausage and break it up into bite size pieces. Add bacon to it and let them cook together. Drain. Add to pot after potatoes are done and let simmer for 10 more minutes.

Add kale (ripped into small pieces) and whipping cream and just let them heat up and serve.

This was a little creamier than I wanted, but Bill loved it. I will either add a little less cream or about a cup more water next time.

I served this with french bread. Usually you can get it for about $1.00 at the store. It's not Olive Garden bread sticks, but you save on salt and cholesterol by not eating them!

Humph :(

This will be my life until April 22nd. Then I get a 2 week break and get al whole new set :(

Bill is really busy this semester too. He has 9 tests in just one class (he is taking 2 classes). That is not 5 quizes and 4 tests people, that is NINE freakin tests!

When you can't visit the country, might as well eat like them!

I'm talking about Germany and us not being able to leave Utah!

Bill loves trying food from other countries so I thought I would be nice and make him some German pancakes for breakfast on New Years. These are so yummy!

(and easy) ( Oh and fast! Bonus points in my kitchen!)
6 eggs
1 c. milk
1 c flour
dash of salt (optional)(I didn't use it, didn't need it)
mix together in a blender
melt 2 Tbs of butter in a 9X13 dish and pour in mixture
Cook on 400 for 20 mins. uncovered
Top with butter, sprinkle powdered sugar, drizzle maple syrup and indulge!
A mug of hot chocolate makes the breakfast complete!