Another Mama Moment

Today's recipe: Dracula's Revenge (Baked Penne with Sausage and Garlic)

Today is a bittersweet mothering day. Both Lily Ruth and I are congested to the gills. She has not wanted to do ANYTHING that doesn't involve me. I have just wanted to crawl under a rock (by myself) and hang out there until my head clears.

We've settled for cranky nursing

And restless napping

I'm venting, not complaining. How could I resent someone who loves me so intensely that all she wants when she feels crummy is me? I can't. I don't. I just REALLY wish that I had a staff so that somebody else could go start dinner while my baby snores green bubbles and reaches for me...

Oh, and it's going to be a GREAT dinner :-) One of my favorite recipes of all time! Dracula's Revenge came into my life from Cooking Light. I would swear that my mom has been making this since I lived at home, but Cooking Light swears that it appeared in October of 2000... potato, po-tah-to... it's still great. Tonight, I will be halving the pasta and the sauce, but keeping the garlic and sausage at their original levels... it's just that I don't have 6 cups of milk, and I'm NOT leaving the house for more (also, I don't actually need 10 servings - 5 will be more than enough ;-) ) Oh, and all of the reviews suggest upping the flour to 1/2 cup in order to make the sauce thicker/richer. Since I always thought that it should be thicker, I am thrilled to make the adjustment.

Dracula's Revenge (Baked Penne with Sausage and Garlic)
Yield:  10 servings

2 whole garlic heads
1 pound sweet turkey Italian sausage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
8 cups hot cooked penne (about 1 pound uncooked tube-shaped pasta) or rigatoni
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Remove white papery skin from garlic heads (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap each head separately in foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins. Set garlic aside.

Increase oven temperature to 400°.

Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon. Place sausage in a large bowl; stir in sage and rosemary.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add the flour to melted butter, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add the milk; cook until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk (about 10 minutes). Stir in roasted garlic, cheeses, salt, and pepper. Remove mixture from heat. Add 5 1/2 cups cheese sauce and cooked pasta to sausage, stirring to coat. Spoon pasta mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining sauce. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated

CALORIES 434 (30% from fat); FAT 14.4g (sat 7.2g,mono 4.5g,poly 2g); IRON 3mg; CHOLESTEROL 57mg; CALCIUM 425mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.7g; SODIUM 700mg; PROTEIN 26.3g; FIBER 1.4g 

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2000

Mama Cooks

Today's Recipe: Linda's Sunday Night Pasta 'Bake'

I get my love of cooking good food from my family. My Grandmother doesn't cook as much as she used to - I think it's just not her turn any more - but my Mama is still KILLING it in the kitchen. For last night's dinner, she winged it using a couple of recipes that she'd seen while going through old issues of Cooking Light (a favorite pastime in our group). It was so good, that I have to include it here even though we didn't take any pictures...

Sunday Night Pasta

1 bag/box/package of pasta - use your favorite
1 Lb fresh Ricotta cheese
1 Lb fresh Mozarella cheese - sliced
olive oil
1 Lb mushrooms - cleaned and cubed/quartered
1 large onion (red yellow or white) - chopped
2 bunches Swiss Chard - washed, ribs removed and leaves coarsely chopped
Kosher salt
4 or 5 garlic cloves
1 jar GOOD marinara sauce
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

boil pasta according to directions - you'll want it to be al dente. line a baking sheet or two with foil and coat with olive oil. loosely arrange the mushrooms and onion - do not crowd them. bake at 350 until nicely done - set aside. in a large skillet, heat a dollop of olive oil. add the chard and a bit of Kosher salt, and stir. as it begins to soften, press the garlic cloves over the chard and mix. when the chard is just cooked, add in the mushroom/onion mix and the pasta sauce and heat until just warmed. cover the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish with the ricotta cheese. layer in the pasta then the basil then the sauce/chard/mushroom mix. top with the Mozarella. slide the dish under your oven's broiler until the cheese is slightly browned and bubbly. eat way too much :-)

Just as a point of reference, this is my beautiful Mama with Lily Ruth when she was just a tiny newborn :-)

Recipe Catch Up

Today's Recipes: Zucchini & Bacon Pasta, Spinach, Pea & Ricotta Fritters, Lovely Lavender Cake

Wait, before I talk about food I have to show you my new haircut! I luuuuuuuuv it! I haven't had a cut since the end of February because (due to a lack of communication and an abundance of distractions) she cut it waaaaayyyyyy too short, and I was afraid to go back. Well, the hair situation had gotten a bit pathetic, so I freaked out, calmed down, then made an appointment. Same hairdresser, much different result :-)


I've been doing quite a bit of cooking lately, but not all of it was worth discussing. Some of it was, so I'll share it with you here :-)

Zuccini & Bacon Pasta
I threw this together on a weekday night when I couldn't bear to go to the grocery store. It turned out so well that I have to document it :-)

2 zucchini - sliced
1/4 Lb crimini mushrooms - sliced
1 Anaheim pepper - sliced
4 (or more) slices bacon - cooked and chopped
your favorite cheese - shredded (or a few frozen cubes of cheese sauce)
your favorite pasta - cooked

Sautee the mushrooms and peppers. Add the zucchini and a small amount of water. Simmer until the zucchini is tender & the water is gone. Add in the bacon and warm.



Combine with pasta and cheese/sauce & ENJOY!

- this next recipe is from my new favorite cookbook - it's a 'cooking with and for your toddler' book, and it is doing a fantastic job of inspiring me!

Spinach, Pea & Ricotta Fritters
(from Yummy Baby by Jane Clarke)

9 oz (1 bag) fresh baby leaf spinach - washed and well drained (I also sliced it)
4 1/2 oz fresh or frozen (thawed) peas
2 large eggs - beaten
5 Tbsp plain flour - sifted
2 Tbsp porridge oats (I used oatmeal that I chopped in the coffee grinder)
9 oz Ricotta cheese
freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil

Heat large frying pan and add spinach, tossing the leaves until they wilt. If using fresh peas, add them now and cook for another two minutes. Drain the spinach and peas well, squeezing to remove any excess water. If you're using frozen (thawed) peas, add them now. Place the spinach and the peas in a mixing bowl and add mix in the eggs then the flour and the oats and finally the ricotta. Mix well & season with plenty of black pepper.

Heat a little vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan. Drop large spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until set and beginning to turn golden brown. Remove from the pan and keep warm in the oven. Chop into small pieces until necessary.

--- I've found that I like more spice than just the pepper. I also add finely chopped or pressed fresh garlic and shredded fresh basil. Also (true story), DO NOT use cottage cheese if you run short on ricotta - even if you drain it first.

Lily Ruth's Birthday Cake


It turned out pretty, but only so-so for quality. Here's what I think happened - ready? - I... am not... a good... baker. There. I said it. It really seems to be true. In addition to the anniversary cake debacle, I've made several cookie recipes lately, and they were as lackluster as the cake. I'm pretty sure that the problem lies in my patience and my 'devil may care' approach to following recipes. I'm fairly certain that successful baking requires patience and accurate measurements :-/

At any rate, I got the recipe here, and I made the 'Lovely Lavender Cake'. I may try it again, and this time I'll 1) beat the egg mixture longer - I'm not convinced that I had achieved 'glossy and thick' and 2) I'm going to start checking for done-ness at 25 minutes. The recipe says to bake it for ONE HOUR... and I fell for it. I didn't check it until 35 minutes in. As you may have deduced (if you're a good baker), my cake was tasty but was too dense, and a bit overdone/dry. I used basic cream cheese frosting to cover the cake and for the writing and that part was supremely tasty. Another lesson here - do not add additional liquid because you think that your frosting is too thick as it begins to come together. It will soften as you go. Additional liquid will leave you will a thinned-out mess that has to be chilled before application. *le sigh*

O.k., I've been trying to pretend that I'm not sick anymore, but I am. I really, really am. The mastitis is not gone (it never really left), and seems to have re-manifested itself in the form of swollen, painful lymph nodes in both armpits and extreme mucus production. If you managed to get the license plate of the truck that ran me over, please let me know... I will be going back to the doctor this week :-(

I can't remember any of the other recipes that I wanted to talk about, so I guess I'll just go lay in bed with my head propped up to facilitate drainage - yes, I know, GLAMOUR GIRL! - and not sleep because I can't breathe. Pooooooor me :-{ (that's me with a quivery bottom lip as I hold back my pity party tears).

I took a few cute Lily Ruth pics today, and I will fabricate a reason to post them soon. Sleep well, Dahlings. Dulce sueños!

Summer Yum

Today's recipes: Lavender Marinade, Linguine with Tomatoes and Basil, Fruit Salad Combos

I'm feeling a bit better this week! Enough better that i want to cook!!! Oh, and I want to share!

I bought culinary lavender at the farmer's market, and got a great marinade recipe with it. I have (of course) tweaked it a bit...

Lavender Marinade

- works for pork or lamb, chops, roasts or tenderloins
1 Tbsp culinary lavender
1 Tbsp herbs de Provance blend (optional... but yummy)
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cloves garlic - crushed or pressed
juice of 1 lemon
olive oil

combine all ingredients in whatever container you are going to marinate your meat in. use enough olive oil to liberally coat the meat. let meat sit in mixture for at least 2 hours. cook & enjoy :-)

- I served Lavender Pork Tenderloin with rice and steamed broccoli... sooooooo nice :-)

This next recipe was given to me at Central Market a few years ago, and I LOOOOOOOOOVE it! Of course, it needed tweaking... my modifications are in parenthesis:

Linguine with Tomatoes and Basil

4 ripe large tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I use roma, cherry or grape tomatoes - whatever looks better)
1 Lb Brie cheese, rind removed, cut/torn into 1 inch cubes - really cold brie is easier to handle
1 cup cleaned fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced (I use WAY more garlic, and I slice it thinly)
Olive Oil - the recipe calls for 1 cup, I never use more than 1/2 cup
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 Lbs fresh linguine
freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)

combine tomatoes, brie, basil, garlic, salt & pepper & oil (here's where I gauge the amount of oil needed - the mixture should be plenty 'gooshy', but does not need to swim in oil). cover and let sit @ room temperature for at least 2 hours

cook linguine, drain & toss w/ the tomato mixture. add parmesan if desired. serve immediately

makes 4-6 portions

- this time around, I'm serving this pasta with Parmesean Chicken Sausage from Central Market


and mango & avocado salad...


I usually just serve it with bread and wine ;-)

I also used the LONGEST PASTA I'VE EVER SEEN! It looks like Ramen, only longer and spiral - Lily Ruth LOOOOOOVED it :-)


oh, I remembered that I wanted to share my current favorite fruit salad combos with you!

peach & blackberry with a tiny bit of lavender sugar
mango & avocado with lime and chili powder
watermelon and white grape with no adornment :-)

Welcome to Summer dining!!!! I'm feeling inspired!