With a personal goal to try new things and push the limits of my cooking, I found a fun inspiration. It seems that Ancient Fire Wines and I have something in common; neither one of us are big pasta eaters. Now that’s not to say we don’t like pasta; we just couldn’t eat it every day. Ancient Fire Wines wrote a blog called Light & Easy Pasta Bake, and it looked wonderful. Now, I didn’t have all the ingredients in the house to make Jason’s pasta dish so I started scheming my own. It is such a fun thing to be able to take a risk and try something new, especially with cooking. You know the flavors you like and usually have a general idea of what tastes good together. That’s when the magic happens: trying combinations you have never tried before and coming up with something tremendous.

Now, just like Jason’s, my wife loves, loves, loves pasta! It’s very funny to read his blog and find these commonalities. It’s also fun to note that every once in awhile we like to make our wives happy and cook a little pasta. This dish is, according to my personal critic (my wife), one of the best pasta dishes I have made to date. Her exact words were, “You can make this any time!” And you  know, when momma is happy, we’re all happy. It’s a simple dish I threw together with random ingredients, and then we devoured. I am learning a great lesson in cooking. You have to take the things that are not your favorite ingredients (in this case, pasta) and find a way to make them their own. I am not a fan of red tomato-based sauces (I prefer cream white sauces). Also, I am a carnivore by heart, so almost any dish that is loaded with meat, I can take it a long way. When you try this dish be prepared for an amazing delight.

Italian Sausage & Linguini

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/4 Box Pasta, uncooked

1 Small Onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Italian Sausage Links, casing removed

1 Cup Button Mushrooms, sliced

1/4 Cup Olives, chopped

1 1/2 Teaspoons Italian Dressing Seasoning Blend (I used Good Seasons brand)

1 Cup Half & Half

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 Green Onion, diced

3 Slices Tomato, diced

Directions

1. Cook linguini to directions on the box.
2. In a large skillet, saute onions in butter until lightly opaque on medium-high heat.
3. Crumble sausage and cook until no longer pink (about 5 to 7 minutes).
4. Add mushrooms and cook for 1 more minute.
5. Stir in olives, Italian dressing mix, and half & half.
6. Bring to a boil; then simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens.
7. Add tomatoes and mix in right before serving (you don’t want to cook them, just warm them up)
8. Serve and garnish with green onions and Parmesan.
9. Enjoy!

I made another fun Panini the other night, still in an attempt to head toward a bit healthier fare. I suck at healthy recipes; it’s just not my thing, I guess. I will keep working on it. I am following several healthy blogs, so maybe some of those ideas will rub off on me and I will get the knack soon. My biggest problem is that, honestly, most things taste better smothered with cheese or covered in bacon. However, back to this Panini: it’s very simple, tasty, and probably kid friendly, as well. When I create my cookbook, I am dedicating an entire section to the Panini, I swear. It is the epitome of The Manly Housewife style of cooking! Throw a little of this, throw a little of that, and few minutes later you have a complete meal. As I am writing this I have a plan for a killer Panini that may be just what’s on the docket for tonight’s dinner. We shall see.  So, quick post today. I promise it will be longer tomorrow.

Tomato, Basil, Chicken and Mozzarella Panini

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 Slices Sourdough Bread

1.5 Cups Cooked Chicken Cubed

1 Cup Fresh Mozzarella Pearls (small little balls of mozzarella) or sliced Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

1 Cup Cherry tomatoes, halved

1 Tablespoon Basil

1 Clove Garlic

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions

1.  Combine all ingredients except bread in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

2.  Use the other tablespoon of olive and spread on one side of all four pieces of bread. (these will be the side that will touch your pan or Panini press).

3.  Spoon half the tomato mixture on one unoiled side of a piece of bread.

4.  Top with second half of bread, leaving the oiled side up.

5.  Repeat with other slices of bread.

6.  Make sure your pan is heated to medium-high heat or the press is warmed to proper temperature and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side.

7.  Cut sandwiches in half.

8. Enjoy!