Pumpkin, Sage, and Sausage Pasta

I'm writing this post late at night, with the baby and hubby asleep. The house is quiet. I have the TV on for background noise. A pumpkin caramel latte candle is burning. I'm tired, but it's a good kind of tired, after spending the weekend with good friends and eating good food. I'm trying to think of something witty or original to write about, but my mind is blank. I can only think about how much I loved this dish.

It was on our menu plan to try a few weeks back. We loved it so much that it was on our menu again the following week. It's the perfect meal to make as we transition into Fall and wait for the leaves to change. I have a feeling I'm going to be making this again and again, all season long. It's so easy, budget-friendly, kid-friendly (Miss A devoured it), and so stinking good.

I absolutely love the sauce. It's definitely what makes the dish and keeps you coming back for more. As it was cooking, it was so fragrant, my house already smelled like Fall. Pumpkin, heavy cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg bubble together and create this creamy, dreamy concoction. I can smell it just thinking about it!

Source: Rachael Ray
Servings: 4

1 pound penne
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf, dried
1/2 teaspoon sage
1 cup dry white wine (or chicken stock)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup puree pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for topping

Grab a sauce pan to boil water for pasta. Follow directions on the box for the pasta.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage. When cooked, transfer th sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain the fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, the garlic, and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are soft and tender.

Add the bay leaf, dried sage, and wine (or chicken stock) to the pan. Whisk up any brown bits. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the wine is reduced by half. Add the stock and pumpkin. Cook until the sauce comes to a bubble. Return the sausage to pan and reduce heat, Stir in the heavy cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Take the bay leaf out and add the pasta to the sauce. Toss over low heat for about a minute. Garnish the pasta with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. 

Link up at Kitchenspiration. 

Life as a SAHM

We went from this...

...to this. In one week. 

I love how she sleeps. Either with her hands up behind her head or curled up on her side. 

Signs she's feeling better: back to a distructive little monster. 

And eating like a champ. 

Obviously, I don't have much to chat about this week. Hopefully next week will be more exciting around these parts! 

Have a great weekend!

Five on Friday

Happy Friday! Be sure to link up with these ladies to join in on the fun!

1. Happy Baby, Happy Mama

If you saw my previous post, you know that Miss A had a terrible virus this past week. She had a high fever for days, wasn't eating or drinking very much, and was totally not herself. We went to the ER where she had to have an IV for fluids and antibiotics in case of an infection. There were lots of tears and screams. From the three of us! But I'm happy to say that Miss A is finally feeling better as of yesterday, as you can see in this picture. Thank you to all who follow me on instagram for your well wishes.  

2. Pumpkin Mania

It seems I can't write a Five on Friday post lately without talking about pumpkin! Until I started blogging, I never really enjoyed pumpkin treats. I hated pumpkin pie. Never had a pumpkin spice donut. When I was still living in Miami, it never really feels like Fall. Ever. It's too hot to wear boots and cute comfy sweaters and scarves. When we moved to Michigan, I was amazed at the first sign of the leaves changing. Then I finally understood the Fall craze. We went apple picking for the first time and had cider and fresh donuts. I was hooked. In love with the season. I started making my own cookies and pumpkin bread and fell in love with the flavor. Now that we've moved again I'm excited to experience Fall in North Carolina! Here are some of my must-make-immediately pumpkin things I found this week.

Pumpkin Pie Steel Cut Oats

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

 3. Sticky Labels

I loooove labels. I love labels even more when they're customizable and come in pretty colors and with cute graphics. I ordered a set of sticky labels from Mabel's Labels last week and I'm so happy with how they turned out!

4. Toddler Fall Fashion

Forget about shopping for me this year. Okay, maybe not, I deserve a new sweater or two right? But look at all the new fall sets from Carters!! I.love.them.all. They're having a sale right now and it's taking everything in me to not buy everything. I may have created a wishlist for her. Or is it for me? ;)

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

5. Grocery Budgets

Ugh. Let's talk about groceries. And budgets. I know, I know, this might not be a fun topic for everyone, but I'm curious- do you have a grocery budget? If so, how did you come up with that number? How do you stick to it? Do you use coupons? Shop at more than one store? I'm trying to come up with a grocery budget and it's much harder than I thought it was going to be. I'm keeping track of how much we're spending for one month to see what we're spending and I'll take it from there. This was our haul from Aldi, where I only spent $47! Teach me your ways.

Happy weekend!

Sick Days

Today I don't have a What We Ate Wednesday post for you. I completely forgot to photograph what we ate lately because Miss A has been sick.

While I loved the extra cuddles and naps on my chest (something she hasn't done since the early days), I'd much rather have my active little destructive monster any day. It's when their sick that you truly appreciate how active they are. 

After having a fever hovering between 103 and 104 all weekend, we had to take Miss A to the emergency room on Monday. She wasn't getting any better, she was getting worse. Let me tell you, there are definite perks of having a doctor for a husband. We were seen right away.

She had an IV put in and her blood drawn. Her screams will forever haunt me. I can't look whenever I'm getting a shot or getting blood drawn. I could NOT look at what they were doing to her so I held her hand and failed at keeping back my own tears. She got fluids and a dose of antibiotics in case of infection. All her tests came back normal, which was wonderful, yet at the same time, I wanted answers. What was wrong with my baby?

She started feeling better after a while and snacked on some Cheerios. I was so happy to see her eating something! We were discharged several hours later with the request to make an appointment with her pediatrican the next day for a follow up, which was yesterday. It turns out she had some pesky virus. Miss A broke out in a rash while we were in the doctors office, while the doctor literally checked her over. The rash confirmed the doctor's suspisicon of a particular virus. I'm so happy we know what it was and that that's all it was- a virus.

I know it could have been worse and I'll take a virus over something scarier any day. The hubby and I are not cut out to have a sick baby! We were such a mess. I'm glad this is all almost over and my baby is becoming herself again. Now if only I could prevent her from getting sick again. ;)

Garlic Roast Chicken

Don't you love it when something turns out so right?

I've been doing a lot of cooking lately. I don't know what's got into me and how I've been able to manage it with Miss A running amok and all. Actually, dare I say, she's been pretty good these days. If Daddy isn't home when it's time to start cooking dinner, I let her watch a little TV (after about 10 minutes, she's cruising on the sofa). It's the only way I can get started and I watch her from the sink as I chop and peel vegetables.  When she starts losing interest I scoop her up and put her in her highchair with some books and a sippy cup. This doesn't lasts long either So the next thing to try is measuring cups and bowls! She also likes to play with the kitchen towels and will pull them down to play peek-a-boo. Whatever works, right? Dinner has to somehow make its way to the table!

So, with that said, I was really happy at how easy this was to put together. I butterflied the chicken breasts, arranged them on a baking sheet with olive oil, salt, pepper, a few crushed garlic cloves, rosemary, and lemon zest. This was a great compromise for cooking a whole chicken. Instead of having it cook for an hour and a half, this was done in 20 minutes! The end result was moist and tasty. The juices rest in the oven for about five minutes with the oven shut off, a great way to add even more flavor. I paired this with garlic rice pilaf and a cesar salad. I bet it would also go great with roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes!

Source: adapted from Classic Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals Cookbook
Servings: 4

2 large boneless chicken breasts, butterflied
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon rosemary
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juice and zest
1/2 cup chicken broth or white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Butterfly each chicken breast so that you have four thin pieces. Arrange chicken in a 13x9 baking dish and salt and pepper both sides. Add the crushed garlic cloves, rosemary, olive oil, and lemon zest. Toss and coat with the ingredients and roast in the oven fro 20 minutes. Add the chicken broth or wine and lemon juice to the pan and combine with the juices. Turn the oven off and allow to stand in the warm oven for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, serve the chicken with the pan juices.