spicy sausage pappardelle

Are you in need of a quick weeknight meal that is meaty, but also easy to prepare? Look no further. I've recently received feedback that MORE dishes with LESS ingredients would be most appreciated. Since I'm a lady of the people, I'm going to work on collecting accessible recipes with simplicity in mind.
This pasta dish contains approximately eight ingredients, only four of which you probably need to go out and buy...these would be the sausage, tomatoes, cream and red onion(and fresh thyme if you don't harvest your own herbs). Chances are if you cook from time to time you already own your own garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and some pasta noodles. Enjoy!

SPICY Sausage Pasta
(serves 2)
olive oil
1 red onion, diced
a handful of thyme leaves (fresh or dried)
1/2 tbsp. red pepper flakes (dried chili flakes)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 pork sausages (Uli's HOT italian!), meat removed from casings and separated into small pieces
1 28 oz. can of peeled, sliced or diced tomatoes
1/2 pint cream
salt and pepper
pappardelle (from trader joe's, any noodle that you love will work)
parmesan to serve
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Brown the pieces of sausage in the oil, breaking the sausages as you cook. Add the thyme leaves to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook until soft. Add the chopped garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the sliced or diced tomatoes to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook the pasta in salted water. A few minutes before the pasta is ready, add the cream to the sauce and stir. When the pasta is cooked, plate and serve with a heaping spoon of sauce.  

this old thang?? kristin's strawberry cheesequake mini masterpieces

kristin made these little guys, a strawberry version of the mini cheesequakes, for her coworker's b-day.  by the looks of them, they could be straight out of a cooking mag, because they are just so pretty.  Pretty tasting as well, I'm sure.  Photography courtesy of Elof Meat-Cheese-Meat-Cheese Peitso.

babycakes

Sweet little mini vanilla cakes with whipped cream cheese frosting. Perfect for any celebration. Even if the celebration is just you...at home...eatin cake by yourself...on a Thursday. Celebrate it, people.

Mixing the cake batter.

Mixed to its full fluffiness.

the final cakes.

GOLDEN LAYER CAKE

(courtesy of How to Cook Everything)

1 and 1/4 sticks butter, softened

2 cups cake or all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

4 eggs or 8 yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR 1 tablespoon grated or minced orange zest

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (if you are shy about almond extract, leave it out. tasty both ways.)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

For cupcakes, preheat oven to 350. Place your cupcake papers in the muffin tin.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth, then gradually add the sugar. Beat until light, 3 or 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs or the yolks (I used eggs) one at a time, then the vanilla or orange zest, and the almond extract.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the egg mixture a bit at a time, stirring in milk as needed. Stir until just smooth.

Fill the cupcake papers, each with about 2 large spoonfuls of batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a rack. Frost and serve without the paper.

FLUFFY WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon food coloring (optional)

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Add food coloring, if desired. Whip in a stand mixer at high speed, about 4 minutes until airy and fluffy.

Mini Cheesequakes Will Rock Your World

My mom used to make these and I remember them being easy enough to help her with and perfectly portable for lunches and picnics. It's been about 15 years since I last had them, and they are as tasty and simple as I remember. Also, I like having a reason to buy Nilla Wafers.

We used to just eat these plain without any topping. My mom mentioned that for added flair, if they're being served at a party, you can brush them with apricot preserves and top with a kiwi slice. I made these for Kristen G's b-day, and it seemed like a good time to introduce some flair. You could also top with any seasonal fruit of your liking: cherries, strawberries, peaches, etc. Some people also top them with canned pie filling.

MINIATURE CHEESECAKES (I call them cheesequakes)

Ingredients

1 12 oz. box of Nilla Wafers

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese

3/4 c. of sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3 kiwis, peeled and sliced

Apricot Preserves, heated for brushing tops

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line muffin tins with muffin cup(metal and paper muffin liners work best because they are sturdier). Put a Nilla wafer in each cup. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy. Fill each muffin tin almost to the top.

Bake for 15 minutes. Cool. Brush tops with warm preserves and top with a kiwi slice.

Makes about 18 mini cheesequakes.