His Face Said It All

I've got a question for all you wives out there. Has your husband ever asked what's for dinner, and when you answer him, no matter how much he tries to hide his disgust or disappointment, his face says how he really feels? If you answered yes, please, join me in my boat! Now, I will admit most of the time my "boys" are up for just about anything I want to experiment with in the kitchen; but every once in a while even I get the feeling that something I'm about to make is not a good idea.

This is how it happened. We were driving to the grocery store, and I asked my husband if we had any more pork sausage in the freezer, before I bought any. He answered me, and then asked what I was using it for. I replied, "A new recipe", and began describing it to him...and that's when it happened. The look on his face was priceless, and there was no doubt I would not be making that. Now, I'm not willing to share with you what it was, because my hope is to convince him he needs to try it, and I don't want any preconceived notions about it before I do.

So, the next step was to figure out what I would make instead, but by this time I was standing in the grocery store, trying to adapt my list, create a recipe in my head, and fight all the pre-snow storm shoppers. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that. This happened the weekend before the big snow fall, so of course, the grocery store shelves were bare! No kidding, the first two recipes I came up I couldn't do because 90% of the ingredients were not to be found any where in this city.

This is what I finally came up with, and I have to admit I am so happy I did. My boys love a little spice in their food, and they could not get enough of this. They gobbled it up and told me over and over how yummy it was. But don't worry if you aren't into too much heat, because either am I, and I could enjoy this too without my tongue crying out for help.

Don't be intimated by the list of ingredients. I'm guessing you probably have a good majority of it in your pantry. And if you prefer to slow cook your sauce in the Crock Pot, I'm sure it would work perfectly as well.

That moment when you realize a recipe is simply not going to be received well is something every home cook dreads. But at least this time it happened before it was even cooked, and not as the first bite is being chewed!

Shells with Zesty Tomato Sauce
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
2 TBS olive oil
1 lb. medium shell pasta
8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
3 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 (12 oz.) can tomato paste
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried parsley, extra for garnish
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1 c. water
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Shaved Parmesan for garnish, optional

In Dutch oven, or large skillet, brown sausage until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain well. Wipe out any dark bits from pan. Add oil and heat over medium. Add onions and mushrooms. Saute' until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Using a mortar and pestal (or small bowl) combine basil, oregano, thyme and parsley. Crush and mix well. When onion mixture is tender, add all other ingredients except Parmesan cheese. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1 1/2-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain VERY well. Add grated Parmesan cheese to sauce and mix well. Add shells to sauce and toss to combine. Serve with shaved Parmesan  and extra parsley sprinkled on top.

Shared on The Country Cook Jan. 24, 2014

Pasta at Very Good Recipes