February Favorites

Please pardon my MIA-ness over the last few days but Shaun and I took a little vaca in Antigua to escape some of the cold Jersey days (more on that to come later, so stay tuned!), but hopefully you enjoyed my guest article over at Haute Apple Pie. I'm just a few days late on my February Favorites but still want to share them, and hopefully you'll share some of yours with me! Without further ado...

Mascarpone cheese This is one that I must explore further, especially following my truly delightful and palette pleasing marscapone dessert at Fig & Olive. Though Giada DeLaurentiis uses it incessantly, my own Italian mom doesn't so I hadn't either. But mixed with some vanilla bean atop an almond shortbread cookie, this creamy Italian cheese has won me over big time.
Crostini There's just something about spreading anything on a crispy, salty bread round that just makes my heart skip a beat. Whether it's fig jam and gorgonzola cheese, truffles, bell peppers, or roasted garlic, crostini has been a major player in my repetoire of late.
Red wine It's been perfect during the harsh winter months. Since I virtually never drink hard liquor and only enjoy beer on a warm summer day, red wine is really the only alcoholic beverage for me. Whether by the glass at our favorite Friday happy hour or a cheap bottle from Whole Foods for our Valentine's Day dinner, I've thoroughly enjoyed this treat over the last month.
Cherry tomatoes Though I'm typically not a huge fan of tomatoes, this miracle produce turns a basic pasta dish from eh to oh la la. Chopped up and sauteed in my Pasta with Turkey Sausage, the only thing better than the taste is the heavenly smell that comes from sauteeing them with a little garlic and olive oil.
Multifunctional Kitchenware Living in a one bedroom apartment with a tiny kitchen means that any appliance or tool that doubles in use jumps to numero uno in my book. After continuously making a giant mess by resting spoons on my stove top between stirs of sauces and the like (a tiny kitchen has made me reluctant to even buy a spoon rest since it's just another item that stays out on the countertop), I realized that my sweet red and white tea cup saucers double as a spoon rest. Added bonus: I get to enjoy my seldom used, yet gorgeous, red and white saucers more frequently.
Baked by Melissa mini cupcakes Ok, I was going to let this one pass by since I tend to write about cupcakes a lot. But I scored a freebie box of BbM cupcakes a few weeks ago (thanks, L!) and enjoyed them immensely during a girls night at my sister Kimberly's Brooklyn apartment. Of course, I already gave these little guys a glowing review, and yes, they're still just as delish the second time around.

So what do you think? What did you thoroughly enjoy over the last month? Any new found favorites? Share 'em in comments!

Psst...Missed last month's favorites? Check out my January Faves here.

Guest Blogging at Haute Apple Pie: City Slicker Getaway

I'm so happy to announce that today I'm guest blogging at Haute Apple Pie. A fabulous site for the haute homemaker (something I'm aspiring to be), the HAP ladies cook up delicious eats, throw chic parties, and are full of DIY home makeovers that I'm just dying to try. After becoming an avid reader of their fantastic blog, you can imagine my excitement at being asked to write a guest article detailing a New York City Getaway for their Spring Break Series this week. So without further ado, please head over to hauteapplepie.com to check it out!

City Slicker Getaway: New York City

Recreate it: Penne with Turkey Sausage & White Wine Reduction

Last week, my fab friend Lindsey and I discovered a sweet little Italian restaurant called La Carbonara. A tiny restaurant with exposed brick and illuminated by candles, La Carbonara serves up delicious Italian fare with a modern twist. In addition to a bottle of Montepulciano (an Italian red wine, which at $25 a pop is a major steal for any Manhattan restaurant), I dined on orecchiette with broccoli rabe, sweet Italian sausage and cherry tomatoes, the latter of which quite honestly, I can't seem to get out of my head. At a sweet $9.95, this dish had all the right flavor moves and was served in a manageable portion - something virtually unheard of in an Italian restaurant. So with the orecchiette in my head for the last week, I decided to recreate it in my very own tiny kitchen. And I have to tell you, with some subtle substitutions to fit my own culinary parameters, I think it came pretty darn close to the original. Oh, and did I mention that it's healthy to boot? Full of fresh veggies and turkey sausage, this dish is destined to make my weekly repetoire. Check it out...

Pasta with Turkey Sausage & White Wine Reduction
1 box pasta of your choice (I couldn't find orecchiette, so I went with penne)
1 lb. turkey sausage, removed from casings
1 pkg grape tomatoes
1 bag fresh baby spinach
1C white wine (I used a cheap-o Pinot Grigio)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
parmesan cheese
kosher salt
pepper

Cook pasta according to box directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet and add tomatoes which have been sliced in half. Add garlic and kosher salt, sauteeing until soft and they start to smell heavenly.

When desired heavenlyness is reached, remove from the pan and set aside. In that very same skillet, you'll cook the sausage. Remove the sausage from their casings (this is easily done by cutting a slit down the center of each one and removing the skin by hand...it's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it...oh, and wash your hands after this part) and add to the skillet which should still be hot. Let's face it, turkey sausage just doesn't have the same flavor as the real thang, which is why you should get the pan super hot with some olive oil before adding the sausage. Resist the urge to break it up immediately as you want to let it brown a bit. This will provide some great, and necessary flavor. Once it starts to brown on the bottom, you can start breaking it up and turning it over until all browned. Now comes the fancy schmancy reduction part. Remove sausage from pan. Deglaze said pan with 1 C white wine, scraping up the brown bits from the tomatoes and sausage as you go. Oh, and the beauty of cooking with wine? The chef gets to sample along the way (for research purposes, of course). Bring to a boil and reduce by half (that's the reduction!). Add turkey and tomatoes back in and sprinkle generously with parmesean cheese. Add spinach and stir until it wilts.

And it looks like this...

Serve over pasta and prepare to be hooked.

So that's how I recreated a fabulous restaurant dish in my very own apartment kitch. Have you ever tried to recreate a restaurant dish at home? How did it turn out?

Psst...I did in fact make another turkey sausage pasta dish, which you can find right here...but I must be honest and tell you that this newer one really hit it out of the park! For a variation, check out the old one.