Fenway Park Cacciatore & Pumpkins!

Happy "Thank God It's Friday!" I am so ready for the weekend! Brad and I ate Breakfast together this morning at the kitchen table. Brad had a bowl of stale cheerios..(he found that out after the first bite) and I had harvest farms cinnamon crunch with almond milk...yum! What made it really special was the view that we had! The trees in our backyard are really showing their true fall colors, and a little sun light peeking through made for a great picture!

I am really looking forward to a relaxing dinner tonight. Right now I am debating having breakfast for dinner (mainly because we are almost out of real dinner food, and are too lazy to go grocery shopping) but also because we both love breakfast and usually don't get a good one in during the work week. Last night however, I made what I call "Fenway Park Cacciatore” (cacciatore is Italian for tomato sauce with peppers and onions). When Brad asked..."what's for dinner?"I knew that if I mentioned a dish with the words "F.E.N.W.A.Y P.A.R.K" that it would spark some kind of excitement. Now us women, when we think about Fenway Park, the first thought that comes to mind is cute Jacoby Ellsbury in his Uniform! (Don’t tell Brad)…but when men think about Fenway Park, their mind usually wanders to Hot dogs, Beer and Sausage! I can’t name a guy who does not crave on a weekly basis a juicy, smoked sausage from the ballpark loaded with greasy peppers and onions on a thick toasted bun?! But that food description does not really fit the mold for a nice weeknight dinner meal to share together. So with that, I was on a mission to create the perfect healthy sausage infused ball park meal…and “Fenway Park Cacciatore” was born!

Fenway Park Cacciatore Recipe:

-1 bell red pepper

-1 green pepper

-1 sweet yellow onion

-Olive Oil (OO)

-4 Apple Cheddar chicken sausage

-1/2 Jar of tomato sauce (the lower amount of sugar the better) or make your own from canned, peeled tomatoes

-Pepper

-Salt

-Oregano

-Parmesan cheese

-Grated cheddar cheese

-Bagged spinach

-grape tomatoes

To begin, place a pot of lightly salted water on the stove top to boil. Next, grab your cutting board. Chop your red/green peppers and onion. Chop them the long way, so that you end up with long, thin strips of each. Next, heat up some OO in a sauce pan on medium heat. Then pile into the sauce pan your cut up veggies. Use as many or as little veggies as you want. If you are not obsessed with veggies, then just use half of the pepper and onion, and place the remaining in a zip lock bag for later! The veggies will begin to heat up in the pan. Give them a stir or 2. They should begin to soften and brown. The onions will begin to caramelize, but don’t let them fully caramelize….play around with the heat. Season your peppers and onions with a pinch of salt and lots of pepper. After the veggies look like they are on their way…take your chicken sausage out of the fridge. Chicken sausage is a great healthy alternative to real sausage. The flavored chicken sausage is the best…especially if you are dealing with a fussy man. In keeping with the fall flavors, I choose Apple Cheddar flavored chicken sausage. Place your sausage links in the sauce pan. Let them cook for about 5 minutes with the veggies…so that all the flavors have time to come together. Stir, flip, and roll your sausage, making sure it is cooking evenly. Once the sausage looks like it is browning (chicken sausage cooks up fast)…(see picture below...coming soon)…get your red sauce ready!...

Brad is a huge tomato sauce jar guy…I am not so much of a fan…I prefer to make my own, but the jar is not bad, as long as the sugar count is low. I like to add my own sauce seasonings however. Pour the sauce in the pan with the veggies and sausage. Add some grated pepper, oregano and a little Parmesan cheese to the mix. Stir, Stir, and put on simmer. Okay, now it’s time to get your pasta into the pot of boiling water. I choose to use whole wheat angle hair, but any type of pasta will do! You could even use lasagna links to give it a true sandwich look! I let my pasta cook for about 10 minutes, which is al dente.

Stay with me….Your almost done! Once pasta is cooked, drain from pot and add a little butter so it does not stick together. Place a serving of pasta onto a plate. Then pile on your sausage links and sauce with peppers and onions on top! If you have it…..take a little grated cheddar cheese and sprinkle on top. Cheddar and apple are 2 flavors that are meant to be together! I paired my dish with a mini spinach salad with OO and grape tomatoes...now you are ready to Serve!..(see picture below)

This dish is packed with all sorts of healthy goodness. Its a real "Man's Meal" You have all the ingredients for a great sausage feast minus all that nasty grease….trust me, your guy will not even realize what he’s missing! Plus, this is a meal that you can enjoy together!

Don’t forget…it’s a great weekend to get those pumpkins carved before Halloween. Brad and I plan on craving ours this weekend. If you are not into that whole…”scary face pumpkin look,” and want something a bit more classy to impress your neighbors…then I have a helpful hint for you. Print out a large cursive monogram letter of your last name initial. So for example…mine is J. Trace the letter onto your pumpkin in a light pencil. Then with a knife, crave out the letter, but do not puncture the skin all the way through, so that you are left with no holes. Place a couple tea lights (battery operated…safety first)…inside, so that your letter lights up and looks illuminated!

Happy carving!