recipes

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my job change means I no longer have a laptop I can also use for personal projects and my college laptop is painfully out-of-date, so I’m going to send you back to Damn Delicious for the full scoop rather than try to type the whole thing out via iPhone.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

    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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    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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    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.

    RedBeans Ingredients 01172016

    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.

    RedBeans 01172016

    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.

    Eagles 01182016

    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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