rotini and sausage casserole.

Rotini and Sausage Casserole.


Ingredients:
1.   1 lb. rotini
2.   1 lb. smoked sausage
3.   4 cups mozzarella
4.   medium red pepper, diced
5.   medium green pepper, diced
6.   medium orange pepper, diced
7.   sun dried tomatoes, diced
8.   basil 
9.   1/2 cup butter
10. 1/2 cup flour
11. 4 1/2 cups milk
12. 3 tsp minced garlic
13. sea salt
14. crushed red pepper


Recipe:
1. Cook rotini according to package. Remove the sausage from the casing and start browning it; like ground beef.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat, just until it starts to bubble. Stir in the garlic, crushed red pepper and a dash of salt. Cook and stir for a few minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the milk and cook, stirring continuously, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and set it aside. (This creates the sauce.)
3. Spread a little sauce in the bottom of a baking dish and add a layer of pasta. Sprinkle with a generous amount of mozzarella. Add a layer of assorted bell peppers and sun dried tomatoes. Top with about half the sauce.
4. Next layer sausage, then pasta. Then another layer of the mozzarella and veggies. Topped with the last of the pasta and the rest of the sauce. Tear the basil leaves over the top.
5. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on the cheese to make sure it doesn't get too browned.

 Plus the fourth of july cupcakes..

summertime, and the livin is easy.

I just love summer.


Days at the beach.                                                         Brigantine, NJ; August 2010

                                                      Brigantine, NJ; August 2010

Being on the boardwalk.                                           Wildwood, NJ; August 2010

Eating Popsicles.                                                           June 2011 

I'm excited for this weekend.

Fourth of July.

Fireworks 

&

Campfires.

one pan penne with pancetta, tomatoes, and red peppers.

One Pan Penne with Pancetta, Tomatoes, and Red Peppers.


Ingredients:
 1.   1 lb penne (i used multi-grain)
 2.   8 oz. pancetta, diced
 3.   6 plum tomatoes, diced.
 4.   3 tsp minced garlic
 5.   1 red bell pepper, diced.
 6.   1/8 lb sun dried tomatoes, diced.
 7.   2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
 8.   1/2 cup water
 9.   6 chicken bouillon cubes (makes 6 cups) or 6 cups chicken stock
10.  fresh basil
11.  olive oil
12.  1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
13.  parmesan cheese
14.  sea salt

Recipe:
1. Prepare chicken broth as directed on package, making about 6 cups. Keep to the side and keep on a low simmer.
2. In a large saute pan, add a little olive oil and the pancetta. Fry until a little crispy. Remove from skillet, pat dry. (Like bacon)
3. To the saute pan, add garlic, red pepper, sun dried tomatoes and tomatoes. Add crushed red pepper and a dash of salt. Cook over medium heat until tomatoes are tender. (2 minutes or so) 
4. Stir in balsamic vinegar and water. Then add the pasta and stir well. Add a little broth. As the broth is absorbed, add a little more and stir. Continue this process til the pasta is almost done.  (Keep covered during this part.)
5. Tear in a few basil leaves. Add pancetta. Stir together and cook a couple more minutes.
6. Serve with parmesan cheese.

john legend.

LIFESAVER TUESDAY.

Two words. John Legend. 

Whenever I'm blue, I listen to one of his cds and it definitely helps. 

His voice is like gold....and he's not too bad on the eyes either.

Remember Each Day Gets Better.

gathered clutch.

For my good friend Kristine's birthday I decided I wanted to try my hand at a clutch.  Something cute, crafty, from the heart and purple.  I found this cute tutorial for a gathered front clutch that looked just easy enough to try out.  Mt first attempt (with all same fabric) came out great other than the fact I forgot to do the top stitching so the fabric wouldn't get caught.  Needless to say the first one wouldn't open all the way. But the second one came out fairly well. Even though it may be a little crooked on one side. Oops.

tutorial i used.

Happy Birthday, Kristine!

anyone else want one?

arrabiata-style shrimp.

Arrabiata-Style Shrimp.


Ingredients:
1. 1 tbsp olive oil
2. 1 tsp minced garlic
3. 1 can (14 1/2 oz) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
4. 1/2 cup dry white wine
5. 1/4 tsp sea salt
6. 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
7. 3/4 lb large shrimp
8. 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
9. 1 package (9 oz.) refrigerated linguine
10. shredded mozzarella


Recipe:
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic. Heat for about 1 min. Then add tomatoes, wine, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, 5 mins.
2. Add shrimp and simmer 5 more mins.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta. To serve, toss pasta with shrimp and sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

homemade beef stroganoff.

Homemade Beef Stroganoff.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
10.5 oz can of cream of mushroom soup, condensed
3 oz fresh chopped mushrooms3/4 cup sour cream

Recipe: 
In medium skillet, brown ground beef and onion; drain excess fat. Stir in garlic salt, pepper, soup and mushrooms. Simmer covered, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in sour cream; heat through, but do not boil. Served over linguine.

With bustle of my everyday life (giving my sister a ride right after making dinner then getting to eat it cold) I forgot to take a picture of the finish product but I have a picture of the mixture before adding the sour cream.

capellini pomodoro.

Capellini Pomodoro.


Ingredients:
1. 1 tsp minced garlic
2. 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes (i used a basil and oregano spiced one and a fire roasted just for added flavor.)
3. 1/4 tsp black pepper
4. 1/3 cup olive oil
5. 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
6. 1/4 cup italian mix cheese (romano, parmesean, and a provolone-mozzerella mix) aka pizza cheese.
7. 9 oz fresh angel hair pasta




Recipe:
Heat olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes and pepper and heat through, stirring occasionally, about 10 - 15 minutes.  (I just left it on the stove while the water boiled and the pasta cooked.) 

Remove from heat. Transfer hot, cooked pasta to large bowl. Toss pasta gently with tomato mixture and cheese.

I like using fresh pasta.

(watching peter pan.)

yum!

clorox wipes.

LIFESAVER TUESDAY.

These are just awesome.

Good for all those little messes. I use them to quickly wipe down the areas D touches all day long, since they disinfect. I also use them almost daily to wipe down the bathroom surfaces to help keep it looking great.   They actually work on glass too. They have a clear drying formula so no streaks!

I know I'm a dork but check out clorox games.

Moroccanoil.

Favorite Friday.

Moroccanoil.

This stuff is the best. After towel drying, I put a dime sized amount throughout my hair.  It strengthens and conditions while reviving... and I can actually tell a difference. It also saves on drying time.  Plus it smells amazing. 

Definitely try it out.

Now I'm off to break into my own car since I locked both sets of keys in last night at work. Boo.

our memorial day.

On memorial day we took the peanut to Uncle Mic and Cindy's.  They live on a farm about 45 mins away from where we live.  Though it was extremely buggy we had a great time.

D and dad.  (All bundle cause of the black flies.)

"Baa" as Danate calls them.

So interested in the sheep.

us.

♥

Enjoying his "pop" after being outside.

We had so much fun. Hopefully its not so buggy next time!

homemade chicken and broccoli alfredo.

Homemade Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo.


Ingredients:
1. box of penne pasta
2. 2 stems of broccoli
3. 8oz. package of cream cheese
4. 1 cup half and half
5. 2 medium chicken breasts
6. 1/2 cup shredded parmesan 
7. 1/2 cup butter


Recipe:
1. Cook box of penne according to directions. Drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, cube the chicken and fry til cooked through.
3. Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil and steam chopped broccoli covered for about 5 mins.

Alfredo Sauce:
1. Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add cream cheese and stir until mostly combined. Add half and half and Parmesan cheese; stir. (I also add 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp garlic salt.)  Remove from heat and let thicken (1-2 minutes).

It was delicious.

Dantae loved it too.

mr. clean with fabreze.

"LIFESAVER TUESDAY"

I first noticed this product of Mr Clean with Febreeze on a TV Commerical and decided to try. I love Febreeze and when I saw it paired with  Mr.Clean I knew I'd love it.  I was so pleased with the ease of cleaning and the shine I got. It amazes me how powerful this product is while still smelling pleasant. Not like some other products that smell harsh.  I use it for just about everything; kitchen counters, the frig, the bathroom, you get the idea. 

Get Coupons.

I know I'm a day behind. Sorry been busy on the home front.

I also entered a giveaway for this adorable skirt.

Go to elle apparel to check out more of  Leanne's awesome clothes.