Sausage and Cream Pasta
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 pound Sweet Italian Sausage, ground or casings removed
1 1/2 TBS. chopped shallots OR chopped yellow onion
2 TBS. butter
1 TBS. vegetable or olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
Salt
Black Pepper, freshly ground from a pepper mill (if you have one)
1 pound pasta (The best type of pasta for this dish is a pasta that twists or has “cavities” that can trap the sausage and cream…like fusilli, conchiglie (shells) or orecchiette, penne, but any kind you have in your pantry is really O.K.).
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
handful fresh spinach or arugula, OPTIONAL see below**

1. Cook the pasta as per directions on the package.
2. While pasta is cooking: if sausage is in a casing, remove it from casing and crumble it. I find it is easier to buy ground sweet Italian sausage that has no casing.
3. Put the chopped onions or shallots, butter and oil in a small saucepan, turn the heat to medium and saute for about 5 minutes. Stir frequently.
4. Add the crumbled sausage and cook until browned (about 7-10 min.). If you feel so moved, you can drain a little of the fat/grease from the sausage.
5. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add a few grindings of pepper and cream. Cook until cream thickens (about 5 min). Stir occasionally.
6. Toss the sauce with the cooked, drained pasta and serve immediately.  Top generously with grated parmesan.
**I sometimes will toss in a handful of fresh spinach or arugula (if I have it on hand) when I mix the pasta and the sauce and stir over heat until the leaves are wilted a bit. This sneaks some “greens” into the meal, and I love the way it tastes!

Wilted Arugula Salad with Asparagus, Bacon, Almonds, and Sherry Vinaigrette

Fine Cooking

7 oz. (8 strips) bacon, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed of tough, woody stems, and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt
3 Tbs. sherry vinegar
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
6 oz. baby arugula
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon, stirring often, until crisp, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, leaving the bacon fat in the skillet. Cook the asparagus in the skillet with the bacon fat, stirring often, until crisp-tender and browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Season with 1/4 tsp. salt and, using a slotted spoon, transfer to the plate with the bacon. Add the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a scant 1/4 tsp. pepper to the fat in the skillet and whisk until combined. In a large bowl, combine the asparagus, bacon, arugula, and almonds and toss with just enough warm vinaigrette to wilt the arugula. Serve immediately.

Cheese Grits

Most importantly, do not buy “quick” grits. My all time favorite is Aunt Jemima Old Fashion Grits, but they are next to impossible to find. I now usually use Organic corn grits. They are not quite as smooth but are delicious and probably healthier (if you can use that term in a recipe like this!)

Cooked Grits, 8 servings

Ingredients:
½ stick of butter
1 Tbs. or 4 dashes of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. or 4 dashes of Tabasco
1 tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp white pepper
1 lb. Velveeta Cheese, cubed
8 oz. Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Cook the grits in a large sauce pan as directed, using slightly less water (1/8 cup) so they are a little thicker. Be sure to pour the grits slowly into the boiling water to avoid clumping and stir rapidly for appx. 1 minute, until a fine mixture. Once the water is absorbed and the mixture is thick, add butter, Lea & Perrins, Tabasco, garlic salt, white pepper and stir. Add Velveeta stirring constantly so they are creamy. Once the Velveeta melted and thoroughly mixed in grits, add the sharp cheddar cheese. Of course, you must taste and adjust to your liking by adding more seasoning or cheese. You can also add a can of chopped green chilies or jalapenos for a spicier flare.

Spray a baking dish with Pam and pour in the grits mixture. Once it cools, cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes . Remove the foil for another 5-10 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 12 .

Cameo Cake
Southern Living

1 ½ cups butter
¾ cup water
1 bar (4 ounces) white chocolate, broken into pieces
1 ½ cups buttermilk
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided use
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 ¼ cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
White chocolate cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)
Garnishes: crystallized violas with leaves, shaved white chocolate, or toasted chopped pecans

Combine butter and water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add white chocolate, stirring until chocolate melts. Stir in buttermilk, eggs and vanilla; set aside.

Combine ½ cup flour and pecans, stirring to coat. Set aside.Combine remaining 3 cups flour, sugar and soda in a large mixing bowl; gradually stir in white chocolate mixture. Fold in pecan mixture. (Batter will be thin.) Pour into 3 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.

Spread white chocolate cream cheese frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Store in refrigerator. Garnish, if desired.

White chocolate cream cheese frosting
Makes about 5 cups

1 bar (4 ounces) white chocolate
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
6 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract

Melt white chocolate in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.Beat cream cheese and butter at medium heat with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add white chocolate, beating constantly until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Stir in vanilla.

1 cup  unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 oz red food coloring (optional)
4 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour an 9 X 13 baking pan. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in food coloring and vanilla. Mix flour, cocoa and salt in a separate bowl.  Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed, just until combined.  Do not over mix. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl.  You’ll want one uniformly colored (red) batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies.  Set aside to cool, cut into bars and serve.

Roasted Red Snapper over Orzo
Serves 4-6 (Cut all ingredients in half if you’re only cooking for 2).
Buy fish in fillet portions. (I cook mine without the skin)

4-6 fish fillets (depending on how many you’re cooking for)
2 cartons of grape tomatoes, cut in half (if you’re feeling ambitious.  If you’re feeling a bit lazy, skip the cutting and throw them in the pyrex whole like I usually do).
1/2 cup olive oil
salt
pepper
1 cup cold water
1 cup white wine
4 garlic cloves, pureed
1/4 cup dried parsely
crushed red pepper flakes
1 package Orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions.

1. Rinse tomatoes and slice in half. Place in 9″x13″ pyrex and drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Toss to evenly coat. Place tomatoes in oven and broil until tomatoes are slightly charred (10-15 min). You need to watch them so they don’t burn. After they are done, set aside. Leave oven on and set to 500 degrees.
2. While the tomatoes are broiling, in a sauce pan, bring to a light simmer or slow boil: olive oil, water, white wine and 4 garlic cloves pureed. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. When you’ve added all ingredients, let it come to a light simmer.
3. Place fish filets in pyrex dish on top of roasted tomatoes and pour olive oil/wine broth from sauce pan over the fish and tomatoes.
4. Add parsley and sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes (use as much or as little as you like, depending on how spicy you like it).
5. Place pyrex in 500 degree preheated oven and cook apprx. 12 minutes (or a little linger if you have really thick fillets).
6. While fish is cooking, prepare Orzo according to package instructions.
7. Serve fish over cooked orzo pasta in a large bowl with plenty of broth and roasted tomatoes.

Basic Green Monster Smoothie

Add the following to your blender in order:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or vanilla coconut milk

1-2 tablespoons flax seed meal

1 tablespoon nut butter (I like chocolate almond butter, in case you’re curious)

2 handfuls fresh baby spinach

1 frozen banana

Blend on high speed until smooth and completely blended. Add 1/2 cup of ice cubes (totally optional), and blend again.