Penne Sunday

Friends, I'm in loooooove with Sundays.  It's just a wonderful day to spend with family and think of the weekend fun that was had and the great week to come.  Whether we start the day bright and early and head to church, or have a lazy morning of sleeping in and snuggles with the girls, I always try to END the day with a good meal. 
This penne pasta dish is the way to go.  I love that it blends tomato and cream together, and makes the perfect sauce!

Penne in Tomato Cream Sauce With Sweet Italian Sausage

*1 tbls butter

*1 tbls olive oil

*1 onion, sliced thin

*3 garlic cloves, minced

*8oz package of fresh, sliced mushrooms

*1/2 lb of sweet Italian sausage (skip the sausage if you want a meatless dish!)

*3/4 c dry white wine

*1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, don't drain  (I run mine through the food processor quick because my picky eaters don't like chunky tomato sauce)

*1 c heavy cream

*6 tbls fresh Italian parsley (optional)

*fresh parmesan cheese

*one pound box of penne (I don't use the whole box.  Only about 3/4 of it because

I like my pasta saucy.)

Cook pasta according to directions, drain and set aside. Brown up the Italian sausage in a large heavy skillet.  Drain and set meat aside.  In the same skillet on medium heat, add onion and mushrooms.  Cook until onion and mushrooms are tender, then add garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add wine, bring to a simmer and let that reduce by about half.  Then add can of diced tomatoes.  Simmer for another 5 minutes. Add cream and continue to simmer so it thickens up a bit. (usually about 5-7 minutes) Stir in parsley and a handful of parmesan cheese. Add cooked pasta and  serve it up, adding a bit more parmesan to top it off.  Mmmmm... more cheese...

I usually serve this with some garlic bread.  I've also added asparagus to this dish.  It makes quite a bit, so it's great for having company over (it's definitely a crowd pleaser!) or just to reheat for lunch during the week.  It reheats really well!

Enjoy your Sunday!!

*you can follow me on IG or Pinterest @hautedishhousewife, and soon on FB at Haute Dish Housewife for more recipe ideas, crafts/DIY, my style and giveaways.

Kluski (Polish Dumplings)

Due to the Spring identity crisis here in Minnesota (and the 8 inches of snow dumped on us this past Sunday) I'm back to making comfort food.  But honestly, these delicious little dumplings are so satisfying, whether it's cold or warm outside!
Prior to meeting my husband, I had never tried, let alone even heard of kluski.  I remember the first time I tried them was at a big get-together in the coffee shop up North at the family cabin. My first thought was, "YUM!" and the second was, "Where have these things been all my life?"  After many years of observing, taste-testing and grilling Auntie DiAnn for a specific recipe (a recipe she never follows) she was able to give me enough guidance where I could go home, come up with and write down an actual recipe.

I won't lie, eating kluski makes me a bit nostalgic and I often think of wonderful times with my husband's incredible family.  I think of all the fun parties up North and how everyone looks for any excuse to get the whole family together and have a good time. I think of Aunty DiAnn's warm smile and beautiful Christmas tree while we all are made to feel so welcome in her home on Christmas Day.  I think of our cousin Jared walking through the back door with his snowmobile gear on and a huge smile on his face, and of my little girls and their adorable cousins running around the house, making memories to last a lifetime.
Make kluski and bring it to your family gatherings, or just to have as a side dish at your table... you won't be disappointed!

Kluski (Polish Dumplings)

*3 cups of flour

*3 large eggs

*1 1/4 cup of milk

*1 teas Lawry's season salt

*1/2 teas salt

*1 teas pepper

Grab a big pot, fill it with water and set on the stove at high heat.  Whisk eggs in a small bowl and add to flour in a medium size bowl.  Then add one cup of milk.  You want the dough to be a bit sticky.  If it feels to dry, add 1/4 cup more of milk and mix well.  After your water is at a boil, drop dough into the boiling water in small chunks.  I don't take the time to round them out, mostly because the dough is too sticky for that.  Plus I like the various shapes and sizes.  I just take a small spoon and push the dough off of it into the boiling water.  You won't be able to do all the dough in one batch, so I just drop dumplings until my pot looks to be getting full.  You want to give them plenty of room so they don't stick together and they can float to the top.  After you drop in the dough, give it about 2 minutes and stir the pot.  Sometimes they'll want to stick to the bottom.  After the dumplings float to the top, give them another few minutes to cook.  I usually keep them in there for about 10 minutes, tops.  Remove them with a slotted spoon and move on to the next batch.  Once they're all out, you can decide how you want to prepare them.

My favorite way to prepare kluski is to melt a stick of butter (yes, a whole stick) in a large pan, grab a head of cabbage and one onion and chop.  Sauté the cabbage and onion in the butter over medium heat until it's wilted down.  Add a bit of salt and pepper, and then dump that into a crockpot, add the kluski and set to low for a few hours until ready to serve.  Some people add bacon to theirs, but in my opinion it tends to overpower everything else. You can make this as a side to pretty much anything, but my favs are a roasted chicken or pork tenderloin.  OR you can just grab a big ol' plate and skip the meat all together.

I really hope that you give this recipe a try, and then let me know what you think!

*you can follow me on IG or Pinterest @sarawuchko, and soon on FB at Haute Dish Housewife for more recipe ideas, crafts/DIY, my style and giveaways.

Bring on the Broccoli!

Years ago, "bring on the broccoli" are words I'm sure I would've never thought I would say.  As a kid, like many kids, I was a super picky eater.  SUPER. PICKY. EATER.  I can't stress it enough.  These days, picky eaters are stressing me out as I'm paying for it with two picky eaters of my own... three if you count my husband!  Now that I'm older and my taste buds have matured, I'm not so picky and I really do enjoy eating my veggies.  (You were right, mom!)
I figure even if my kids don't eat as many vegetables these days as I'd like them too, if I keep offering it and they see me eating them, they'll eventually come around, right?  RIGHT?!?!?  Ugh...
Anyway, the weather is finally starting to warm up here in good ol' Minnesota.  So, like many Minnesotans, my mind goes to the coming days of playing outside in the warm sunshine with the kids, flowers, gardens, etc.  I've already started planning this years garden.  I just can't wait for all those fresh veggies! 
I recently grabbed a bag of fresh, sweet baby broccoli at the store.  I planned to just sauté it up but then I went out to dinner with friends and was inspired by an appetizer I had tried.  As I drove home that night, the wheels in my head started turning and I wanted to recreate something similar at home.  Since I was working with a different vegetable all together, the results were different, obviously, but delicious, nonetheless.
If you love broccoli, try this recipe.  If you've ever tried broccoli and it wasn't your fav, try this recipe. So pretty much just saying you need to try this.  It's effortless with minimal time and ingredients, but the results?  Sweet, crispy and HEALTHY!

Sweet Baby Broccoli with Honey & Almonds

*One bag of baby broccoli (You don't have to make the whole bag. Just grab what you think you'll eat. Plus a bit more. You'll thank me later!)

*Olive oil

*Salt

*Honey

*Slivered Almonds

Preheat your oven to 350. Grab a foil lined cookie sheet and lay out your baby broccoli. Then, grab a bowl and fill with a bit of olive oil.  I used about a teaspoon or two, gave my youngest a kitchen "paint brush" and let her paint the oil on the broccoli. Sprinkle on a little salt and then drizzle some honey over the broccoli.  Top with some slivered almonds.  Pop the pan in the oven and check after 5 minutes.  Then keep a close eye on it... broccoli can burn pretty quickly!  Mine took about 7 minutes or so until it was tender.  As soon as it looks to be a brighter green and feels a bit tender, take it out of the oven and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

So... did this recipe get my youngest daughter to eat her broccoli?  Nope.  I'm not a miracle worker.  My oldest, who is finally a raw broccoli fan, was more willing to try it and gave it a thumbs up.  One down, one to go!

Steppin' Up My Game

I hate to even admit this, but up until recently I hadn't purchased a necklace, earrings, or any other accessory for that matter, for myself in years.  YEARS.  I mean... what kind of lady am I?!?!  Normally I stick to my wedding ring and a beautiful necklace given to me by my husband and kids a few years back on Christmas.  But lately, I look at myself and feel like my look-of-the-day is lacking.  I'm noticing how other women accessorize and find myself totally loving what I'm seeing, where in the past I haven't had much interest.  I'm more of a simple statement kind of girl.  So far.  I've been eyeing up many super cute baubles (such as the large collar statement necklaces at www.baublebar.com) lately to adorn my neck and fingers, however, I get nervous wearing them out of fear they may look to excessive on me. 

So, when I was out and about the other day , I found an adorable, handmade necklace by Wild Ruffle (www.wildruffle.com) that I knew I must have and it's totally fueled my desire to step up my game for more accessories. 

I love that it's large enough to draw attention, but not too flashy.  Plus it says "love," and EVERYONE loves love, right?!

A few days later I was browsing some shops I follow on Facebook and Instagram (follow me @sarawuchko) and came across a necklace that I just knew had to be added to my newfound accessory addiction.

I found it at Primp, and I got a special surprise when it arrived in the mail... the chain is long enough where I can not only wear it as a longer necklace, but I can wrap it around for a different look, which is what I went for today.  MN love, right??

I can't wait to see what else I find!
So tell me... are you more of a simple statement kinda girl like me, or more of a dazzle girl?

A Crowd Pleaser

This morning I called up a good friend to wish her a happy birthday.  (She is celebrating 39... again.) My husband grew up with her husband and I have been fortunate enough to get to know her over the years.  She has become an unbelievable friend.  Trustworthy, kind, and super fun to hang out with... she is a total treasure! 
A few years ago her family bought a little cabin just a few hours away, and we have enjoyed many weekends together up there with our girls.  Between us we have four little girls, and that cabin is filled with pink blankies, pillows, swimsuits and girly giggles on our fabulous girls weekends together.
One thing we really enjoy doing together while we are on our weekends is cooking.  Whether it's summer or winter, we seem to fall back on those meals that are easy to throw together at the end of a leisurely day at the lake, and one way to do that is to grab the ol' trusty crockpot.  One of the easiest, most filling and delicious meals we've made up there is crockpot beef stroganoff.  I've made this for my family, for company and for a big cabin crew... it always gets rave reviews.

Here's what you need to make this hearty, delicious...

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

*2-3 pounds of round or chuck steak, cut into cubes

*1/2 c flour

*1.5 tsp salt

*1/2 tsp pepper

*1/2 tsp ground mustard

*1/2 tsp Lawry's garlic salt

*medium onion, sliced

*8oz pack of sliced mushrooms (white or baby portabellas)

*1 can of Campbell's condensed beef consommé (I've also made this with condensed beef broth or beefy mushroom and had the same wonderful results!)

*1.5 c sour cream

*bag of wide egg noodles, cooked (if you have any pasta haters in your house, you can replace the noodles with a baked potato instead)

Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, ground mustard and garlic salt in a shallow bowl.  Drop your cubed steak in and coat with the flour mix.  Then put the beef into your crockpot.  Top with the sliced onions and mushrooms.  Pour in your Campbell's condensed broth or consommé.  Cover and set to low for 7-8 hours.  Before you serve, stir in sour cream.  Leave the cover off the crockpot for a good 10 minutes or so while you boil the noodles or cook the baked potato.  This will help thicken the gravy.  Top your noodles with all that deliciousness and ENJOY!

This meal really is a big pleaser!  I love having friends over for pasta dinner nights, and usually make this, a seafood dish and meatless pasta dish.  Makes for a fun night with friends!  Who will you make this easy, filling, yummy meal for??