Sweet Love and Ginger

Jessica

Penne Con Finochietto: Fennel Sausage & Sun dried Tomato Pasta

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Fennel Sausage & Sun dried Tomato Pasta

This is from one of my many favorite restaurants in Downtown Saratoga Springs. This is where Chuck took me for my Birthday Dinner, the sweetie.

It’s one of those sultry, dark little places that’s always has light jazzy music in the background and is full of the sounds of clinking glasses. It’s perfectly romantic and the food is to die for. Every time we go there is something different on the menu or in the specials that makes our little hearts just flutter, whether it be a braised rabbit, hydroponic lettuce, homemade pasta, quail stuffed with sausage & herbs, a bowl of pasta piled high with seafood or even just the bread they put on every table. It’s all so good.
Also if it happens to be your birthday, be prepared for one of those impeccably dressed waiters to feed you your first bite of desert after a whole group of them sings to you in Italian. It’s totally embarrassing, you’ll be red, but it’s ok even the free lemon gelato they give you if you don’t order desert is amazing, so just go with it.
This dish is my own take/imitation on one of their dishes, the one in fact that I had on my birthday. It was pretty amazing, and seemed so simple I had to give it a try in my own kitchen.
I did in fact buy a full pound of sausage, but the rest was popped into some breakfast burritos for us to finish out the week, since I’m trying really, really hard to actually eat a full healthy breakfast, and something more than a granola bar and tea.

Fennel Sausage & Sun dried Tomato Pasta

 

All in all I think I was able to successfully recreate their dish, it was as easy as I thought, and absolutely delicious. I think it may become another one of those staple meals I make around these parts.
Penne Con Finochietto: Fennel Sausage & Sun dried Tomato Pasta
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2 Servings
Ingredients
  • ½ lb mild Italian sausage
  • 1 small fennel bulb, chopped
  • 1/3 cup diced oil packed sun dried tomatoes
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 ½ cups cooked pasta (aldente)
  • Fresh grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet cook the sausage until browned.
  2. Drain well and add fennel. You may need to add a touch of oil to stop the fennel from
  3. sticking. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the fennel begins to brown, stirring and
  4. breaking up the sausage.
  5. Add the sun dried tomatoes, rosemary, and cook for an additional minute.
  6. Add the wine and cook for another 2-3 minutes until it has reduced to half.
  7. Adjust seasoning and add pasta to the pan; cooking for just a few seconds, while tossing all the ingredients together.
  8. Serve immediately topped with Parmesan cheese. (Serves 2)

Loaded Greek Salad

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Loaded Greek Salad
It’s Tuesday, and I’m posting because I was too busy recovering from bachelorette party shenanigans to put anything together for yesterday. I’m pretty sure that none of you noticed, but I still feel guilty enough to explain my reasons why.
So ok now that that is out of the way let get on with today’s post.
I was flipping through my previous posts, you know wondering at my own genius and taking note of a few things, when I realized that I never covered a recipe I meant to cover right after I did this post. It’s fitting because this is a great salad to help bounce back after a long weekend of champagne, rocking out, and too rich food.
This is one of my favorite salads to make at home. I love the bold colors, and different textures. If you want to up the protein add an egg, or some grilled chicken, but they aren’t necessary this is a super hearty salad that stands on its own for an awesome and easy summer meal.
Loaded Greek Salad
I think it’s pretty obvious that this one is clean and healthy, but it’s also packed with antioxidants and tons of nutrients. I paired it down to serve one, for ease, but it’s super easy to double.
Loaded Greek Salad
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 1
Ingredients
  • 1 cup mixed baby lettuce
  • ½ cup baby arugula
  • A handful of cherry tomatoes
  • ½ a cucumber, sliced
  • 1 tbsp of red onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ cup of low sodium chickpeas, canned, drained
  • ¼ cup of kalamata olive, halved
  • 1 tbsp of low fat crumbled feta cheese
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Light drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl toss all ingredients together and serve
  2. immediately.

Since we are on the topic what’s your favorite hang over cure? I sure could have used some good ones this weekend.

Currently.

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Everyone seems to be doing these currently, recently, what I’ve
been up to, kind of posts lately. I guess they’ve always done them I just never
really caught on to that band wagon, not that I haven’t tried once or twice. It’s
just not the kind of thing that lasts for me. Sometimes I just feel so separated
from this space; like you guys have no clue anything that goes on in my life. I
mean yeah, I come here a few times a week, and drop a few lines about my new
favorite recipe, or ideas for upcoming even menus, books, cocktails, link ups
and all that nonsense, but do you guys really feel like you know me? I guess
the better questions is do you want to know me?

I feel like you do. I love learning more about bloggers in
these kinds of posts so I’m gonna roll with it and you can tell me to stop at
any time. No guarantees that I will but you can feel free to throw it out
there.
Writing: my
workout plans and results to help keep me motivated. It’s really working well.
Eating: Everything
green. I cannot explain why I have been having these insane green veggie cravings.
Maybe it’s the season.
Working: my butt
off at work. I seriously need a break from all that. Memorial day weekend
please come sooner.
Wishing: I wasn’t
so busy so I could my butt in the woods. I’m feeling unbalanced right now.
Practicing:
creativity. Since it seems to have slipped away from me lately. 
Learning: A lot about
photography. I’m a slow learner so it’s taking me a while but I love the way my
pictures are improving. Thank you Pinch of Yum!!
Attending: Lots of
baby & Bridal Showers
And Searching: for just the right thing. It’s not easy when you want
to do more than just grab something off the registry.
Trying: Desperately to
reduce the amount of things that we have. It is another of those slow and
steady projects I have. Consumerism is a suffocating disease.
Listening: to Lana Del
Rey. I am addicted.
Loving: Being able to
sleep with the window open, and smell the fresh spring, post rain mornings.
Making: A real effort
not to be so hard on myself. If dinner isn’t on the table on time, or if it is
and it’s nothing special, it’s not the end of the world. If the house isn’t
clean I’m not going to die, it’s not like the queen of England is coming over.

Craving:
Doughnuts. I blame instagram.
Thanks for playing along. What have you been up to lately?

One Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff; A Classic Simplified

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One Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff

It’s turkey hunting season in Vermont.

For those of you who don’t have a hunting obsessed significant other I will explain that this means I will be pretty much on my own for the next couple weekends since I don’t find getting up at 3:30am on the weekends all that much fun, especially if it means my old lady behind needs to be in bed by about 7pm.

…

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Spring Vegetable Couscous

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Spring Vegetable Couscous
Spring has sprung! Grocery stores and farmers markets are filling with wonderful, luscious, and vibrant colors. Rainbow Swiss chard, purple asparagus, green peas are just the beginning. My favorite part of spring, after the fresh post rain smell is the amazing vegetables that finally start their rotation on our plates. I could seriously eat a salad of some kind for every meal right now and never get bored.
In fact this salad I did eat for several days in a row. It’s super filling and wonderfully satisfying. I swear it’s like I can feel the sun shine in every bite that I take.
Spring Vegetable Couscous
I started out cooking the couscous in vegetable broth, just to impart it with a bit more flavor, an added the veggies at the very end of the cooking process to save on dirty dishes. I mean I was going to steam them anyway to why not do it all in one pot? Besides I wanted them still pretty crisp, so just a few minutes in a hot pan was all that was needed. Finish off the flavor with a handful of fresh chopped herbs, maybe a tiny bit of fresh cracked pepper and you have yourself a wonderfully flavorful salad type thing. I did also top it with some fresh alfalfa sprouts for a bit more protein, and a cooler contrast to the warm salad.
Spring Vegetable Couscous
It’s really enough to feed a group of 4 without anything else, but
if you wanted to stretch it I’d grill up some meat or veggies and then you
could feed more like 6 or 8.
Spring Vegetable Couscous
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups dry couscous
  • 1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 lb asparagus
  • 1 cup of fresh or frozen green peas
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • ½ cup alfalfa sprouts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Cook couscous according to package instructions with the broth substituted for water. 5 minutes before cooking is complete, add asparagus and
  2. peas.
  3. Once finished toss with herbs, and adjust seasoning.
  4. Serve warm or cold with sprouts on top.