Why he hasn’t proposed yet

He hasn’t proposed to you yet because you haven’t made him this dish.

It’s the only thing that I cook that Jeff says: “We have to have the guys over so they can eat this!”  It’s THAT good.   I knew that I’d like it because it combines pasta with a cream sauce with tomatoes.  That’s my definition of heaven.

Now I know men aren’t easily manipulated.  I know men won’t really decide to propose once you make this for them.  But they might.  Make this.  They’ll want this in their lives forever.  And to get this in their lives forever, they’ll recognize that they need YOU in their lives forever.

Italian Sausage with Bow Ties

(From Simple & Delicious July 2007)

1 package (16 ounces) bow tie pasta

1 pound Italian sausage

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 can (14 1/2 ounces each) Italian stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions.

2. Meanwhile, cook the sausage, onion, garlic and pepper flakes over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until meat isn’t pink.  Drain.

3. Stir in the tomatoes, cream, salt and basil.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.

4. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 6-8 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.

5. Drain pasta; toss with sausage mixture.

6. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Jayme’s notes:

It calls for bulk Italian sausage, but I didn’t really read that.  So instead I got the sausage links.  Oops.  But we love it that way.  Just sliced them into bite size pieces.

I get the hot Italian sausage, but be careful – with that and the red pepper flakes it could be too much.  So get the mild and/or omit the red pepper flakes.

It makes for wonderful leftovers.  Sometimes, it dries out a little more than I’d like the next day, so I just add a scoop or so of spaghetti sauce.  I always have some homemade stuff on hand, so that’s easy to do.

Enjoy!