Kielbasa Bow Tie Skillet

This one will be labeled a success with a few minor changes. On a side note: I was taking some photos for the blog while I was cooking only to look up to see my husband giving me the wierdest look from the living room.

Kielbasa Bow Tie Skillet

from the Jan/Feb '08 issue of Simple and Delicious

8 oz uncooked Bow Tie Pasta

1lb fully cooked Tukey Kielbasa, cut into 1/4" slices

1 can of sliced Mushrooms

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tbls butter

1 tbls cornstarch

1&1/2 cups milk

1&1/2 cups fresh or frozen snow or sugar snap peas

1 cup (4oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Cook and drain pasta. Meanwhile, in a large skillet saute the garlic, mushrooms, and kielbasa in the butter.

Combine the cornstarch and milk and whisk until smooth. Gradually add to the skillet. Bring to a boi; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the pasta and stir. When well mixed add the cheese and peas then stir. Its ready to go when the cheese is all melted.

The changes I would make: I'm not a huge fan of cheddar, so next time I would use probably some monterey jack and little more than 4 oz. Also, the peas were my favorite part so I would add a bunch more.

Angel Lusk Berry Trifle

My dad's ever-so-thoughtful girlfriend must have overheard me talking about wanting a trifle dish. For my 23rd birthday she suprised me with a beautiful antique one! Well, dying to try it out, and never having a trifle before, I made my own recipe from a mix of my new favorite summer cake and some recipes on allrecipes.com. The following was a huge success and I will make this every summer!

Angel Lusk Berry Trifle
1 pack (4 serving size) Vanilla Instant Pudding MIx
1 Can (20 oz) Crushed Pineapple In Juice (undrained)
1 Package of Cool Whip
1 Round Angel Food Cake, cut in bite-sized pieces
Fresh Strawberries (cleaned and halved)
Fresh Raspberries
Fresh Blueberries

Mix the dry pudding with the whole can of pineapple, then mix in cool whip. Layer into your trifle dish in the following order: Angel food cake, pudding mix, then berries. Do this until you fill it up, making sure the berries are on the top in a pretty design. Tada! Serves 8-12 (or dessert for yourself all week!)

Where do I begin? A "forward" about the cook

Well, where do I begin? I didn't have an intrest in cooking until about 6 months after I moved out of my parents house. I learned that Mac and Cheese and Spaghettios every day just doesn't satisfy . I began easy with hamburger helper and the "just add chicken" kits. Then I made my mom cook all of my favorite recipes one weekend and I wrote down everything she did. After mastering most of her recipes I got brave and starting checking out recipes on the internet. I met my husband and started trying new foods that he liked and added a bunch of new tastes and flavors to what I love. Now that we are married and living in a town where we don't really know people I find myself cooking a lot, using him as a usually willing guinea pig. I've had many "keepers" and maybe almost as many failures.


The purpose of this blog is going to be mostly for me to just keep track of all the things that I've tried. If it helps or intrests anybody else, go me! If not, oh well. I had fun!

This is my first attempt at meatloaf. I got a bad recipe off of Allrecipes.com and I also forgot the eggs. I also just happened to be feeding my husband, my little sister, and a roommate, so it gets brought up a lot when I talk about my cooking.

This is my first trifle! I am labeling it a succes! The recipe for this is to come because its just that good!

This is a photo of our first Thanksgiving all by ourselves. Roast Turkey, homemade bread, stuffing, green bean casserole, homemade garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, and my husband's favorite: can shaped cranberries! I was also very excited to use all of our new dishes from the wedding