One grateful chef.......my "old stand-by" dinner

When I think about my life, what I do, where I go, all of the people I love.....I realize how lucky I am.   I don't think I have ever been in the position of realizing that I might not be here a year from now....as I was  during the past two weeks...  I am so grateful to get good news, news that I am fine.  So what do I want to do to celebrate?  cook... in my new kitchen!  So, sit back and enjoy.  This dinner is something great to fall back on when you just don't have a clue what to make!

So, I get my mom's favorite wrought iron pan, and I saute sweet onions, peppers, and sweet sausage.   When they are just cooked, I turn off the heat and add cherry tomatoes and fresh mushrooms.  The heat from the pan will slightly heat them, but they don't get squishy....which is what you want! (this is my signature trick...)

While this is all happening, I cook a pound of pasta (cavatappi is a fav!).  When it is al dente, I drain it and add it to the veggies and sausage.  I must have added atleast 8 cloves of garlic, fresh and dried basil, parsley, S&P, and really good grated parm cheese (please don't ever use Kraft parm cheese that is on the shelf!  yuck!)  Now add a jar of vodka sauce (I like Bertoli).  Oops, I forgot to tell you to add black olives and artichoke hearts...

 

I didn't end up using the diced tomatoes because I had cherry tomatoes in the fridge to use up.  The glass of red wine did not end up in this dish.....

So there you have it.  A one pot dinner that I guarantee the leftovers will be gone by tomorrow night!  This is the kind of meal that is heavier on the good stuff, and lighter on the pasta.  What I mean is, you know when you go to a restaurant and order a pasta dish with, say, shrimp.  When it comes, it is mostly pasta...you can actually count the shrimp because there are so few!  No my friends, not in this restaurant!  I am a heavy believer of having an over-abundance of the good stuff so that there is no need to start picking it out!  Hazzah!