Sunday, December 12, 2010

Fettucine with italian sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, and basil

Once again I found this recipe on www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com I loved this pasta dish and I thought it was even better the next day. Sorry I don't have a picture. Just trust me, it's yummy!
5 links johnsonville sweet basil italian sausage, removed from casing (I just used a non-name brand italian sausage)
8 oz. buttom mushrooms, quartered
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 c. grape tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
11 oz. fettucine (I used more)
2 c. baby spinach
1 c. fresh mozzarella, chopped into small cubes
3 Tbsp pine nuts (pine nuts are crazy expensive right now, so you could omit these)
handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
Remove sausage from casing and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add onion and mushrooms. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are golden and onions are tender (and meat is cooked through). Add the minced garlic, grape tomatoes, oregano and crushed fennel. Stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth. Break up most of the tomatoes by piercing them with a spatula, then simmer sauce for 7-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the pasta, per instructions, while the sauce is simmering. Drain the pasta, then place into the sauce along with the spinach, cheese, pine nuts and basil. Toss to coat evenly. Enjoy!

Eggnog Quick Bread


I found this recipe on Allrecipes. I was a little hesitant to try it, I'm not sure why. I love eggnog, I just wasn't sure about eggnog in my bread. But it was great, the whole family loved it.
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. eggnog
2 tsp. rum flavored extract
1 c. white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Prehead oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of 9x5" loaf pan or three mini loaf pans. Blend together the eggs, eggnog, rum extract, sugar, vanilla, and butter. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add the eggnog mixture and stir just enough to moisten. Pour into prepared pan. Bake bread for 40-60 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean) I usually cook for about 30 min, then put foil over the top to prevent overbrowning and cook the rest of the way. Cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!