Orecchiette with Sausage, Asparagus and Spinach

I made a great pasta dish on Wednesday night that I wanted to share.  It is not a dish that calls for a heavy sauce, so if you don't enjoy pasta without the alfredo or marinara poured on thick, then this probably isn't going to be for you.

1 pound orecchiette
4 sweet Italian sausages (about 1 pound), casing removed and crumbled
Small bunch of asparagus, trimmed into 1 inch pieces
1 pound spinach, washed, trimmed, and cut into pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup organic chicken broth
1 teaspoon organic butter
Garlic to taste
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown for about 8-10 minutes, transfer to a bowl.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes; drain, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking water.

In the same skillet that you cooked the sausage in (don’t wash it out) add the olive oil and garlic and once hot, sauté the asparagus until almost tender, then add the spinach and continue sautéing until wilted.

Add sausage mixture to sautéed spinach and asparagus and mix together.

Add the orecchiette to the mixture. Stir to combine, adding chicken broth plus the cooking liquid if pasta seems too dry; add the teaspoon of butter, sprinkle with cheese, salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.

Bon Appetit!

Yummy!

As a way to try and watch our budget I have started using a weekly menu planner prior to grocery shopping so that I can try and incorporate items left in our pantry and then once I get to the store I know exactly what I need to buy, alleviating random purchases. We are very lucky because we prepare meals for Cornerstone three nights per week, so that is automatically three meals that we are not responsible for. What a gift! Not to mention I have learned how to cook for eight on a regular basis.

This week, I purchased a whole chicken so that I could make both homemade chicken tortilla soup and chicken spaghetti. I made the soup this morning and it turned out super yummy! My mom had the recipe and then I added a few extra spices. This soup is also a great idea when you are working on a budget because it saves well and makes great leftovers, so you can get several meals out of it.

Homemade Tortilla Soup Ingredients:
Half of rotisserie chicken (both white and dark meat; shredded)
2-3 carrots
1/2 yellow onion
celery (if desired; I do not use)
1 can whole-kernel, golden corn (organic)
1 can stewed tomatoes (organic)
1 carton chicken broth (organic, free range)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cummin
1 tsp garlic
salt and pepper (we use Old Thompson Garlic Pepper on EVERYTHING!)
dash of crushed red pepper
dash of Tony Chachere's creole seasoning
dash of cayenne pepper if you like your soup spicy
olive oil

Directions:
In a large stock pan saute chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper (if using) in olive oil until veggies begin to become tender.

Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, corn, stewed tomatoes and simmer until veggies are tender. Add salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper and creole seasoning to taste.

Garnish with shredded monterrey jack/cheddar cheese mix, tortilla strips or fritos, dollop of sour cream, and slices of avocado.

Enjoy! We are!
 

 

 

Guest Blog from Happiest Belly on the Block

Mint Chocolate Valentine’s Day Marshmallows
By Alison at The Happiest Belly on the Block

I was so excited when Courtney asked me to guest post on Causey Chit Chat! I read her blog all the time and am thrilled to find a new friend in the blogging world.  Since Courtney is devoting her February posts to things she loves, I thought I’d share with you something I love. 


Here is my recipe for Mint Chocolate Valentine’s Day Marshmallows. This year I made them for my daughter’s teachers and my co-workers as a little Valentine’s Day gift. These marshmallows are easy to make and require absolutely no baking. They keep well for up to a month and are delicious by themselves or added to a yummy mug of hot cocoa. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Servings: approximately 50 marshmallows

Ingredients:

For the marshmallows-

3 packets unflavored gelatin

1 cup light corn syrup with vanilla flavor

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 ½ cups cold water

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tsp. red food dye

1 9x13 pan, sprayed with nonstick spray and coated with powdered sugar

1 candy thermometer (or a thermometer that measures up to 240 degrees)

1 small heart shaped cookie cutter

For the chocolate glaze-

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 metal or bamboo skewer (you can also use a toothpick)

Waxed paper

Assembly:

Place ½ cup cold water and contents of the gelatin packets in a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment.  Heat 1 cup water, sugar, salt and corn syrup to 240 degrees. Turn the mixer on and add the heated water/sugar mixture to the mixing bowl set on low speed. Once all of your liquid is in the mixer, set the speed to high and let it run for 8-10 minutes (you will know it’s ready when the marshmallow is white and fluffy). In the last minute or so, slowly add 3 tsp. red food dye (you may need to add more or less to achieve your desired color). Turn the marshmallow mixture into the 9x13 pan and use a greased spatula to spread it to the edges. Allow the marshmallows to sit, uncovered, for 3-4 days. 

When you are ready to cut out the hearts, grease and coat the cookie cutter with powdered sugar. Cut out heart shapes, pressing down until the cutter reaches the bottom of the pan then twisting to release the heart. Push the heart shaped marshmallow out of the mold with your fingers and roll lightly in powdered sugar. Repeat until you have used all of the marshmallow. You can use the leftover marshmallow around the edges for hot chocolate later.

In a double boiler (if you don’t have a double boiler, a metal bowl sitting in a pot with 2-3 inches of water will work just fine), melt the chocolate, stirring in the peppermint extract when melted. Spear the top of the heart with a skewer and dip, twisting to coat the front and back of the marshmallow with chocolate. Carefully place the heart on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes before serving or wrapping as a gift. Repeat until you have dipped all of your marshmallows. 

For more fabulous recipes from The Happiest Belly on the Block, click here. Enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day!

I love my mom's Chicken Spaghetti

And thanks to Matty celebrating another birthday (his love post coming soon), I get enjoy this delish dish.

Go make this right now!

Boil chicken in water with 1-2 chicken bouillon cubes. I use rotisserie chicken usually. In that case remove chicken from the bone. I usually use ½ of the chicken and save the other half for something else.

Cut up onions, sauté in olive oil and set aside

Boil spaghetti in broth from boiling the chicken or boil the spaghetti in water with bouillon cubes and sautéed onions.

When spaghetti is done pour off 2 cups of broth and save.

Use one small jar of Cheez Whiz or three 1 inch slices of Velveta cut up

Place chicken, spaghetti , 1 and ½ cups of broth and cheese in oven proof pan. Stir together to start cheese melting. Cover with grated cheddar cheese and cook in over 350 degrees until cheese on top is melted and the spaghetti is boiling. Use the other ½ cup of broth if needed.