Sausage Pasta

This is a super easy recipe that I found on allrecipes.com, submitted by Tammy. It makes 4-5 good sized servings. Emily would have preferred not quite so much spinach, but Dillon and I thought it was great. We didn't have the Italian sausage that this recipe called for so I substituted cheesy bratwursts that I had on hand. Other vegetables could be added for different variations. I will make this one again.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 pounds pasta

1 T olive oil

1 pound spicy Italian sausage

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth

1 t dried basil

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach

1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta (penne works great) and cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve. In a large skillet, heat oil and sausage; cook through until no longer pink. during the alst 5 minutes of cooking, add onion and garlic to skillet. Add broth, basil and tomatoes with liquid. cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to slightly reduce. Add chopped spinach; cover skillet and simmer on reduced heat until spinach is tender. Add pasta to skillet and mix together. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, and it was submitted by Anita Bukowski. The mild garlic flavor in this dish makes for a deliciously different treatment for butternut squash. Serves about 6 people.

INGREDIENTS:

2 T minced fresh parsley

2 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, bombine the parsley, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add squash and toss to coat. Transfer to an ungreased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until squash is just tender.