nora's little nook: today's post is brought to you by the letter 'P'

The Letter 'P'-

pumpkin penne pasta with pork sausage:

A few weeks ago one of my friends posted a link on facebook to a recipe for pasta with pumpkin sauce. i thought that it sounded like an interesting and potentially good way to use up the 2 cans of pumpkin that i had left over after the holidays...

but then i forgot about it... a few other things on my mind recently. ;) then, yesterday morning rachael ray made a very similar sounding dish on her show and it reminded me of the original recipe that i had read. i thought about it and realized that i had all of the ingredients, so dinner was done... almost.

rachael's recipe called for sausage, and although i didn't have sausage, i had ground pork, so i decided to make my own. it was SO simple, really cheap, and honestly, i think i like it better than the premixed sausage. plus, i was excited to use 2 ingredients that i had never used before but have had for quite a while- savory and marjoram.

pork sausage recipe:
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 t. salt
1 clove crushed garlic
2/3 t. marjoram
1/3 t. savory (summer savory)
1/2 t. sage
1/2 t. paprika
1/3 t. crushed red pepper (or more if you prefer hotter sausage)
2 t. brown sugar (my own addition since the recipe called for sweet italian sausage)
combine all ingredients. i used my kitchen aid mixer paired with my amazing rubber beater blade that my parents gave me for christmas last year-

(definitely one of my favorite things in the kitchen).

pumpkin penne pasta recipe:
this recipe is derived from rachael ray's recipe...
i just made a few minor changes according to what i had in my pantry.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pasta-with-pumpkin-and-sausage-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound homemade pork sausage
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1 t. dried sage
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup half and half
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente

Directions:

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and 1 + 1/2 c. chicken stock to the pan. Simmer about 2 minutes. Add remaining stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute

The results were amazing!!! it smelled like thanksgiving dessert and tasted even better. definitely a new favorite in our kitchen!

can't wait for leftovers tonight!

i also made some of my favorite dinner rolls to go along with our pasta.

herbed dinner rolls-

ingredients:

1 cup warm water
2 T. butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
2 1/4 t. active dry yeast
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. dried rosemary, crushed
3 1/4 c. bread flour
additional butter, melted
coarse salt, optional

directions:

combine all dry ingredients
add water, butter, and egg. mix with dough hook about 5 minutes. add more flour or water as needed.
turn dough onto lightly floured surface. divide into 16 portions. shape into balls. place 2" apart on greased baking sheet (or pizza stone). cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt.