Chicken Sausage & Tortellini

This is a typical conversation that happens somewhere between 3-7 pm, almost every single day:

"So what's for dinner?"
"I don't know."

"What's in the fridge?" (usually in reference to what type of animal proteins are thawed and ready to be cooked)

"Umm, there's some ___"

"What are we going to make with that?"

"I hadn't really planned on anything."

"Hmm, what can I make with ___ without going to the store?"

Sometimes the "without going to the store" factor works out in our favor, and other times it does not.

Today, the protein du jour happened to be some of Aidell's chicken mango sausage.  When I heard that was the thawed meat, it called to mind an old recipe I had picked up from one of the cooking demonstration stations at good ole H-E-B in Texas!  Sure enough, I still had it in my recipe box.  I pulled it out and decided I was going to sort of follow this recipe as a "skeleton" recipe and make it my own.

So, here we have it, folks!

Larena's Chicken Sausage & Tortellini

Prep time - approximately 20 minutes, makes approximately 5 servings

Ingredients:

• ~20 oz rainbow tortellini - cheese
• 1 package of Aidells chicken mango sausage, sliced in ~3/4-inch thick slices, or whichever chicken sausage you prefer
• 2 teaspoons caramelized garlic slices with the oil, or use 3 cloves of fresh sliced garlic
• 1 Serrano pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided - 2 tbsp for cooking sausage
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 8 large basil leaves, sliced into 1/2 inch wide strips
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp King Cajun - Cajun cream sauce spice
• Red chili flakes and/or cayenne pepper to taste

1. Cook the tortellini according to the package instructions. Since you will be finishing the tortellini in a large skillet, be sure to only use the lowest cooking time listed on the package. Be sure to stir occasionally and not hard boil it too long to prevent the tortellini from bursting open.
2. As soon as you toss the tortellini into the boiling water, put the 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (stir the tortellini!) Saute the sausage, garlic, and Serrano pepper until the sausage is lightly brown. Use some tongs to flip the sausage so both sides of the slices get a nicely browned edge. (stir the tortellini!) Cook for 4-5 minutes.
3. Once the tortellini has finished boiling, strain it and add the tortellini to the skillet, add the remaining olive oil, and stir to distribute evenly. Add the Cajun cream spice, basil leaves, and cherry tomatoes. Stir again to distribute evenly, and then top with the freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Garnish with a few red chili flakes and/or cayenne pepper according to your spice preference.

Optional ingredients: fresh sliced mushrooms and/or ~1/2 lb uncooked & unshelled/deveined shrimp added at the same time you cook the sausage, garlic and Serrano pepper.

For the nutritional values of this recipe, you can log it through the My Fitness Pal application.  Just search for "Larena's Chicken & Sausage Tortellini."  Disclaimer: this nutritional value calculation is just an estimation.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/view/137730541440173

Zipper, My Precious Baby Dog

Zipper

April 18, 1997 - November 29, 2013

I know, I know.  This is a food blog.  You don't come here to read about dogs.  The thing is, this post isn't about just any old dog.  This is about a foodie dog and one of the best dogs who has ever graced this planet with his presence - and my oh my, did he have a presence!

Rest in peace, baby dog.  Those 16 & 1/2 years between those 2 dates were a great "dash" of a life.  Thanks for living up to your name and making that dash between your date of birth and the day you had to go so "zippy" and wonderful.  You didn't just dash through it - you always “Zipped” right through!  16 & 1/2 years is an incredibly great, long run, especially for a miniature Yorkshire Terrier.  You were simply the best there ever was, and that doesn't even begin to capture who you were to everyone.  You made every day around you a pleasure for everyone you ever met, and I am incredibly grateful for your existence in my world for just over half my lifetime.  We have all been incredibly lucky to have you in our lives, and I'm very thankful my parents took such good care of you.  The fact that you were super sweet in giving kisses from the moment I met you until your last waking moment speaks volumes about who you were.

You were a fighter through and through, my little mighty dog, and so much more. 

A best little buddy. 

An always-available petting recipient. 

A consistently cheerful, playful, and loyal companion. 

A believer in living life to the fullest.

A fierce and fearless six-pound home defender. 

An always-ready, champion fetcher. 

A unabashed smiler, miraculously managed even without lips. 

An intuitive therapist. 

A bedside nurse. 

A masterfully active and animated dreamer.

An overflowing container of so much personality.

A genetic hybrid comprised of an unexplained concoction between pure cane sugar and dog DNA that managed to melt even the coldest of hearts. 

A seemingly endless, though diminishing with age, ball of energy.

A bath disloyalist. 

A post-bath shampoo-smell remover. 

A chewer of hair dryer air. 

An electric hair trimmer antagonist. 

A shameless ham for attention. 

A converter of dog-haters. 

A converter of the dog-fearing. 

A converter of an "I don't want an indoor dog" father. 

An ever-ready travel companion. 

A highly upset announcer when you saw your “mom” bleed.

A dancer in exchange for treats or attention. 

A ball-substitute that happily ran between people for attention when they lost the fetching ball.

A highly successful beggar of food morsels. 

A stealthy, compulsive and shameless kisser.

A flawless finder of all the good spots to mark during walks. 

A sniffer of only the good leaves.

A lantana leaf junkie.

An avid fan of the great outdoors.

A one-litter father.

A sneaky chocolate thief and a subsequent hydrogen-peroxide-induced-chocolate-removal survivor. 

A survivor of a Great Dane attack. 

A survivor of rat poisoning. 

A fearless yard defender from giant, Texas-size opossums and other non-fluffy tailed creatures. 

A vet's office protester. 

A hunger protester who only accepted hand-fed morsels from favorite, worthiness-self-assessed-people when overly excited or upset. 

A fierce women-of-the-house defender. 

A perverted, non-believer in bathroom privacy and a believer in a highly probable statistics of getting attention from a captive throne-sitter.

A connoisseur of sunspots. 

A beggar of corncobs. 

A mad-dash out of kennel morning-potty runner.

A post-morning potty-run torturer of teenage daughters and sleepover victims who refused to get out of bed.

A vehicle engine noise-recognizing greeter. 

An insistent and incredibly dashing sweater model. 

A sniffer of anything butt-like. 

An eager-to-please trick show-off. 

An equal opportunity game player with cats and dogs alike.

A little dude with a complete inability to hide naughty ideas with body language.

A greeter and fetch player, even over the phone. 

A stunningly comprehensive canine student of the English language. 

An unapologetic food snob who only ate Cheerios soaked with milk upon gaining the knowledge that they could be soaked in milk. 

A cheerful part of returning home each and every day. 

A sweet welcomed-guest-greeter and an intimidating unwelcomed-guest-greeter with the remarkable ability to always know the difference between the two with absolute, 100% accuracy. 

A stunner of veterinarians with your age, personality, and vigor for life. 

The gift that truly kept on giving.

An unrepentant thief of hearts. 

A beautiful dog, inside and out. 

Thanks for making everyone love you SO much, little dude.  You are sorely missed, and will always be remembered for everything you were to all of us.  Clearly, it was a LOT.

And now for a different topic...

In light of the recent random shootings here in the United States of America, I’d like to say a few words.  Feel free to share them if you’d like.

First of all, my heart goes out to the victims, their families, their friends, their colleagues, and their classmates.  This sort of senseless violence should have never happened in your lives, and I am truly sorry it ever did.  I hope you will all find the necessary peace and acceptance to get through this tragedy.  I can't even count how many times I have broken down in tears over these last few days.  I don't personally know any of the victims of these tragedies, but it's still heart-breaking to only *begin* to *imagine* the pain that you all must be going through. 

Second, I’d just like to put a word out there in case anyone out there is suffering from depression or thoughts of harming themselves or others.

If you’re mad at the world, try focusing on the good that happens in the world.  Yes, we live in a truly screwed up world, but there are still good people out there.  Why contribute to the negative or mar the innocent?  Is that the type of reputation you want for yourself when you depart from this world?  Find someone you can confide in – a family member, a counselor, a church leader, a best friend, or even just a random stranger with a listening ear.

If you don’t have anyone you believe you can trust in, go to a church or call a suicide hotline.  800-SUICIDE is a toll-free number for one here in the US.  You can also find help at www.crisischat.org.  It is also available 24/7, and all online.  You might be able to find compassion and understanding in places you never thought of before.

If you’re mad at God, try atheism or agnosticism.  If that won’t work for you, try searching for *something* within your belief system that would explain your concerns or try searching outside of your religion.  Maybe you were misled by religion.  Many have been over the years, and they went on to find peace and contentment in a new belief system.  Just remember that sometimes bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people.  Time and unforeseen occurrences happen to us all.  It’s just the nature of the random acts of life. 

If you’re mad at someone in particular, talk to them using calmly articulated words.  If that isn’t an option, try the serenity prayer.  Try writing them a letter that will never be sent to them.  Move on with your life.  Talk to a counselor to try to get past your anger.  Having a “sounding board” to talk to can help you to gain a healthy perspective of the past, present, and future.  A counselor can also guide you through the decision making process of dealing with removing an unhealthy relationship from your life or how to work through your issues together.

If you feel like you just can’t go on with your life, again, try calling a suicide hotline.  If you don’t want to go on with your life, don’t take it out on those who still have so much to live for.  Think of all those things they would want to live for.  Couldn’t you picture yourself doing some of those things in the future?

If you feel unloved and like there isn’t anyone out there in the world who cares for you, get a dog or a cat.  You will have instant unconditional love from someone who thinks you are the single most awesome person there ever was!  If that dog or cat passes away, there isn’t a better way to get over the death of a pet than to get a new one.  Though it might seem impossible at the time, you will fall in love with a new puppy or kitten.  You will grow to love them just as much (if not more) than you loved your previous beloved pet.  They won’t be the same as your previous pet, but you will grow to love them and the personality traits that make them unique.  Pets can be incredibly therapeutic.

If you feel as though life will not get any better, you’re simply wrong.  Unless you have a terminal illness, life will get better if you let it.  Life is what you choose to make out of it.  Even if you have a terminal illness, you can still make the best of your last few moments on this earth.  Tell someone you love them.  Tell someone how much they meant to your life.  Make someone smile.  Put forth some good deeds into the world, and watch it multiply.

If you feel as though your past keeps haunting you, just know that you are not defined by your past.  Even if other people choose to judge you by your past mistakes, don’t judge yourself the same way.  Prove who you are to yourself and others by doing things that would make someone important in your life – dead or alive, a relative, a friend, a teacher, or even just yourself  – proud of what you’ve accomplished and how much you’ve grown as a person. 

Seek help when you need it.  If you have a loved one who suffers from these things, please do not ever give up trying to find them the help they need, and do not ever underestimate the troubles they are going through.  It is not likely to be an easy thing to deal with.  In fact, I could imagine it will be the hardest thing you've ever dealt with.  Just remember this is one of those situations where you will always need to err on the side of caution.  Be safe.

Remember that life always has and always will go on.  This world won’t necessarily be a better place without you.  Make a positive difference in someone’s life, and you just might find a sort of peace and fulfillment you believed was non-existent.  Do you want to know the secret to live a happy life?  It’s living a life without regrets.  Regrets can mean a myriad of different things to different people – i.e. “I regret having kids when I was so young” “I regret not having kids when I was so young” or “I regret never telling them I loved them” or “I regret falling in love with them” – so figure out what you want out of your own life, and stop at nothing to make it happen.  Sometimes it is impossible to avoid regrets, and that where the peace and acceptance have to fill those voids.

Live to fulfill these sagely wise words from one of the most unexpected sources of such wisdom: “Be excellent to each other.” – Bill, from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure