Rosemary Pan-Fried Potatoes

Clipped a sprig off the rosemary plant my friend gave me for my birthday to pan-fry potatoes as a side for dinner last night. These potatoes were also sprinkled with coarse sea salt. I removed the rosemary when the potatoes were done. Mainly, the herb scented the oil.

Got Garlic?

Italian sausage, hamburger, three thinly sliced onions, 4 cans of crushed tomatoes and about 30 cloves of garlic. That'll do it. Brown the onions and meat and some minced garlic, then add tomatoes, basil and more garlic and simmer all day. I think that's the key to really good meat sauce, it has to simmer for hours and hours. Oh...and there has to be garlic. A lot! My husband cooked up a batch of sauce Sunday. We put it in the freezer in packages just the right size for a family dinner. We've got 8 meals ready to go for the next few months.

"The Dish"

Italian sausage and tomatoes in cream sauce over penne pasta. We simply call it "the dish." My friend first served it up a few years ago and it's a favorite. This is a variation of an Epicurious recipe.

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 medium onion thinly sliced

4 cloves of minced garlic

1 pound of Italian sausage - sweet, not hot, casings removed

1/2 cup of white wine - the drier the better

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

1 pound of penna pasta

1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Saute onions in olive oil until slightly brown, adding the garlic when the onions become translucent. Add sausage and crumble fine, I use a potato masher. I like to see a little caramelization on the bottom of the pan during this phase. Add wine and cook until liquid mostly evaporates. Add a can of tomatoes, liquid and all, and simmer until liquid reduces a bit. Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens. You can turn off the heat and let the sauce sit to help it thicken, too. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook and drain pasta. Warm up the sauce again if you turned it off. Serve sauce over pasta garnished with Parmesan cheese and parsley (chopped fresh or dried).

Blueberry Pancakes

We happened to have a few of these fresh, sweet gems on hand, so I plopped them on the pancakes Saturday morning. I'm not a "from scratch" cook when it comes to pancakes. I depend on Snoqualmie Falls mix.

Cheers! Bloody Mary Recipe

Saturday morning greetings. Here's how we do a blood Mary. Two cups of Clamato, 10 drops of Worcestershire, 5 drops Tabasco, the juice of one lime, a dash of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Mix well and pour over crushed ice. Garnish with a strangely-leggy piece of celery like I had, or one of those pretty leafy pieces. Don't forget the green olives. Oh...you're looking for the alcohol? We usually mix these up sans alcohol, but add some vodka if you want ;)

Baked Cauliflower Alfredo

Last night's dinner experiment: baked cauliflower Alfredo. A successful experiment! Here are the basics:

4 tablespoons of butter

1 cup of heavy cream

1 clove of minced garlic

white pepper to taste

1 head of cauliflower chopped into bite-sized pieces

Melt the butter in a skiller, add garlic, then heavy cream and simmer. Stir in about 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese and pepper to taste. Place chopped cauliflower in a baking dish and pour Alfredo sauce over the top. Bake at 325 until cauliflower is al dente and the sauce is bubbly.

Cheater Guac

I've featured summertime guacamole here before, and this is my cheater winter version. Usually, I like to stir in some fresh cherry tomato salsa, but since that won't be available until tomato season in my garden, here's how I improvise:

5 avocados - 4 1/2 mashed

3 cloves of minced garlic

minced jalapeno peppers - the sliced deli-style peppers in a jar - I used 8 slices

1/4 cup of the brine from the peppers jar

sea salt to taste

Mix ingredients together and then dice the last 1/2 of an avocado and gently stir in.

This is passable until usable limes and cherry tomatoes become available.