Tortellini with Italian Sausage and Fresh Vegetables

A very good friend of mine requested a while back for a recipe that could be done in about 30 minutes. Understandably, as she is not only an Army wife to a special forces soldier, a mother of a daughter with a baby boy on the way, as well as a full time soldier herself with multiple deployments under her belt. She’s a busy woman. In addition, she’s probably one of the most selfless people I know, helping out friends and soldiers alike whenever they are in need. This one is for her.

Trying to come up with an under 30 minute recipe isn’t very easy, however. Many are familiar with the concept of cooking a quick dinner thanks to Rachel Ray’s tv show, as well as the plethora of quick and easy recipes from big food companies such as Kraft and Campbell’s. In either case, most of these meals are prepared from pre-made foods, which are typically processed and/or have funky ingredients in them. I try to keep things as from-scratch as I can when cooking.

I do have a go-to meal that I use quite often when time is short.

 

Lasagna Bolognese alla Hardy

What comes to mind when you think of a bolognese? It’s probably not the same thing that comes to my mind. It is my belief that ragu bolognese is one of the most misunderstood Italian sauces, ever. I’m no Italian, but I do think I can help set the record straight.

The words ragu bolognese usually conjure images of a thick and chunky tomato sauce with ground beef piled on top of a plate of spaghetti. Well, if you didn’t click the wikipedia link above, then I guess I’ll have to be the bearer of bad news. Or good news, depending on your perspective.

 

Fresh Homemade Semolina Pasta

Wow, what a week. A long and busy week. I was definitely unprepared to return to the Army after a month off. Wednesday we ran the dreaded “gulch” which is a four mile route with extreme hills. It’s an ankle, knee, and shin nightmare. Needless to say, after not having run for weeks, I got shin splints. Then Friday there was a short ruck march, but it exacerbated my shin problem and the crappy boots I have gave me some nasty blisters the size of golf balls. That’s what I get for taking time off.

Full days at the motorpool aren’t usually so bad, but this week was a little different. Mostly because I’m used to coming home from work to relax and unwind. Oh, right, I have a baby now! It’s been difficult finding a new groove to get into and my time management hasn’t exactly been super efficient. Then I had 24 hour staff duty sprung on me on Friday last minute, so that just cut my weekend in half.

Alas, I have now found some time to rest and relax. Of course, that means a new recipe (finally!)