Pleasant Surprises + Recipe

The other day when I came home from work, there was a box sitting on my table. At first I thought it was just a holiday present I had ordered and then I took note of the return address on it. It was the prize pack I won a few weeks back from participating in the #PastaFits twitter party! I had completely forgot about it, so it was a very pleasant surprise.

Of course, being the child I am, I had to rip into it to see what I won! The box was filled with all different types of pasta, ranging from gluten-free to veggie, The Carb Lovers Diet pocket guide, a spaghetti spoon and a $25 Visa gift card!

I'm a big fan of pasta, so this prize pack is right up my alley. I was even making pasta for dinner that night! Here is the recipe I prepared. It's from a cookbook I received for Christmas a few years back, called Preserving Our Italian Heritage. It's not the healthiest dish in the world, but it's one of my favorites to have occasionally, in moderation. The light cream can be substituted with half & half to save some fat, of course. You can also use whole wheat, whole grain or gluten-free pasta!

Salsa di Caserta  (Cream Sauce with Sweet Sausage, Green Peppers)

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet sausage

1 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 cup light cream
1 tsp. dried marjoram, crushed
1/8 tsp pepper
1 lb. farfalle pasta, or your favorite pasta, cooked al dente

Directions:

Remove sausage from casing, crumble into a skillet. Stir and cook until sausage is no longer pink. Add onion and garlic, saute until onion is soft and light colored. Drain any excess fat that might be in the pan. Stir in the light cream, parsley, cheese, marjoram, salt and pepper. Bring to a low simmer and make sure you do not boil, reduce heat, cook and stir over medium heat 6-8 minutes until thickened. Toss with the pasta and enjoy!