I have to admit, I’m a serious food magazine hoarder. Really, you should see me whenever I find a new Cooking Light or Food Network magazine in the mail- It feels like Christmas! I end up storing them in my designated cookbook bookcase (only me?) and might make one or *gasp* two recipes that can be found in their magical pages.
I guess if I were to sum it up, I love the possibility that prospective recipes bring. The idea that food can take you to exotic places with one sweet or savory bite make me ooze excitement and potential. I imagine myself sitting outside a french bakery, mesmerized by the beautiful people passing by on vintage bikes, chatting casually and occasionally filling the air with the sounds of their laughter tinkling like small bells. I can just picture myself languidly lying on the softest of sands on a beach in Hawaii, sipping at my Mai Tai and taking in the therapeutic roaring of the waves and the singsong chirping of the fantastically colored birds.
And all of this brought on by a simple picture of a croissant or exotic drink that grace the thousands of recipes I have stored in that old wooden bookcase. I have a glorified idea that food has the power to bring people together and unite them under a common love and I have always felt that cooking or baking with someone is such an intimate experience.
The potential and promise with each beautifully taken picture is almost like a drug to me, bringing me comfort and allowing me to curl up quietly with some warm cocoa, completely at peace with the world as I try to decide what my next meal will be.
That being said, while I hardly ever make more than a couple of recipes within a magazine issue, they fill my thoughts with ideas that I file away in my mind and eventually put into practice.
The same goes for this delicious and light Orecchiette with Parmesan and Chicken Sausage, which was roughly imagined up from a recipe on the cover of Cooking Light. And by that I mean that I thought the pasta shapes were adorable and that anything with some sort of sausage had to, by law, taste marvelous. It was go time! And let me tell you, this recipe is a keeper! It’s bursting with flavor and was ready in under 30 minutes, not to mention it only required one pot. Since moving in to my apartment with a bunch of my main girlfriends, I feel like I’m in a constant state of dish washing, so that fact makes my world go round. So let’s see: Easy? Check. Delicious? Check. Under 400 calories per serving?!?! Let’s party!!
This dish tastes anything but light and just oozes garlicky and cheesy goodness. I love the crunch and texture that the broccolini adds, along with the beautiful green color that makes the dish look so light and vibrant.
And don’t even get me started on the sausage. My viking genes (Go Norway!) require that I get in my meaty protein fix and I was pleasantly surprised by how well the chicken sausage satisfied my cravings. I used the garlic basil edition from Trader Joe’s and found that just two delectable and savory pieces were plenty for the entire dish and that they added the perfect amount of extra flavor to balance the dish.
Also, if you don’t have garlic salt in your life yet, you’re probably miserable. Even if you don’t know it yet. Garlic salt is my remedy for everything bad in the world and is the glue that holds Kyle and my relationship together. We put it on everything savory and it makes and recipe 10 times better!
Let me know how it goes for you!
I’m a serious magazine hoarder, just of the fashion and fitness variety. I love flipping through food magazines too and imagining the delicious foods. Every time I come across a great recipe, like this one, I save it and tell myself I’m going to make it. The thing is, I’m not much of a cook and most recipes just intimidate me. Do you have any tips for someone just learning to cook?
I am guilty of the same thing! My weakness is health magazines (Fitness, Shape, SELF) followed by food magazines. Food Network and Cooking Light are my favorites too
I want to start a binder so that I can just pull out the things I want but I keep never getting around to it.
This recipe looks delicious – perfect for a weeknight meal and my BF loves sausage
Trader Joe’s chicken sausage is the best! I am also a magazine hoarder (all kinds of magazines!). Nice recipe!
ditto to kelly’s comment! TJs chicken sausage is amazing. If only they would open a TJS in Canada!!!
I’ve never tried broccolini or chicken sausage! This looks sooo yummy!
Yum! I love pasta and cheese and this looks delicious. I’d sub the chicken sausage with something soy-based for myself to make it vegetarian friendly, and maybe I will give it a try!
Haha food magazines are the best. My mom has a huuuge stack of Cooking Illustrated magazines that I have spent hours flipping through… no shame 😉
This dish looks sooo good! Lightened up parmesan veggie sausage orecchiette sounds like the perfect variation 😛
This pasta sounds great! I’m horrible about reading food magazines and blogs, finding recipes I really want to make and then forgetting about them when I go to make dinner. I think I look at the food mags more just to drool over the pictures.
Your blog seriously gets better every time I visit. XOXO Christine? I die. I’m the same exact way, though. My Pinterest boasts thousands of recipes that I have yet to make. Magazines are even worse! I do the same with workouts… I keep the whole magazine because I think I’m going to randomly go through it again and pick a workout to do. Um, no. That’s what blogs are for lol. “I have a glorified idea that food has the power to bring people together and unite them under a common love and I have always felt that cooking or baking with someone is such an intimate experience.” <—- SAME. This post made me just fall in love with falling in love with food experiences.
Holy yum.
Oh my goodness girly this looks absolutely delicious! I love how you feel about food magazines. I wish I had some sort of passion like yours toward cooking but alas, I fail in the kitchen. But, I can agree with you on one thing – looking at recipes and other foodie pictures does get me all kinds of excited!!!!
Magazine hoarder here as well! That stock photo of magazine stacks kind of describes my current situation perfectly
I am a magazine hoarder too! I usually do a little better than two recipes a magazine but once I’m done, I hardly ever go back. I don’t know why I keep them all!
Oh yes…I’m totally a magazine hoarder too! I have tons of magazines and I can’t get myself to get rid of them. They just keeping piling up!
Love this orecchiette recipe. Sounds wonderful!
Oh I love magazines…Any kind! The glossy pages and the gorgeous pictures…I have a serious problem with all kinds of magazines.
That recipe sounds wonderful!!