What's for Dinner

I wanted to share one of our favorite dinner recipes. It's super quick and DELICIOUS!

One night I made this dish while a worker was setting up our home security system and I invited him to grab a plate. He said it was the best pasta he's ever had. And I think he was telling the truth, because his plate was clean!

I like to call this type of recipe a Dump Recipe. No measuring required. Just cook however much you want!


Ingredients:

Whole wheat pasta (I like to use angel hair or penne, but it doesn't matter)
1 can of Rotel tomatoes, drained (I use medium hot, but again it doesn't matter)
Turkey smoked sausage, sliced
Zucchini, slice thin
Marinara Sauce
Minced Garlic
Olive Oil
Shredded white cheese (doesn't matter what kind)


Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions then drain.

Heat some olive oil in a large pan. Dump some garlic in the oil and sliced zucchini and let it brown for a few minutes. Then add the sliced turkey sausage. Allow the sausage to brown and get happy. Once the sausage gets to a brownness that you like, add the Rotel tomatoes. Use the juice from the tomatoes to deglaze the pan, then add the marinara sauce. Dump the cooked pasta in the pan and mix with the sauce. Once pasta and sauce are heated through, remove from heat. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of the pasta and cover with lid. Allow to sit for a few minutes to give time for cheese to melt.

Enjoy!

How to Preserve Herbs

Here's a link to a great article about preserving fresh herbs:

http://www.wikihow.com/Preserve-Herbs

Spring!

I love spring! Mostly because it's one of the few times of year in Arkansas that you can enjoy the outdoors without any extreme temperatures, but also because of the fresh produce! After a winter of beans and potatoes, I'm looking forward to all of the colorful and delicious fruits and veggies that are coming our way!

Last night we had our first taste of some fresh strawberries. I decided to save myself some time and just cut up the whole container so we can grab a handful whenever we want! This morning I sacked up a handful and put in Free Range Bennett's lunch box.

I've also read about some freezer jam recipes that I'm planning on trying with seasonal berries. We were successful with the apple butter experiment, so I'm ready to move on to try new things. Also, homemade jams and apple butter make excellent gifts!

With the recent rains, we've got tons of fresh cilantro and basil growing in the backyard! (That's all the gardening I have time for.) I'm learning how to dry my own herbs so none of mine go to waste!