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!

12477 Timberland Boulevard

Keller, Texas 76244

817-337-6999

Its been awhile since I did an Out ‘n About segment here on the Manly Housewife. Let me start this one and sum up our experience in one word, WOW! We went to a local Italian eatery in Keller, Texas, that we had heard good things about. Let me tell you, they did not disappoint. From the atmosphere to the food, this is truly a marvelous dining experience. With a slight wait, we chose to sit at the bar top, and I’m glad we did. There we met our bartender/server for the evening; he introduced himself as Justin. He politely walked us through the menu and wine selections, explaining the different courses and the different wines. Immediately, we all felt like we had made a friend. Through what seemed his expertise in wine, we selected a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon and some calamari, and our night began. Through the conversation we learned that Justin and his wife, Cynthia, own the restaurant and that they had a great, heartwarming story to tell. The details of the heartwarming story are theirs to tell, but you can read about the restaurant life here. Cynthia came by and joined in the conversation but quickly went back to greeting guests and ensuring proper service throughout the restaurant.

Some of the great things we loved out this restaurant:

• The Atmosphere – Elegant, yet not uninviting, warm and comfortable
• The Prices – Not over the top (unless you have as many bottle of wine as we had); most meals range from $10 to $16 and no wine bottle is over $20
• The Food – Wonderfully prepared and the flavors blend well together
• The Wines – Each wine handpicked by Justin himself, and, let me tell you, these were some of the best selections we have come across
• The Owners- Dedicated to their craft, Justin and Cynthia put their heart and soul into their restaurant. You can taste it with each bite, feel it with each drink, and see it when you walk through the door.

The pictures on the rest of this post were taken from cellphone if the quality does not due the justice.

We started the dinner with wine. There of us chose Oliva’s house salad with their house vinaigrette, except my wife, who chose the Caesar. Although not disappointed with her choice of a Caesar salad after tasting the vinaigrette wished she had ordered that (she ate a lot of mine).

The Main Courses

My Sister-in-law had the Manicotti ricotta and herbs rolled in pasta topped with marinara & mozzarella. The flavors were wonderful, the seasonings blended well with the sauce, and the taste was not overpowering.

My brother enjoyed Rib Eye Steak 12 oz,  rosemary-mushroom and onion butter,  fresh vegetables (the Manly Housewife pick of the menu). The flavors and tenderness of this steak was divine.  My brother and I had serious reservations about ordering a steak in an Italian restaurant but, let me tell you, it was well worth it.

My wife had Chicken Marsala: mushrooms, Marsala wine sauce. These succulent chicken breasts were smothered in a rich Marsala sauce and the mushrooms had its own distinctive complex aroma that tantalized the tastebuds.

I enjoyed the Veal Genovez: portobello mushrooms, with creamy cognac  sauce. What a flavorful dish! You could not ask for more flavor with each bite, a perfect combination on a bed of pasta.

After several (and a few) bottles of wine, we decide we were going all in on the desserts. With four of us at the bar top and five desserts, we each decided get something different, so as to try as many as we could. Typically, most people do not save room for dessert when they eat out; however, here I would not suggest that. Just jump right in and eat as much as you can.

The Desserts

Tiramisu

Cannoli

Creme Brulee

Cyn-sational Chocolate Custard

Oliva’s has become a staple in our family. Their top notch flavors and attention to detail are second to none. They get the Manly Housewife stamp of approval. Go see them and tell them The Manly Housewife sent ya.

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Last night’s dinner was a fun escapade for me. I am not the biggest pasta eater; however, pasta is one of my wife’s favorite things. That girl could eat pasta and seafood for every meal of the day. I dabble with cooking pasta every now and again to keep the sanity in our marriage, but I really have to step out of my comfort zone to make a dish that we can both enjoy. I am notorious for eating the toppings of a dish and leaving a majority of the pasta on the plate. It’s funny that I like cream sauces, and I like some red sauces, but I just can’t get into the combination of the sauces and pasta. If anyone has a pasta dish they think I could eat, let me know.; I’d love to have the recipe. Now, antipasto? I love that! Give me a plate of meat and a few veggies and I’m in. . . .

So back to last night’s dinner. . . .  For me to eat pasta, I have to give it a Manly Housewife twist. Put something in the pasta to really set the dish off. I didn’t feel like making sauce, so I needed something that would carry as much flavor as a sauce but be a lot less heavy. My answer: Italian sausage, and it worked great. The flavor really carried the dish, and I ate most of my pasta.

Italian Sausage & Pasta

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Italian Sausage Links

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Dash of Red Pepper (optional)

1 Clove Garlic, minced

½ Small Yellow Onion

¼ Red Bell Pepper

¼ Yellow Bell Pepper

¼ Orange Bell Pepper

2 Green Onions

1 Bunch Linguini Pasta

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook linguini to package directions, and drain (for two people I usually use about ¼ of the contents).
2. Remove the casings from the Italian sausage and discard.
3. Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil to a large frying pan, and heat to medium-high heat.
4. Add Italian sausage and with a wooden spoon began to break it down to small pieces.
5. Cook sausage until almost brown; then and add garlic and red pepper and stir for 3 minutes.
6. While sausage is cooking, chop peppers and yellow onion into long strips; add to pan with sausage, and cook until seared well.
7. Add pasta to pan and stir to combine.
8. Top with finely chopped green onions