OMG

The original Thomas Crown Affair is on TCM right now. Steve McQueen and all of his bad ass hotness. Mmmmm....yummy!!! And all of the great jazz music in this movie - I love it. I think he's the reason I think Daniel Craig is so hot...they remind me of one another. I need to stay on track...so lets talk about food!!

Two recipes this evening...one mine and one borrowed :)

Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

10 eggs, lightly beaten
1 lb sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 pint cottage cheese
1 lb grated cheese (I use a combo of Monterrey Jack and Cheddar)
1/2 stick of butter, melted
2 4 oz cans of green chiles

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into the baking dish. Bake covered for 35 minutes; uncover and bake another 15-20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with hashbrowns and mimosas!!!


Cadillac Cowgirl Simple Spaghetti

This is a great side dish or even a base for something a little more substantial...like shrimp, mussels or clams. Experiment with it and you will find your own version of simple spaghetti. You can also put this on the menu during Lent if you're Episcopalian like we are and need a meatless alternative for Fridays :)

8 oz of cooked spaghetti, drained
1/4 cup of olive oil (I actually use a little less than a 1/4, that's just the closest measurement I could think of!)
2 Tbsp butter
4 shallots, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped (use good size cloves so you get more out of them)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Healthy sprinkle of red pepper flakes
LOTS of grated Parmesan, Romano or Pecorino cheese

Bring your water to a boil and add your spaghetti; cook it until al dente. You can do this beforehand and set it aside (it will "unstick" once it's in the oil mixture) or you can time it so as soon as you drain it, you put it in the oil.

In a large skillet, heat your butter and oil. When the butter is melted, add your shallots and garlic. Turn your heat to medium low and cook until they start to become tender. At that point, add your salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook over medium low heat until the garlic and shallots are tender and it smells yummy and garlicky. You don't want to cook out all of the oil; you want to flavor the oil with the garlic and shallots. Add your spaghetti to the skillet and toss to coat. Place on a large serving platter and top with as much cheese as you can handle!

A great variation would be to incorporate cooked chicken, scallops or shrimp, or even steamed mussels or clams. You can also add mushrooms, spinach or arugula - or a combination of all of the above. Anchovies are also awesome in this spaghetti. Drain and chop them and add them to the oil and butter when you put in the shallots and garlic. They will melt and give the oil the most amazing flavor. Just omit the salt if you add anchovies because they are very salty.

Like I said, the possibilities are endless. This would also be great with a piece of simply grilled fish served over the spaghetti. Let your imagination and your taste buds lead the way :) That sounded very cheesy, but I'm going to leave it in here!!


Have a nice evening...I'm off to do some housecleaning and dreaded, hated, despised laundry....ugh.....

I'll be back tomorrow.....try and behave until then :) Oh...and watch your mouth...you trashy people that cuss too much...hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

Kelly