Food

One-pan Pasta with Italian Sausage

~ reallifesparkle ~ 2 Comments


Just when I thought life was going to slow down, as it always seemed to do in the fall, our calendars stayed full. In addition to our activities, I’ve changed jobs in the time since my last post. I’d been with my previous company for eight years and it was time to move on, but still, big life changes are always daunting. The good news is that I’ve been at my new job for a couple of weeks now, and I absolutely love it.

It seemed appropriate to cap off our first really chilly weekend with a nice, comforting bowl of pasta. To be fair, a bowl of pasta always sounds nice to me, but this one is extra perfect for warming up on a cold night. The bonus is it’s prepped, cooked, and ready to eat in less than an hour, so it’s perfect for week nights too. 

You can find the original recipe over at Damn Delicious. They call it a one-pot lasagna, but I made the mistake of telling my husband we were having lasagna for dinner the first time I made it and learned he was more than a little disappointed that it wasn’t actually a traditional lasagna. He loves it, but felt it was misleading to call it a lasagna, hence the title of this post. Whatever you want to call it, it’s amazing.


I followed the recipe the first time, but this time I took a few liberties based on what I had in my pantry:

  1. I used 1 lb. of ground Italian sausage instead of the 3 links. We both agreed we’d like it a tad meatier the last time I made it, plus you grind the links anyway, so it works out.
  2. I didn’t have diced tomatoes, so I subbed a 14.5 oz can of tomato sauce for a total of 22.5 oz of tomato sauce. Both ways were delicious.
  3. I also didn’t have farfalle, so I used rotini noodles instead. I loved how the meat sauce got into the nooks and crannies of the rotini, but I think you could use a variety of noodles with equal success.
  4. I love cheese, so it’s safe to say I’ve never used just the amount of cheese a recipe calls for in my life. I like to think of them as starting points, so add cheese as desired.

Unfortunately, my job change means I no longer have a laptop I can also use for personal projects and my college laptop is painfully out-of-date, so I’m going to send you back to Damn Delicious for the full scoop rather than try to type the whole thing out via iPhone. 

But just look at that goodness. I promise it’s worth the trip over to Damn Delicious, and whether you follow the original recipe or you take the liberties I noted above, you won’t be disappointed. 


Once you’ve browned the sausage and let the noodles cook in the sauce, just add the dollops of ricotta, garnish with fresh parsley, and enjoy!

I’ll work on the computer situation and more regular postings as I get settled into my new schedule, but until then, it’s just me and my iPhone. We’ll get there!

    Buffalo Chicken Pasta

    ~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

    Buffalo Chicken Pasta - After

    This version of buffalo chicken pasta was originally a “what’s in the pantry?” dinner on a night we had leftovers to eat and weren’t really feeling any of them. I not-so-secretly love a good pantry dinner, because it makes me feel like I’m on Chopped, without the pressure or crazy ingredients. I’ve made it a few different times in a few different ways depending on what we had around, so this is the most recent version.

    The best part about this recipe is you can adapt it to creatively use a little bit of leftovers or a pound of leftovers – it’s completely up to what you have around, the time you want to spend, and what you’re going for that time around. 

    You’ll need:

    • pasta (whatever you have around, but we like penne or spaghetti)
    • leftover shredded buffalo chicken (from when you made this recipe)
    • alfredo sauce
    • plain Greek yogurt
    • milk
    • shredded cheese (mozzarella, your favorite Italian blend, whatever you have around)
    • hot sauce/buffalo sauce if you like the extra heat
    • breadcrumbs (if you have them)

    Cook your preferred amount of pasta according to the directions on the box and set aside to drain. Tonight we were making a baked version, so we used about half a box of penne.

    In a sauce pan (or the pot you just cooked the pasta in, because who wants to dirty another dish), warm the alfredo sauce (we used about 1/2 the Trader Joe’s jar) and chicken together with a bit of milk to thin it out, and if you like the heat, a tablespoon or so of hot sauce or buffalo sauce over low heat. The added dairy ingredients can sometimes tone down the spice of the buffalo, so we like to kick it back up a notch. 

    I like to add some plain Greek yogurt for the extra tang and some lightened-up creaminess. If my husband would touch it, I’d use blue cheese for the tang, but no go. Throw in a handful (or two, no judgement here) of your shredded cheese. If you don’t have any alfredo sauce around, we’ve done this with just the milk, yogurt, and cheese, and it still totally worked, just use a little more of each. The sauce will thicken up a little as it warms on the low heat.

    If you’re not doing a baked version, you can stop here, but the baked version is our favorite.

    Heat your oven to about 400 degrees and spray your dish with cooking spray. Combine your pasta and sauce in the baking dish, and top with more shredded cheese and breadcrumbs, if you have them. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until you see the edges bubbling. We like to finish with the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese and breadcrumbs.

    Buffalo Chicken Pasta - Bowl

    I like to top mine with some avocado, because I like to have the contrast of the cool avocado with the spicy buffalo chicken. If you’re feeling extra decadent (or used that extra hot sauce I warned you about), you can give it a drizzle of ranch or blue cheese to cool it off too.

    Don’t you love easy ways to use your leftovers that aren’t the same old thing?

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    Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

    ~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

    You know that buffalo chicken recipe you’ve probably seen 4,000 versions of on Pinterest? Maybe you’ve tried it and it’s already in your rotation, or maybe you’ve just looked at it and wondered if it’s really good enough to show up on your page over and over. It was one of the first things we tried when we first bought our crockpot, and it’s been a favorite ever since. It’s beyond easy, perfect for football games or any other night of the week you’re looking for a little heat, and it’s become mandatory whenever my husband’s office has a pitch-in. When he takes it for a pitch-in, we just throw everything in before we go to bed so it cooks all night, and it takes all of 5 minutes to toss in before you leave for work in the morning.

    Buffalo Chicken - Potato

    You’ll need:

    • 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (we use frozen, but raw is fine too)
    • 1 12 oz bottle of buffalo sauce
    • 1 packet ranch seasoning
    • 2 tablespoons butter

    One thing to note, if you’ve grabbed the bottle of Frank’s Extra-Hot Buffalo Sauce thinking it can’t be that different, it’s HOT. Really hot. So hot we could barely handle it hot, and we love heat. Consider yourself warned.

    Place your chicken breasts on the bottom of the crockpot, sprinkle on the ranch seasoning, and dump in the bottle of buffalo sauce, making sure to coat the chicken breasts. That’s it.

    Cook on low for about 8 – 9 hours, or on high for 4-6. The meat is ready when it shreds easily. After you’ve shredded the chicken, mix in the 2 tablespoons of butter and let it cook another 20-30 minutes. If I’ve been at work, I usually just switch it to warm until we’re ready to eat.

    We put it on baked potatoes this time around, but it’s great on sliders, nachos…the possibilities are pretty much endless. We usually sprinkle a bit of cheese on top (whatever you have around), and I like a little bit of avocado to balance out the heat. A drizzle of ranch or blue cheese dressing is also a good way to add a bit of cool creaminess.

    Another perfect thing about this recipe is that it’s great to throw in the freezer and pull out a container when you aren’t sure what to do for dinner. This brings me to my favorite round 2 use for this recipe: Buffalo Chicken Pasta. Stay tuned!

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    Devour Downtown!

    ~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

    The past couple weeks were Devour Downtown in Indianapolis, which is always a fun way to try a prix fixe menu at some of the city’s best restaurants for a fraction of the price. Though my husband and I have taken advantage of the semi-annual event before, he’s not always the most adventurous eater, and a night out with girls was a great way for me to test the waters of a restaurant to see how he’d like it. On Saturday, I found two winners that I cannot wait to go back to!

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    A girls night out is always a great time to pull out the fun things from your closet. My tunic is on clearance at J.Crew Factory for a crazy $9.99, and I wear it alllll the time. I took advantage of the night on the town to test drive the “leather” leggings I was finally brave enough to buy, and I have to say, I’m a fan. My cape/vest/coat hybrid was a steal at $22, and you can also find an even cheaper version of it here. I liked that it was an extra layer without being too hot, so I didn’t have to worry about taking it off and trying to keep track of it. After being so in love with my black OTK boots, I decided to buy another pair in brown (they only seem to be available in black now), and I’m loving the versatility of having two pairs without breaking the bank. I finished everything off with one of my favorite necklaces and monogrammed earrings.

    We started the evening at Bluebeard for cocktails and appetizers while we waited for our dinner reservation at Marrow. I’d heard amazing things about Bluebeard, but hadn’t had a chance to go there yet and now I’m totally hooked. They make their ginger beer and sodas in-house, and every cocktail we had (because let’s face it, when you’re with ladies, you get to sample everyone’s) was perfect. The meat and cheese assortment we had was also incredible; I could’ve gorged myself on charcuterie and never made it to dinner. One of my favorite parts was that they give you your check in an old book – how cute is that?! Kaitlin’s came in Little Women, and I had to snap a pic and pretend it was mine since Little Women is my all-time favorite.

    Our dinner reservation was at Marrow, and it’s definitely a place I can’t wait to go back to! Naturally we started with cocktails, so I got the Royale with Duck (no actual duck in the cocktail – yes, I had to ask), and Alex and Liz got their House Old Fashioned, which is actually made with “bone marrow-washed” rye.

    We didn’t all stick with the Devour Downtown menu, but there was plenty of food to go around! I started with shrimp and mussels in a Thai peanut sauce (so good), and I didn’t get a picture of the Paneer with Shells, but it was this delicious version of shells and cheese (my favorite comfort food on earth) that I’ll definitely be back to have again. We each got different entrees, and every single thing was that level of amazing where everyone stops talking and is just focused on eating. I had the Thai-style Fried Catfish (surprisingly light and refreshing), Kaitlin got the Tandoori Fried Chicken (also incredible), and Alex got the Spare Ribs (perfectly sticky/spicy/sweet), but the star of the show that I can’t wait to go back for more of was Liz’s Pork and Noodles. The combination of the noodles, pork, and that runny egg was beyond amazing. Our Devour Downtown menu came with a dessert, and all of us got the Chocolate Miso Creme Caramel, which magically tasted like a s’more and was the best way to end the meal.

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    Of course, we couldn’t resist playing with Kaitlin’s Polaroid all evening, and the fun part is that everyone gets to take home a real picture! So fun!

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    Girls Weekend and Indy’s Bacon Fest!

    ~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

    There’s nothing better than a weekend with your besties, am I right? The weekend kicked off at my house on Friday night with wine, cheese, masks, nail painting, and all sorts of other girly fun together.

    GirlsNight-Cheese

    I love a good spread of meats, cheeses, hummus, fruits, and veggies. They’re easy to pull together, and they never fail to look fancy without too much effort (you know, when you actually bother to put the hummus and salsa in bowls instead of leaving them in their plastic Trader Joe’s containers – whoops). This ended up being our dinner for the evening, paired with a few bottles of wine, of course. Then came face masks, painting our nails, and a Hulu marathon while my husband hid out at let us do our thing.

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    We knew Saturday would be full of food at Indy’s Bacon Fest, but that didn’t stop us from starting it off with a breakfast of toasted bagels, avocado, and a lesson in poaching eggs from my friend Erin. I can’t wait to see how many eggs I ruin trying to recreate this little bit of heaven, but I’m obsessed with a good runny yolk and anything avocado, so it’ll be worth the effort.

    The main event for the day was Indy’s Bacon Fest, an event featuring bacon and “pork inspired” products from 20 local restaurants, beer from a local brewery, and so much deliciousness. It was the second year of the event, and I’m SO PROUD of my sister’s best friend, who has organized the whole thing both years. Baconfest-SarahKristiBaconfest-shirtBaconfest-MeSarah2Baconfest-girlsfood

    Have I ever mentioned that one of my husband’s favorite things is a photobomb? All. The. Time. The day included samples like BBQ Sorghum Glazed Bacon from Bent Rail Brewery, Bacon Glaze Donuts from Jack’s Donuts, a Potato Bacon Terrine from Union 50 (my favorite of the day), and so many other amazing things. We were absolutely stuffed trying everything, but luckily it was a perfect 60 degree day that allowed us to go sit outside on the patio and enjoy an afternoon in the sun – so rare for Indianapolis in January!

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    Don’t worry, that Indiana Pork tattoo on my sister is temporary…even though we may have tried to tell our mom it wasn’t. Our beers for the day were from Tow Yard Brewing Company, and I was a big fan of the Goldie Hops Golden Ale.

    My striped shirt is on sale for less than $15 at Gap, my blanket scarf is probably one of my most-worn accessories, and of course, I think I’ve made my feelings about my Pixie pants pretty clear by now. Kaitlin’s buffalo plaid vest is also on markdown right now at J.Crew with an extra 40% off, and I love it so much I may need one of my own.

    After Indy’s Bacon Fest, we took a nice (long) walk in the gorgeous weather to Hotel Tango, a craft distillery that’s one of our favorite places to grab a cocktail. Although we intended to go out to dinner and out on the town Saturday night, we ended up ordering in Thai food and keeping things pretty low key. We did learn that the whole use white wine to get out spilled red wine thing really does work though. Life lessons.

    Our weekends together are my favorite, and it felt like forever since our last visit after the summer full of wedding festivities meant lots of play dates. Weekends with your college girlfriends are like food for your soul. Can’t wait for the next one!

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    Grandma Lou’s Chili

    ~ reallifesparkle ~ 1 Comment

    Everyone has those recipes they grew up on and were handed down through their family. We think my grandma got this recipe from her mom too, but we aren’t positive. My grandma was hardly known for her cooking – our fond family meal memories pretty much always involve restaurants.  If there’s one thing Louise got right though, it was her chili. So much so, that when my mom and dad were getting married and my mom was moving from Terre Haute to Indianapolis, one of the things she copied down to take with her was Grandma Lou’s chili recipe. She still has that piece of notebook paper from 1983, stained from years of use, and now laminated to preserve it for the years to come.

    Chili - recipe

    When I moved to my first apartment after college, I copied the recipe onto my own little piece of notebook paper. Whenever either of us makes the chili, we diligently take out our respective pieces of notebook paper, even though I’m pretty sure we both know the ingredients by heart.

    This chili is a serious crowd pleaser. I have one good friend in particular who I can count on to finish three bowls every time he comes over and there’s chili on the stove. It’s become a favorite when our friends come over for bonfire nights and football games, and will be the easiest dinner party you ever throw. Simple steps, and it pretty much just hangs out on the stove until you’re ready for it.

    Note: The recipe below is for a double batch based on my grandma’s original recipe, with a few tweaks from my mom and I over the years. It’s RARE for us to make anything smaller than a double batch, because you’ll want to have leftovers around. (When people are coming over, I make a triple batch, if not a quadruple – seriously, it’s that big of a hit.) Plus, it freezes beautifully, so you can take some out for a round two on a night you don’t feel like cooking.

    Chili - ingredients

    You’ll need:

    • 2 lbs ground beef
    • 2 small onions
    • 1 quart tomato soup
    • 1 big can/bottle of tomato juice (how much you use is up to your personal preference, see below)
    • 2 cans of chili beans (officially: Brooks Hot Chili Beans)
    • 2 tablespoons Mexene chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
    • your preferred chili fixings

    Start by either mincing your onions or throwing them in the food processor. I prefer the food processor, because it makes the onion practically melt into the ground beef. Combine the onion and ground beef in your pot and brown together. Drain the mixture.

    Add in your tomato soup. This is where the original recipe calls for one can of water to the one can of soup, but I don’t typically use the canned soup/water method. I like to make up for the missing water with the tomato juice, because it adds more flavor than the water would alone and makes for a heartier chili. If you want to thin things out a bit at this point, splash a little juice in, otherwise it can wait until later.

    Now for your spices. Add in the Mexene chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper(s). I usually go for a little bit of black pepper, and then a solid amount of cayenne for the heat. The balance/combo is up to your tastes. For the chili powder, to quote my mother, “If it isn’t Mexene, don’t waste your time.” This is one ingredient my grandma and mom were both serious about, and if it ain’t broke…

    Simmer for 15 – 20 minutes.

    Add in your chili beans and tomato juice. Officially, a single batch of chili gets half the big can of tomato juice, or the whole can for a double. We grew up on a more “soup-y” chili, which I learned was very different from the thicker chili my Texan husband grew up on when he was in charge of making it one night and I came home to meat sauce. We’ve found our happy medium, so add according to your preference, keeping in mind it’ll thicken up a little over time.

    Simmer another 10 minutes.

    If you aren’t ready to eat quite yet, turn it to low and just let it hang out. Top/mix with your favorite chili fixings. I prefer it on top of macaroni noodles with some cheese and a little bit of sour cream or plain greek yogurt, depending on what I have around. My husband prefers Fritos, a whole lot of cheese, and ketchup. (Yes, ketchup. No, I don’t get it either.) If you’re making it for a party, set up a toppings bar and let people do their own thing, and I promise you, everyone will be happy.

    Chili - final

    This chili was made Sunday during the championship football games, and naturally football games and a good Indiana chili call for a good Indiana beer. This one was a Farmer’s Daughter Wheat from People’s Brewing Company in  Lafayette, Indiana. My mom’s dad was a farmer, so it always seems fitting when I have a Farmer’s (grand)Daughter Wheat, especially with my grandma’s chili.

    Grandma Lou

    This picture was taken at my mom and stepdad’s wedding back in October 2007. I realize I look like a child, but I was 22 and a senior in college. My middle name is Louise for my grandma, and I can’t help but smile whenever I make her chili. She passed away this past March, but her chili will live forever through us. We love you, Grandma Lou, a bushel and a peck.

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    Girly Saturday: Brunch & Antiquing

    ~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

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    I had a girly day yesterday while my amazing husband and father-in-law were at our house fixing our water heater. It’s been rough for the past few weeks – you had to choose between lukewarm-to-scalding hot water with zero water pressure, or lots of pressure with ICE COLD water. Luckily, my father-in-law is super handy, and he was able to show my husband how to fix the blocked valves and save us from spending a ton of money on a new water heater. The difference today was incredible, so thank goodness for parents who are constantly helping us figure out this whole homeownership thing.

    Now, doesn’t that brunch look amazing? One of my best friends moved to Indy a few months ago, so she’s definitely helping me stay cool and try fun new restaurants. Yesterday we went to Milktooth, and what you’re seeing is the most incredible grilled raclette, cranberry, and walnut grilled cheese, drizzled with black truffle honey and topped with a local duck egg. The other girls had a spaghetti squash pad thai pancake (so good!) and the “Milktooth Double,” which was a double burger that our friend said was amazing. Of course, it’s not brunch without cocktails, so I had a French 75, and the other girls had a michelada and beer mimosa. If you’re ever looking for great brunch in the Indy area, Milktooth is absolutely worth the trip and the wait (it’ll be packed, expect a wait).

    After brunch, Kaitlin and I went antiquing to find fun things for our house and her apartment. It was my first time really going antiquing, and it was crazy seeing all of the different things in the stalls. I picked up the wrought iron part of an old clock face (shout out to Kaitlin for seeing it tucked in the back corner of a booth and letting me snag it) and this fun old vase. I think the clock piece will be an awesome edition to the gallery wall we’re trying to put together.

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    We had actually planned to go to a different antique mall, but ended up missing the turn, so we decided to try out a place my father-in-law recommended instead. We followed up antiquing with her coming over for an evening at our house of takeout, wine, and standup comedy on Netflix, so it was a pretty fantastic day.

    Because I knew we’d be walking around a lot and be outside, I tried to layer up and dress for the unexpected.

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    It was a day for a plaid tunic, comfy cardigan, my favorite charcoal Pixie pants, and pink Hunter boots just for fun. My monogram is probably my most worn piece of jewelry – not counting my wedding rings, of course. I actually got my pink Hunters about five years ago in the shoe sale room at our local Von Maur, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw other bloggers talking about how Hunter had a “new” pink color last fall that was exactly the same as my old ones. My plaid tunic and cardigan aren’t exact matches, but are still super cute steals from Old Navy. The Pixie pants are marked down to $50 with an extra 40% off right now, making them an amazing deal at $30, so go, go, go get some!

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    Today I stocked up on supplies for upcoming craft projects and we’ve got another cold weather favorite planned for dinner, so look for projects and recipes coming soon!

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    Slow Cooker Sunday and A Day Off

    ~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

    I mentioned yesterday (That’s right, yesterday. Two days in a row, look at me go!) that my sister and her fiancé were coming over for dinner. The temps outside were single digit with an even colder wind chill, so I was determined to not leave the house and make something that would feel warm and cozy. I’m a HUGE fan of the slow cooker. It’s a great way to make a stress-free meal that’s cost-effective and delicious, and the leftovers are great to freeze so you don’t have to worry about dinner some night in the future. There’s nothing better than coming home to your house smelling like someone’s been cooking all day, and the only real effort expended was dumping in the ingredients before you leave for work that morning. Easy, right?

    A big batch of red beans and smoked sausage sounded like the perfect meal for the bitter cold day. I like this recipe courtesy of Plain Chicken, and you’ll probably have most of the ingredients around already. I know, I said we ate red beans and rice last Sunday at our friend’s restaurant, it’s just that great for when it’s cold out.

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    You may notice the bell pepper from the recipe is missing. We didn’t have one, but as I mentioned, I was determined to not leave the house, so we did without. It still tasted amazing, even though I realize this was probably a cardinal sin of cajun cooking. Also not pictured is the hot sauce I added. We like the extra heat, so how much you add is up to you. Instead of dicing the onion, I threw it in the food processor with a clove of garlic (not required, but garlic is never a bad addition), so it would all just kind of melt together. The recipe says andouille sausage, but we had smoked sausage and that’s what we used.

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    There’s no pre-soaking needed for the beans, so it’s just everything in for 8 – 10 hours on low. If you’re around, give it an occasional stir, but if not, it’ll be just fine until you get home. Much to my Texan husband’s delight, I also took this opportunity to make my first ever round of cornbread in a cast iron skillet. Seasoning the cast iron was an adventure of a story for a different day, but we survived, the oven survived, and the cornbread turned out pretty great too.

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    Throw a pot of rice on the stove, and you’re good to go. My husband even made a pitcher of  sweet tea for good, extra-Southern measure.

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    Amazing. We still added extra hot sauce on top, because like I said, we like the heat. So stick-to-your-ribs perfect. Normally we have lots of leftovers to eat on and freeze, but sharing cut down on the extras a bit this time. Don’t worry, the company was worth it!

    Today, I went to lunch and shopping with my mom and sister since we all had the day off, and it was another COLD day. A freezing-doesn’t-even-begin-to-cover-it day.

    It was a day of layers upon layers, and then a vest and a scarf on top for good measure. My jeans (look – no leggings!), flannel, and sweater are all J.Crew Factory. The flannel and sweater aren’t exact links, but are pretty close, and the pearls are now at J.Crew Factory and on sale. My vest is the ever-popular herringbone vest from J.Crew Factory (mine is gray, but it looks like black is all that’s left), and my scarf was a steal from Forever 21. It’s no longer available in the cream, but it’s so cozy, I’d definitely recommend the gray. My earrings are a fun monogrammed favorite from Marley Lilly.

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    Today’s post was written to the sounds of the Eagles in memory of Glenn Frey. Our house was always full of music as a kid, and the Eagles were a staple. I’ve known the words to almost every Eagles song for pretty much my whole life. My husband loves music, although he isn’t much for knowing the words to any song, and comes from a similar background in terms of a childhood full of classic rock and the Eagles. Their music is a constant in our own house, we introduced our parents at a summer performance of Eagles music by the Indianapolis Symphony at Symphony on the Prairie, and we incorporated Eagles music into the seating playlist at our wedding. My husband was lucky enough to sit front row at an Eagles concert in high school, but unfortunately, I’ll never get my bucket list experience of seeing them live now. A true loss to the music world. Take it easy.

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