Food Blog for a Day

I recently discovered that I like to cook. I know that I do more cooking than many of my friends do, but I never really thought about the fact that I might have been enjoying it. It wasn’t until I was filling out Mr. H’s baby book last week (I know…he’s 3 months old. It’s about time!) The book asked for Mom’s and Dad’s hobbies and interests. Without thinking too much about it I wrote cooking. And then I nodded at the word and thought, “I guess I do enjoy cooking.”

Based on this discovery, and the fact that I so admire the food blogs out there that offer delicious recipes with wonderfully descriptive how-to pictures, I thought I would give it a try. Like my Mock Mocha MooLatte recipe, this dish is a take-off of another restaurant item. This time I tried to recreate Olive Garden’s Sausage & Peppers Rustica, again going for similar taste with fewer calories.

Here’s what you need:

16 oz. Whole Wheat Pasta (I use penne noodles)
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pkg. Boca Italian Sausage (4 links)
1 Jar Pasta Sauce (I like a spicier variety)
1 Small Red onion
2 Garlic cloves (I cheat and use minced in the jar)
1 Small Red pepper
1 Small Green pepper
1 Small Yellow pepper

Here’s what you do:

Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. While water is heating, chop onion and peppers into bite-sized pieces.

Add pasta to boiling water; stir to prevent sticking. Cook for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onions and peppers. Sauté for 6 to 7 minutes.

Place frozen sausages in microwave for 1 minute. Slice into small circles. Add to pepper mixture.

Combine pasta, sauce and peppers and sausage.

I actually put this batch right into my microwavable Tupperware for tomorrow night’s dinner. I am trying to use effective time management, which is very important for a mother of five.

I hope you don’t think I’m turning this into a food blog. While it would be super cool, I don’t have the time or the energy to photographically document everything I cook. I was only able to pull it off today because of a little thing we at the Reddy Zoo like to call “The Tranquilizer”.

Don’t worry. We are not drugging the baby. It’s just the nickname we have given to the baby swing. It works like a charm at putting Mr. H to sleep – sometimes for hours. As long as we have enough D-batteries on hand, it’s all good.