Zachary James turns 9!

Favorite Potica Bread for breakfast!

Shopping trip to LEGO store!

The loot!

                                                             

The Party!

                                                   

                                                                               

                                                                 

                                                                       

Chicken Sausage and Mushroom Penne

This is from delish.com and the comment "this is what dreams are made of"; is not too far from the truth. This dish takes a bit to prep, but would be a "wow" dish to serve to guests. Since I am gluten-free and all; you all, I used Tinkyada brand penne. When I serve this again; I will slightly undercook the pasta; as thought mine was a tad overdone. I had made a bit ahead due to the Broncos/Chiefs game. I will not bore you with that outcome... I always keep heavy cream frozen to have on had for dishes like this and instead of parmesan; I used pecorino cheese to slather on top. It is a bit more tangy and did not have fresh grated parm on hand. This is the brand of chicken sausage I used. Whole Foods had samples and it is fabulous. No added sugar and pretty clean ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried gluten-free penne pasta (Tinkyada brand) or other of choice
• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 12 ounce package chicken sausage, sliced (I only used 1/2 of the package for 2 servings)
• 8 cremini mushrooms, washed, stem removed and sliced
• 1/3 cup onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• salt, pepper and red pepper flakes
• fresh grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
• fresh parsley

Directions:

In a large saute pan over medium heat add olive oil and spread out mushrooms and let brown on one side for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add onions and garlic and saute till softened; another 3-4 minutes. Add wine, broth and heavy cream. Simmer 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions (slightly undercook gluten-free). Drain and add the cream sauce and the chopped spinach. Set aside leaving the lid off.

Over medium high heat add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to saute pan and add the sliced chicken sausage. Cook till heated through and slightly browned on one side.

If making ahead; at this point I covered both the pasta and the meat until time to serve.

To serve: place pasta in a microwaveable bowl and add chicken sausage on top. Heat slightly in the microwave. Garnish with cheese, fresh parsley and red pepper flakes is desired.