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This is one of those “go to” recipes from my mom’s recipe book. It’s totally delicious and a complete snap to make. Bow Tie Pasta with Sausage in Tomato Cream Sauce is also the perfect dish for entertaining. Make it the day before, pop in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove top as your company arrives. Guess what? It actually tastes better the second day!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings remove and crumbled
1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
1/2 c. diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz.) Italian plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/2 tsp. salt
12 oz. bow tie pasta (With the 1.5 cups of whipping cream, it is hardly heart healthy)
3 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Notes: If I am just making this dish for me and Mr. D, I will often prepare it with pre-cooked sweet italian chicken sausage (sliced thin) and whole wheat bow-tie pasta. It tastes fabulous – and is *slightly* healthier than using white flour pasta and regular sausage.

Directions:
Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and pepper flakes. Cook until sausage is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Add onion and garlic to skillet and cook until onion is tender and sausage is light brown. Add tomatoes, cream and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Serve sauce over pasta, garnish with chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese.

E N J O Y !

As you may recall from my post about beach inspired interior decor, we were asked to be in Florida for an interview the week before last. Mr. D has been talking to this company off and on for the last year about this job position – it was supposed to be the meeting that determined whether or not we were going to stay put in New York City, or relocate to Southern Florida. Par for the course, the interview was never scheduled. We’re still waiting with baited breath.

We’ve been living without a cocktail table in front of our sofa since early December. Finally, we broke down and requested time at our storage facility in the Bronx. This past Friday morning, we liberated our glass table from storage. Hooray!! The addition of one simple piece has kicked me into nesting mode! I am totally dying to fill this spot on the wall over our Ballard Designs Terrific Table.

I’d like to put the Eagan Mirror from Pottery Barn in the empty spot on the wall to the right in the photo above.

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After nearly a month of waiting on my Sur la Table cassis french oven to arrive (what a nightmare!) it finally landed in the Financial District around the 12th of February. Our dear friend had entered into a Valentines Day Chili cook-off, and wouldn’t you know… he put out an email alert that he was in need of a large Dutch oven. Mr. D offered up our Le Creuset, and I have not seen it again since! Boo!

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I thought I’d share my favorite recipe for banana bread this week, perhaps one of you will try the recipe and I can live vicariously through you? {winkwink} Without further ado, here is the ‘My-oh-my I am dying to blow off some steam and bake a Banana Bread’ recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (then lower to 250 for second half hour)
Bake time: 60 minutes 30 minutes at 350, 30 minutes at 250

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 super ripe bananas (the browner, the better!)
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped walnuts – totally optional
pinch of salt

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs. Add in bananas. Continue to cream together ingredients until everything is incorporated. Slowly add flour, soda, powder, salt. Add optional walnuts last.

Bake in a greased and lightly floured loaf pan.

Enjoy warm with a hot cup of coffee and a smear of butter ~ delish!

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The week before Christmas Mr. D got a call from a guy who is hiring in Florida. (He has been talking to this guy off and on since last March!) With this revelation in the job search, I’ve put settling into our new little NYC pad on hold until further notice. It’s kind of a drag because we don’t even want to bother going back to the storage facility ~ until we know if we are staying in NYC or not. I have a lot of bare spots on the floors and walls that I am dying to decorate!

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I have been biting my tongue as I watch Mr. D sift through Florida real estate listings. Finally the other day he said “I think it’s against the law to have good decorating in Florida.” It gave me a chuckle. But then it put me on a mission to sooth my nerves and find good beach design. Look no further than The Daily Basics who posted this lovely Miami home. It’s a little fruit punch for my color palette, but completely modern. I love the white, glossy floors and those gold lamps on either side of the bed are dynamite!

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I have been crushing on patterned floor tiles and graphic stone flooring for some time, but have not determined if I could be swayed into this sort of carpet.

{Apartment Therapy}

{Country Living}

{Ann Sacks}

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I am delighted to hear that Oprah talked about Food, inc. on her show this week. I mean really, with a voice like that behind the slowfood movement… perhaps the U.S. consumers will perk up and listen? Oprah is responsible for bringing many lot’s of topics to the forefront of our minds. Who didn’t read the Kite Runner? Did anyone pay attention to Rachael Ray before Oprah endorsed her? Heck, even to some extent Oprah introduced us to Obama, didn’t she?

On the heels of the post I wrote last week, I must say that I am delighted to hear that others are thinking about the same subject. (Thank you Oprah!) Perhaps we are on the cusp of making real change in the way that the American government subsidizes farming and how American’s (and let’s face it mom’s who do the grocery shopping) are thinking about the food that they eat.

On another note… do you remember why I have not been cooking lately? Well, I finally pulled the trigger. I ordered myself a Le Crueset French Oven! It’s the first of three pans I will order to stock our kitchen. I figured this was the most versatile of the three. Heck, I can do everything from boil eggs to bake a cake in it! After much hunting for the very best price on the internet, I realized there are a lot of stores who mark up the price to give you the perception of a deal when they sell it to you for less. So instead, I went to Sur La Table who recently released an exclusive color that I adore. It’s called Cassis. Pretty, no?

Here’s a question: Did you watch Oprah’s show about Food, inc. and the slowfood movement? Did it change how you think about the food you eat?

It’s a little scary… announcing one of your New Years Resolutions for all the blog world to read. It’s crazy to me that I didn’t announce my intentions back in Mid-December when I started down this road. It took nearly a month of “trying it out” to decide I’d tell you. So far, so good. So I decided to tell you what I know so far.

all images via Goldilocks Finds Manhattan

As part of making 2010 less sucktastic than ‘09, I made the commitment to a primarily plant-based diet. It’s not so much about being a vegetarian, but more about being in touch where my food is coming from. I know for a fact when I eat whole foods (with origins that are clear to me, that don’t have preservatives, and that are not packed with sugar) that I sleep better, I am more alert and I feel more energetic. To be more specific, I am not eating anything out of a box, that has had a face, or that doesn’t come from the outside perimeter of the grocery store.

I can say that this is a fact because from 1993-2000 I lived as a strict vegetarian, I had several stints as a vegan, and also mixed in short periods of time as a lacto-ovo vegetarian. Believe me, I was very in touch with every morsel that passed through my lips.

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The last month has been an interesting one. We’re back in NYC but it still feels quite a bit like we’re in transition. It’s possible that you read this post on my blog – things have been propelled back up in the air for me and Mr. D. Let’s just say that we made the decision to lay roots back down in New York only to get a call one week before Christmas that revitalized a *one-of-a-kind* job opportunity in Florida.

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When we went to the storage facility last month I found that our things had been packed in such a way that it was impossible to find what we needed to outfit our new place. We are living with the bare minimum. I couldn’t even find my pots and pans. I have not cooked anything in over a month.

It’s really fine, it’s New York City after all… you can have just about anything delivered to your doorstep in 30 minutes or less. But the joy I get from planning a menu, shopping and preparing a wholesome meal is starting to wear on me a bit.

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Where did we leave off on the house hunting story? Oh, yes. We lost out on our #1 country house choice. And Me and Mr. D didn’t see eye-to-eye on our 2nd and 3rd choices. We were dying to get back to our lives in New York. Since we were at a stalemate over the house, we acted on the one thing we could both agree upon. We rented a little City apartment!

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Last week, we moved. Again. Not for the first time, but for the third time this year. Three New York City apartments in one year! Don’t forget our 4 month sabbatical in the Mid-West – Can you believe it? I literally left the gym yesterday evening and could not remember where our apartment was. I am not kidding you!

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Do you have a ton of leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner? After about three days, you should have frozen, tossed or gobbled up the last of the bird. If you’re still holding onto the last of it – do not delay. Use it or lose it! Why don’t you make turkey soup?

Creamy Mexican Turkey Soup
From the Big Book of Soups and Stews via The Recipe Girl

1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken or turkey stock or broth
1 can diced green chilies, drained
2 cups 1% milk
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground cumin
2 cups shredded turkey
¾ cup corn, fresh or frozen
3 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:
1. In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Add chiles.

2. In a bowl, whisk together milk, flour, salt, chili powder and cumin. Increase heat to high and whisk milk mixture into soup. Stir until thick and bubbly, about five minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add turkey, corn, cilantro and cheese; stir until cheese is melted and soup is hot, 5 to 10 minutes.