1/21/18
by Joann Rackler
I knew the date was coming, but until I just typed it did it hit me. I can’t pick up the phone and wish my Dad a happy birthday. It’s been seven years. Most days are good days, today has been as well. But just a tad teary as I try to write. I think of my Dad a lot when I am in the kitchen. Even if a recipe did not turn out as planned he was complimentary.
My Dad was my Dad by choice, not DNA. This to me speaks volumes of a person. I know I married one just like him (second time was the charm). He took on the parenting roles of both parents when my Mother & he divorced. I was a teenager, barely .. just entering high school and thirteen. Not an easy time in any kid’s life let alone a hormonal girl angry with her Mother. My brother and sister had just turned 4 and were oblivious to the situation.
I have always been domestic, loved cooking and cleaning and organizing. Maybe, because I had to or maybe it was innate. It has paid off later in life and much to my family’s detriment. The perfectionism or compensation which ever you choose to call it started at an early age and progressively gotten worse, and my children have taken the reins, poor kids!
How is this relevant to this recipe, it’s not? Today though as I was cleaning and preparing for my week I was dusting pictures and there he was. Not a big happy smile like most all the other pictures, one of the ones that was unspoken and quiet. Pretty much like him. Now as you look at the picture, that is typical for my siblings to not smile. Why? I may never know. I promise we were all happy, younger and thinner, bonus, I had hair.
I should make a cake to celebrate your day Dad. I don’t need the extra pounds, I will just think of you while I prepare dinner tonight.
This is what’s for dinner. I will move on to the recipe at hand. Enough salt in my tears, no need for it in my dish.
This is something that I just threw together a few years ago because I was tired and did not want to eat out. After looking to see what I had on hand this is what I came up with. Mind you I am a purist with most of my cooking. For me to buy alfredo sauce it was a first and I don’t even remember why I did, but it was in the pantry. To date I have tried several kinds and they all pretty much taste the same. I will put a recipe for the real stuff below, but if you want that quick easy meal, buy the jar.
I generally have some type of Italian sausage in my freezer, I prefer the hot, not always a good choice when cooking for others. We had made a Lubbock run and I had the cold case ravioli (chicken & mozzarella). At Costco they come in a 2 pack and not knowing when they would be used I put them in the freezer. It worked out fine freezing and have continued to do so.
We were also getting Bountiful Baskets weekly at that point and I had spinach on hand. Spinach is not a food I have always enjoyed. In a salad, always: cooked, not so much. I would not recommend using fresh unless you enjoy washing and rewashing your spinach. It takes so much time and effort, I’ll buy pre-packed any day. Baskets forced me to try some new fruits and veggies. It defiantly got me out of a grocery rut. Even though It was inexpensive I still did not want to waste anything I had purchased. I think after making a conscience choice to eat better, it was much easier when we had our weekly Bountiful Basket to supplement our meals.
So, there you have it.
Four ingredients, 2 pans, zero prep
1# Italian sausage cooked til crumbly (you can drain if grease is excessive)
1 container of ravioli your choice I recommend steaming rather than boiling.
1 jar alfredo
1 bag of spinach (retains lots of water so no need to add water to thin the sauce)
When I start cooking the meat, I put my ravioli (frozen) in the steamer and they are done about the same time, plus it’s not soggy and I can control the tenderness of my pasta. If you don’t own a steamer and want or need to steam something get a saucepan that would be twice as deep of the intended steamed item. Put water in the pan half way up. Take heavy foil, or double regular foil and place in the pan, pushing down til the foil is right above the water line. Take a sharp knife and carefully poke a few holes in the foil. Before I ever owned a steamer, I used this method (still do when I don’t want to wash dishes). You just bring the water to a low boil and put a lid over the food and let it steam.
After the meat is cooked til crumbly (by the way, I just love this Pampered Chef utensil, it’s called the Mix ‘N Chop. It makes the meat just fall apart easily and cooks much faster. I turn off the burner for the meat, add the alfredo and spinach ( it looks like too much spinach I promise it’s not that stuffs wilts down to nothing) top with the pasta. Cover and let set for a few minutes. Uncover, mix carefully your pasta is very tender and will come apart… serve.
Now if you absolutely have to a full meal, make an easy salad and throw some garlic bread in the oven. This is really tasty, and it reheats well. Bear in mind if you make real alfredo it will separate when reheated.
All my article recipes are on my Pinterest board for the Roosevelt Review, feel free to post any substitutions or changes you make to the recipes. https://www.pinterest.com/shakapuddn/the-roosevelt-review/
Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 1 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 c. Italian blend cheese, grated
• salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. Melt butter over medium heat in a sauté pan. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
2. Add flour, milk, heavy cream, and cheese directly to the melted butter in the sauté pan. Stir together and heat till simmering. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Serve over your favorite pasta or use as a dipping sauce for breadsticks or garlic bread.
