The Food Nanny

One of my BFF's gave me "The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner" for Christmas. When I first opened it I thought oh that is nice, a cook book. But it has become one of my most useful gifts I received. Besides having great, simple recipes it also has some great tips for planning dinners. One of which is to do "Theme Nights" We have done this for the last couple of weeks and it has really been fun and helped the "what should I make for dinner" issue that always seems to get me. My kids are now saying "Is it Italian night or Mexican night tonight?" Instead of what is for dinner. Our Themes are Monday: Surprise Night (Lucky me, one of my friends brings me dinner every Monday so it is a surprise), Tuesday: Italian Night, Wednesday: Crock pot/Family Favorites Night, Thursday: Mexican, Friday: Pizza (homemade or take-out)/Breakfast (every other week) Saturday: Grill Night, Sunday: Traditions. I made a menu for a month and it has been great - of course things come up and we have to be flexible but so far so good. This week for Italian night I made Penne with Sausage, Red Potatoes, and Green Beans, sounds kind of weird but everyone ate it and liked it - Even Nickster, who is pretty picky. Here is the recipe:

8 ounces penne pasta (or any other pasta you have on hand) cooked and drained

4 small red potatoes, quartered

8 ounces spicy bulk Italian sausage (I used mild because I actually wanted everyone to eat it)

1/4 cup minced yellow onion

2 small garlic cloves

1 cup chicken broth

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon butter

1 pound fresh green beans cut in half (I used 1 can of green beans)

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh parsley

Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steam or cook the potatoes in boiling water

steam or cook the green beans (I just drained the can of green beans and warmed it up in the microwave)

Brown the sausage, add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft and sausage is completely done. Add the broth and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in the oil and butter until butter melts. Add the green beans, potatoes, and pasta. Mix well. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Decrease the heat and sprinkle the cheese over the mixture, cover the pan and cook a few more minutes until the cheese is melted.

Serve immediately with extra cheese to sprinkle on if you like.

I 1 1/2 timsed (is that the right word?) this recipe for my family which seemed about right for the 7 of us.

Thanks Miss for the great Christmas gift. We love it!