Penne With Spicy Vodka Cream Sauce... Take That Rachel Ray

1pound penne noodles (I used corkscrew pasta)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1(28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes)
3/4 teaspoon salt (I used a small pinch cuz I hate using salt)
2 tablespoons vodka (I used 3 cuz you can never have enough)
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup butter)
1/4 cup parsley
2 links sweet sausage (I used 2 chicken breasts cut into cubes)
I also added half an onion

Cook and drain Penne noodles
Cook the sausage (or chicken) in oil then add garlic and red pepper flakes until garlic is brown. Then add tomatoes, salt and chopped onion. Bring to a boil then turn down heat to simmer for 15minutes. Then add vodka, cream, parsley, and simmer another minute. Put pasta in a dish and pour sauce over the top.

Grilling Recipes

This link is awesome! It has grilling recipes for everything!

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/grilling?mbid=synd_yshine

Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

1/3 Cup softened Butter
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar (I use a Splenda blend)
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Applesauce
1 1/4 Cup Flour
1 1/4 Cup Oats

Mix everything together and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
DRY
1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
2 Cups Oatmeal
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
as many chocolate chips as you want!

WET
1 Cup softened Butter
1 EGG
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Directions
Mix all dry ingredients and wet ingredients in seperate bowls. Slowly stir wet ingredients into dry ingredient. Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Chicken Curry

Recipe from Tristen

Ingredients
Canola oil- ¼ cup
Yellow onions- 2 chopped
Garlic- 4-6 cloves, minced
Ground Coriander, 1 ½ teaspoons
Ground Turmeric, 1 ½ teaspoons
Cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon
Cauliflower, 1 head, cut into bite size florets
Green Beans, 1 pound, trimmed and coarsely chopped
Salt to taste
Fresh cilantro

Directions
1. Brown the chicken: In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm a few tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken pieces, and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 4-5 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook until the second side is lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker.

2. Saute the vegetables and spices: In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add onions and garlic, sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add coriander, turmeric, cumin seeds, and sauté until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Add about a cup of hot water and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. When it starts boiling, remove the pan.

3. Add the cauliflower and green beans to the cooker. Pour the seasoned liquid over them. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt (Himalayan pink salt is especially yummy) and stir to combine. Cover and cook on the high heat setting for 4 hours, or the low heat setting for 8 hours.

Serve over steamed basmati rice and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Note: If I'm being really lazy, I'll skip the green beans, and just toss in a bag of frozen peas about 30 minutes before serving...

Sneaky Spinach Pesto

Recipe from Tristen

Ingredients
1 bag of organic spinach leaves, cleaned
2-3 handfuls of fresh basil (we grow it on the patio and I basically pick both plants clean every time we make this)
3-8 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
Small handful of toasted pine nuts
Salt to taste
Pecorino Romano cheese to taste (optional)

Directions
Puree everything in the food processor until smooth. Toss it with fresh pasta, use it as a dip for bread, drip it over a Caprese salad, bake it over polenta... or, like we did on Friday, make an easy party food: slice mini red bell peppers in half, fill with a spoonful of goat cheese, and top with a dollop of pesto. Bake at 350 for fifteen minutes or until the cheese bubbles slightly.

Stinky Spaghetti

Recipe from Jo.

One box of whole-wheat thin spaghetti, boiled for 8 minutes and drained

Garlic-oil sauce:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I use enough oil so that the garlic and parsley are submerged)
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (I use an entire medium sized bushel)
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (I use an entire clove)
3/4 teaspoon salt (I never use salt)
Cook sauce in a pan on medium-high heat until it sizzles. Be careful not to brown the garlic or wilt the parsley too much. Once you have returned the drained pasta to the pot, pour the sauce over and toss. Plate and top with grated parmesan or romano cheese.