Spicy Sausage Pasta

1 Tbsp. olive oil

14 oz. smoked turkey sausage

1.5 cups diced onions

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 cups chicken broth (I used a 14.5 oz can)

1 (10 oz.) can Rotel tomatoes, not drained

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

8 oz. mini farfalle pasta

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions, optional

Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt, and pepper; stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

I love Pinterest. I love it so much that I wish my job could just be "Pinterest Recipe Tester". Because to be honest, that's probably the only way I would EVER be able to make it through all of the recipes I have pinned. I would be doing good to even try one new recipe a week, to be honest. But between work and life in general, we tend to stick to recipes we know because I've made them so many times that I have them memorized and can just make a grocery list in my head. I originally posted this recipe on July 16, 2013. It was the first time I had made dinner in weeks because I had just turned 8 months pregnant, and I had honestly lost all energy to cook by the time I got home from work every night. The wonderful thing about that post is that we had no idea that our son would be here two days later! He came a month early, but was perfectly healthy. Maybe it was this dish that really got things kickin'! This dish is truly wonderful. I double it because we love it leftover. In fact, we can both have it for dinner, I will take it for lunch the next day, and then we will have it again the next night. I think I calculated it out to be about $2.00 per serving. You can't beat that! Even better? It's a one pot meal! Delicious AND easy?! I'm in!

Southwestern Chicken

For the Sauce:

1 pkg. frozen tri color pepper and onion blend (I used Birds Eye)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained 

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 Tbsp. butter

garlic powder, to taste

oregano, to taste

black pepper, to taste

salt, to taste

For the Chicken:

2 Chicken breasts

Italian dressing

2 slices provolone cheese

For the chicken: Pour enough Italian dressing in the bottom of a casserole dish to marinate the chicken. Place chicken in the dish, and pierce with a fork to allow dressing to soak in. Cover the top of the chicken with Italian dressing as well, then cover dish with aluminum foil and place in refrigerator. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

While the chicken marinates, begin preparing pepper sauce. On medium heat, melt butter in saucepan. Add peppers, onions, and tomatoes. (It's ok if the tomatoes aren't drained completely! As the sauce simmers, the excess tomato juice will reduce down.) Once onions and peppers have softened, add minced garlic, then gradually add seasonings to taste. Reduce to low heat and allow to simmer, stirring and tasting occasionally to make sure the seasoning is how you like it.

While sauce simmers, place chicken on grill and cook until done. As soon as chicken is removed from the heat, place one slice of provolone cheese on top and cover with saucepan lid to allow it to melt. Service chicken on a bed of long grain and wild rice, then top with pepper mixture. Ennnnjoooyy!!!!

The last time I had this meal was over 10 years ago. I have been craving it for the longest, but never got up the nerve to try and throw it together myself. Yesterday, as I was driving home from work, I decided I was going to give it a shot. My Mom first discovered this recipe watching Food Network one Saturday morning, and it was so easy that she just threw it together. Turns out that either she never used a recipe, or she did it so much that she didn't need the recipe. And that turned into no recipe for me! After many discussions with my Mom that consisted of "Did it have tomatoes? Did it use tri color peppers? Do you remember this, etc. etc?", I felt like I knew enough to try and wing it. Let me tell you.... this is the best dinner we've had in a long  time. Mainly because it was something completely different, but also because it just tastes so dang awesome. All of the flavors meld perfectly together. The sweetness of the peppers and onions combined with the hint of Italian dressing in the chicken, and the slight saltiness of the rice is just magical. Really. Really. Magical.