Indiana

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my job change means I no longer have a laptop I can also use for personal projects and my college laptop is painfully out-of-date, so I’m going to send you back to Damn Delicious for the full scoop rather than try to type the whole thing out via iPhone.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

    OOTD: Transitions

    ~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

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    Dress | Shoes | Necklace | Earrings | Bracelet 1 | Bracelet 2 | Work Bag

    The calendar says it’s fall, but as usual, Indiana weather has its own ideas. We’ve gone from 80s to barely 60 within a few days, and we’re supposed to hit the 80s again all in the same week. As much as I’m itching to get out my plaids, flannels, and wools for fall, it’s just not practical, so I’m making it work with transitional pieces and accessories for now until the weather catches up.

    I’m ecstatic that Old Navy brought back my favorite swing dress from last year – so much so that I’m debating what color(s?) I’ll be getting it next. This dress is perfect year-round; just throw on some tights once it gets cold, and you’re good to go. As a heads up, I had to size down from my normal last year, so you may have to do the same.

    I finally got in on the lace-up flats trend, and my favorite part about these is that it isn’t hard to find them for less than $20 thanks to Target’s sales. (Ahem, like right now.)

    This is definitely an outfit I’ve worn more than once over the past month, swapping out the flats for booties (like these or these, depending on the occasion) and rotating my ever-present Kendra Scott necklace and earring favorites. I know that as the temperature keeps falling, I’ll be reaching for this dress – and whichever color I get next – to pair with a cardigan, tights, and over-the-knee boots. It really is the best!

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    Half Marathon Training: 4 Weeks

    ~ reallifesparkle ~ 4 Comments

    MiniTraining - 4 weeksMiniTraining 4 weeks 2

    The picture isn’t my prettiest, but yesterday officially marked the end of week 4 of my half marathon training. While I’m still 8 weeks away from the big day, I’ve also realized how far I’ve come in the month since I started.

    The first time I stepped back on the treadmill, I couldn’t even make it through a full mile of running. I suppose that’s what I get for thinking I could do a half marathon when I hadn’t actually worked out in a solid year. There’s still a good amount of walking happening, but yesterday I ran 2 miles straight through, and ended up running 3.75 of my 5 total miles. Even with the walking, I wrapped up my whole 5 miles in just barely under an hour (59 minutes and 38 seconds, to be exact), keeping me nicely on pace for our starting corral time of 2 hours and 30 minutes.

    My cousin has decided to take my sister’s spot, and um, I forgot she used to be a real runner. Real runner, like her first training run the other day was “only” 4.5 miles at my best pace per mile on a good day. So this should get interesting.

    Luckily, I’ve made another running buddy who’ll be running with us. Like me, she’s just in it for the experience, so our goal is simply to have fun and cross the finish line. Regardless of our pace or our finish time, I know the three of us are going to enjoy the adventure.

    My Go-Dry seamless long-sleeve and compression capris are the remaining items I snagged from my trip to Old Navy a couple weeks ago. I’m still just as in love with the performance, and I stepped a bit outside of my comfort zone with the bold pattern of these pants. I also had to break down and get an “expandable waist pack belt” to carry my inhaler and epi with me while running. Let’s be real though, it’s a fanny pack.

    The real stars of the wardrobe show are my new running shoes. I was really trying to get through my training using my old shoes, but last weekend’s training left my feet hurting so badly, I had to spend the rest of the weekend in sneakers. I thought I was ok by Monday…until I tried to do my run Monday after work. An abbreviated run and trip to our local running store, The Blue Mile, later, I learned the searing pain in the balls of my feet and the lightning bolts going up my shins to my knees were a sign that my old shoes had had enough. Turns out, even though I hadn’t been putting in this kind of mileage over the past 4 years, the shoes had still aged and broken down. I knew trying to save myself the cost of the shoes could end up costing me a lot of future pain, so I bit the bullet and invested in these babies, and boy am I glad I did. These Mizuno Wave Enigmas are honestly the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn in my life, and running in them feels soooo much better!

    Eight weeks and lots of miles still to go!

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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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