Master Chef of Tarragon Deliciousness

As we are in the sixth month of the year, it is time to check up to see if any progress has been made on those three New Year's resolutions. The first was "to learn how to cook something." In an effort to get this going, I picked up The Best 30-Minute Recipe Book and began flipping through. So far I have made about 20 recipes in the book (averaging about 1 new recipe per week), and I have been delightfully impressed with about 19 out of 20 of them (my artichoke-chicken-sauce thingy really didn't have much punch). My goal will be to work through the entire book over the next couple years, thus stocking my recipe armamentarium for real life. So. I give you "Sausage in Penne with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes," one of my absolute favorite dishes, complete with my own (minor) modifications. This actually happened to be the first recipe I picked out of the book in January! First the ingredients...

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 pound Italian-style turkey sausage
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic
• 2.5 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
• 2.5 cups of water
• 8 oz. penne pasta
• 1/2 to 1 cup of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and finely chopped
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 bag of baby spinach (6 oz.)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

The prep is simple! Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to smoke. Add the sausage (cut or ground how you like) and cook for 3 minutes until lightly browned. Stir in minced garlic for 30 seconds, then add the broth, water, penne (yes, add it raw - Ronnie and accidentally cooked it first when we initially gave this recipe a shot), sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook on high, stirring often, for about 15 to 18 minutes, until the sauce is thickened and the pasta is cooked. Finally, stir in the spinach, a handful at a time. It will all wilt down (unbelievable). Take this delicious dish off the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese; then salt and pepper to perfection. Muah!

When I cooked this for my parents, I also made a mixed-green salad with halved little cherry tomatoes and french bread. I don't know how to pair wines, but I downed a bottle of Malbec whilst cooking, and that seemed to work out just delightfully.

This will have to be the only New Year's resolution that I continue to work on throughout the year, as my #2 and #3 have actually already been completed (in theory). My second goal was to get an MPP next year (check), and the third was to "go someplace crazy." Today I will purchase tickets to Belize and Costa Rica for a two week vacation with the rents this summer. It has been a good amount of time since we have been able to take a trip together as a fam, and my sister was able to take off a whole week of work. I'm going to head off to Belize for a week and then meet the team just south. Scuba diving, check. Volcanoes, check. Beaches, check. This year is moving along quite swimmingly.