Okay first off let me say that SAUSAGES are incredibly hard to photograph! Seriously, I almost didn’t post this because the foto does in no way shape or form convey the deliciousness of this dish! So let’s go with the don’t judge a book by it’s cover motto, shall we…These Sausages would be equally fantabulous over a bed of polenta. Matter of fact, I would have put it over polenta had I had any in the pantry. But alas no such luck so the potato was the next best option (& well let’s face it, it was in the pantry). The Italian Sausages are full of flavor. Be sure to pierce them before you cook them or else they’ll explode like a water balloon & who wants to have a mess of sausage in the pan, just sayin.
Who’s ready for some LASAGNE? Me, me me! As soon as the weather turns frightful (& well, hello … old man winter has indeed arrived) I feel the urge for Lasagne!
Well to be completely up front with you, this is not a quick Lasagne Recipe. So if you’re looking for QUICK, you’re going to be disappointed. You’ll be better off going & picking up a box of Lasagne from the freezer section of your grocery. Oh it’s not going to be very good, but it will be quick.
If you follow me on Twitter you might have heard #Plateswap mentioned in the past weeks. (And if you’re not following me, run & do that right now before I notice & don’t speak to you ever again tee hee.) Plateswap was the brainchild of Cheryl of A Tiger in the Kitchen & Ellise from Cowgirl Chef.
You may notice that I end up photographing on the same old, same old plates. Well seems I’m not the only one in the foodie world who does this. This was THE reason behind Plateswap. So naturally when I heard about this I was all in! An excuse to shop, Hell-O!
Braciola di Maiale con Rosmarino pronounced Bra-chi-o-la d my-all-ay cone Rose-Mar-ine-o. See, that’s so not tough! And, well you know that I think everything sounds so much better in Italian! It’s simply Pork Chops w/Rosemary.
It’s day 2! Here is the link to the Introductory Post to the Eat on $30. Read this if you haven’t so you can catch up on the who, what where & why of things. PLUS there is a list of all of the other fab foodie participants & you should naturally check them out as well & see what they’ve been cooking up!
Okay a few observations thus far…This is much harder than I thought it would be. Perhaps it’s that I’m putting too much thinking into it, but I really don’t think so (LOL). I find that YOU HAVE to think about everything 10 x’s more. I have to weigh, “Do I NEED this, do I WANT this, can I AFFORD this?”
Pork, Pork & more Pork…Hope you like pork : ) If you didn’t read the introductory Eat on $30 post click here & it will let you know all about it. Otherwise, you’re going to be wondering WHY I’m breaking down EVERY single thing we drank & ate! Just sayin’!
I started this challenge a little out of sorts today. My plans for the day were already out of whack straight out of the shoot….Which leads me to Observation #1. Things are not always going to go according to your Budget Plan. You’ll read all about that below.
Okay before the pasta police come after me, I didn’t actually use Bucatini when I made this recipe to photograph it, but that’s what is supposed to be used. I didn’t have any in my pantry & ever since my little specialty store closed, they’re extremely hard to find. So, I used Trenette pasta instead. It’s a fab pasta that has a little texture on the outside which helps this creamy-licious sauce stick to it! So if you can’t find any bucatini you can use any long type pasta you have on hand.
Week 5. Well, we’re moving right along through the The Bread Baker’s Apprentice - Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread,. Are you out there baking along with me? I don’t want to be having all this fun by myself & of course gaining all this weight by myself! LOL! Although this has been a delicious adventure it really is wreaking havoc on my waistline. I really need to put myself on an exercise program to go along with this baking challenge!
Okay, back to bread…I must admit I was quite terrified when I started this challenge. I am NOT a baker. So the thought of all of this measuring and being at the mercy of yeast just frightened me. As you may know I’m a by sight & taste kind of cook. I put in my ingredients, taste & adjust. Cooking is very forgiving. Baking on the other hand, not so much. But I do find myself enjoying this immensely. Hoping my book makes it through this challenge. Already after week 5 it’s looking very worn with it’s buttery fingerprints & oil stained pages. LOL
I was particularly excited this week to be making an Italian bread. Evviva (hooray!) Okay, everyone knows by now that I’m crazy about all things Italian. So, suffice it to say I was jazzed. So before I got started on this bread I did a little research so I could give you some background.
I recently got a brand new Imperial Pasta Maker! Yes, it’s an old school hand crank version but for me there isn’t any other way to make it. It’s a machine that will be around for you to pass on to the next pasta maker in your family. There is NOTHING like homemade pasta. You should really try it if you have not.
There is nothing wrong with dried boxed pasta (I use them all the time) but there is just something special about fresh homemade pasta. It’s much easier than you would think. It is time consuming but not difficult. If you wanted to speed up the process you could even mix the dough in your mixer or food processor. The recipe posted will make enough for 4 regular portions. I usually make at least two of this recipe to feed my family of 5 but we’re big pasta eaters. If you were making this as a prima, or first course, I think one batch would be fine.
Are you ready for a Throwdown? Why YES I am! My foodie friend Kristy at The Wicked Noodle invited me to join in a “friendly” Johnsonville Brat Throwdown. There was only one rule…we were challenged to come up with a recipe using Johnsonville Brats! Well, never one to shy away from a challenge (I have been known to be banned from board games because of my competitive nature) I threw on my Johnsonville <3’s bell’alimento apron & I jumped right in!
