Sausages & Shrimp - a Pasta & an Almost Pasta

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow, I'll be hosting Presto Pasta Nights so please email me your entries by midnight tonight. Send them to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Naturally, I can do nothing half-way, and I did a short post on Presto Pasta Night leading everyone to pastas by some of my favorite celebrity chefs.

And naturally...I couldn't resist a couple of Jamie Oliver's recipes, that I just as naturally had to tweek.

The Spicy Sausage & Mushroom Scoobi Doo was delicious (top of post)- a little heat from the chili and a little tang from the lemon - Excellent I had to use some twirly macaroni-like pasta called Scoobi Doo - they're so cute and chewy, plus they even were multigrain. I am trying to be a good South Beach Dieter.

The following night I transformed Jamie's Beef & Black Bean Stir Fry (minus the black bean sauce) to this awesome Spicy Shrimp Salad. I seriously had to use my fantastic score of market greens - check out the edible flowers, but these shrimp would be awesome over pasta too.

What's your pasta sensation this week? Send it to me at ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Guidelines to share your pasta dishes.

And if you'd like to host a Presto Pasta Night Roundup yourself, just send me an email. October and beyond are wide open. What are you waiting for...it's great fun and a fabulous way to get introduced to other awesome bloggers.

Through the Haze of a Cold

Where has this week gone? It's Thursday and I've been laid low by a winter cold. I suppose I should be happy in that it's the first (and hopefully only one) this winter. It all started on Sunday when I still had enough energy to whip up a fantastic pasta dish with fresh Digby scallops that I bought the day before at the Halifax Farmers Market and some sweet fennel Italian sausages from Abato Italian market near my home. It was simple enough to throw together and I even managed to write the ingredients down on a post it note. Somehow it took until today to actually make it back to the computer and write about it. I hope I didn't miss a step...still in a haze...

Pasta with Digby Scallops & Sweet Fennel Sausages

Tomorrow is Presto Pasta Night #106 and Aquadaze of Served with Love will be in charge! So send your perfect pastas her way at aquadaze (at) rediffmail (dot)com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com Guidelines to share your pasta dishes.

No energy left...but later I'll be making a dumbed down version of this Quick Vietnamese soup I have some beautiful shrimp dumplings in the freezer from my favorite Taisan Asian Market and I must a have a star anise or two and some chicken broth somewhere handy.

I know I'm repeating myself, but don't forget that Aquadaze of Served with Love hosting tomorrow's roundup! You still have the rest of today to email aquadaze (at) rediffmail (dot)com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com Guidelines to share your pasta dishes

If you'd like to host a Presto Pasta Night Roundup yourself, just send me an email

Winter is Not Just for Soup

Don't get me wrong, I love soups and stews and the bazillion options are really what get me through the winter months. But this month's Bon Appetit magazine has added a new dimension to my winter cooking...the pot pie.

The photo at the top of the post, does not do The Shrimp & Seasoned Sausage Pot Pie justice...then again, without video how does one capture the heavenly moans around the table? I used local Lunenburg Lamb Sausages rather than the Andouille sausages the magazine recommended and so it was a milder, softer dish than the Cajun inspired BA version. One word....AWESOME!!!

Admittedly, I grew up on frozen St Hubert chicken pot pie and these days I swear there isn't a better store bought chicken pie anywhere than the one from Costco...it's worth the trip even if you don't get side tracked by everything else in the store. I'm ashamed to say, that the truth is...I've never made a chicken pot pie of my own. It always seemed like too much work, not to mention my intimidation at making pie crusts.

But something about the cover of this month's Bon Appetit - the comfort food issue (it's the Shepherd's Pie with Cheesy Potato Topping that's on tap for tonight) had me drooling before I even turned the pages.

If you're like me, you have some favorite magazines and even though you love them, there are some months when there aren't really a ton of dishes that you'd want to try. Then again, there are some months which are not long enough to cook everything that make you're mouth water.

So tonight we'll be having Lamb & Eggplant Shepherd's Pie and later this week, Moroccan Style Chicken Pie...not what I grew up with, but the phylo pastry and glorious Moroccan spices will definitely transport me far from winter.