Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Surf and Turf Pasta






I made this fabulous new recipe last night! Some people wanted me to share it with them so here it is. Last week at the library Chad strolled along so I actually got to go look for books for me! So I grabbed a few cookbooks. This recipe is from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook. I only marked a handful to try, so overall I don't think I would recommend purchasing this cookbook. But this first recipe was definitly a win so I will let you know if the others are just as tastey!



  • 1 lb Penne Pasta ( I like to use brown rice pasta, it's gluten free and a bit easier to digest and still cooks up well. Not nearly as dense as whole wheat pasta either.

  • 12 oz Sausage (I used 2 nitrate free sausage links)
  • 1/8 c olive oil
  • 1 cup diced red pepper

  • 1 1/2 c cooked shrimp (I used 1 lb)
  • 1/2 c roughly cut fresh basil
  • 3/4 c Italian Herb Vinaigrette (We had an italian dressing from a local amish restraunte I used. I don't think I put in only 1/4 c as I didn't want it to dominate the flavor and I added a bit more olive oil to the finished product. I think next time I will make my own italian dressing)
  • 20 Cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup diced fresh mozzarella
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch thick slices. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet, add the sausage, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning the slices, until just golden.
  3. Stir in the red pepper and immediatly remove the pan from heat.
  4. In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the sausage mixture, shrimp and basil. Blend well. Add the vinaigrette, and toss lightly. Gently stir in the tomatoes and mozzeralla.

Here is one happy food critic :)




By the way, I just added the Food label at the bottom of this post. So if you would like to see more recipes that I have posted just click on the Food link below :)

Monday, May 11, 2009

Papa Tom or Jack??



My mother brought to my attention how much this picture of Jack looks like my dad when he was a baby...you don't really see the similarities in any of his other pictures...bu this one is dead on...so this one is a tribute to Papa Tom :)

Saturday, May 9, 2009

The Zoo
















Soraya and I had a wonderful trip to the zoo today. We were able to leave baby brother at home, so it was nice to have some one on one time with her. We don't get that much anymore. We went with a few neighbors and their sons, 18 months and 2 years, so it was a good time. Soraya LOVED feeding the sheep and lambs at the petting zoo. She got the biggest kick out of it. We also enjoyed the tiger and duckies. Small zoo, so no elephants or giraffes but still a good time had by all.