Italian Fried Rice?

Italian Fried Rice? I know it sounds funny, but it is delicious! This recipe makes enough for 4-6 people.

What you will need:

1 lb sausage (we used Whole Foods Pesto and Pine Nut Sausage)

2 TBS olive oil

2 c. rice (we used Basmati)

3 c. water for cooking the rice
1 c. water
3 TBS homemade pesto (I'll post a recipe later, I promise.)
1 TBS butter
1/2 c. peas (you don't have to add those Kent ;)
1 tsp salt, add additional if needed
1 tsp white pepper


Add butter and 1 TBS pesto to a pan with a tight fitting lid. Mix it together. Add rice to the pan and cook it a couple of minutes. Add water to your rice. Let it come to a boil. Turn heat to medium low and cover with the lid for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let it sit another 10 minutes with the lid on.

While your rice is cooking, in a frying pan on high heat, brown your sausage. Cook it through. (Deglaze with water when you see delicious brown bits developing. )
Once the sausage and rice are both cooked you can move onto the next step.

Next Step:
Add 1 c. water, salt and white pepper, and remaining pesto to the sausage. Keep the flame on high. Let it cook for about a minute. Add the cooked rice. Mix together very well. Keep it over high heat for another minute. Add peas. Turn your heat to low and stir gently until the sauce has absorbed into the rice.

Serve and enjoy!

Campari Mojitos!

Campari is a liqueur that has a lot of interesting bitter and floral notes. It can be an acquired taste for some, some hate it, and some love it! I personally love it. One of my favorite people, Viveca Lane, introduced me to Campari years ago and I have enjoyed it ever since.  This is Campari's site. I found a recipe for Campari Mojitos there, but I tweaked the recipe to our liking.

What you wil need:
(makes one drink)

Ice
2 ounces Campari
1/2 lime
about 7 fresh mint leaves
mineral water

Add mint leaves and lime juice to a lowball. Muddle the mint with a wooden muddler (or a wooden spoon.) Fill your glass with ice. Add Campari and top with mineral water.

Enjoy on a hot Summer day!

Spaghetti!

Every time we make spaghetti it is a bit different. This recipe was one of my favorite versions that 

Shane has ever made.

This recipe makes enough for 6 people, or 4 hungry friends :)

What you will need:

Meatballs:

1 lb hamburger

3/4 gluten free breadcrumbs (dry a couple of gf white bread slices and crumble them up) 

6 cloves of garlic, grated

2 eggs

Large pinch Salt

1 TBS dried rosemary

1 TBS dried oregano

1 TBS dried basil

dash of pepper

2 TBS onion, grated 

olive oil for pan frying

Sauce:

1 onion, chopped very fine

6 cloves garlic, minced

28 ounces of organic tomato sauce (no salt added is the best you can buy, but homemade is the best)

4 leaves fresh basil

1 TBS dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup red wine

Other things you will need:

Pecorino Romano 

pasta noodles, we used Mrs. Leepers Corn Spaghettti 

Brown your meatballs on medium heat in a frying pan. You are looking for a nice brown color (they don't even have to be cooked through because they will simmer in the sauce later.)

When brown, transfer your meatballs to a glass bowl (plastic transfers nasty flavors.) In the same pan, add your garlic, onions, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt. When brown bits start to form on your pan, deglaze with wine and collect all those little morsels of goodness from the pan. You want your onions REALLY well cooked. When they are soft and start to loose their texture, add your tomato sauce. When using canned tomatoes you want to cook them for a long time to get the "can" taste out.  We let ours cook for about 30 minutes before adding the dried herbs. Add your meatballs to your sauce and cook them through. Taste it. If it needs something, like salt or additional herbs, add it! 

Boil your pasta noodles. Cook them "al dente" and add them to the sauce. Cook them together for a minute or two so the noodles can soak up the sauce. 

Serve it in a bowl for comfortable couch eating, grate pecorino romano over the top and pour yourself a glass of wine! 

Enjoy!