Julia (and) Childs in the Kitchen: Making a Come Back- Chicken Sausage with Butternut Squash and Pinenuts

Happy Mother's Day to all! 2020 has sure been a year to remember so far...it has tested our faith, patience, strength, will and sanity. Though this time has brought lots of fear, stress and worry it has also allowed us time (albeit forced) to slow down, self-reflect, count our blessings, and be appreciative of what we have. I am finding myself being more deliberate in what I chose to do with my time and my thoughts. It's allowed me the permission to give attention to my creative side which typically gets silenced in the hustle and bustle of life. Cooking for me is one of those things that brings me joy and a sense of peace. I especially love how a great meal can brighten any mood and often times can spark a nostalgic memory for someone. I'm loving all the family time in this but also sorely missing all of my social connections, meals and drinks and laughs shared with good friends. Since we can't get back to that quite yet I decided to resurrect my cooking blog on this Mother's Day. It was an aspiration of mine, started way long ago but ironically "momming" ultimately got in the way! Six years have passed but not much has changed- we are still cooking up a storm here, learning, laughing and making memories. I'm excited to be sharing it all with you again! Feel free to browse the old posts, we still enjoy those recipes regularly! Be sure to keep an eye out for new favorites! Here's to still "sharing a meal" connecting, and celebrating family and friendship over food! Salut!

Thought I'd start off by sharing a recipe we discovered this past fall but still is often requested in the warmer months!

**Most of my recipes feed 4 hungry people. I don't do a lot of precise measuring but will indicate if it is necessary!! If I used a recipe for inspiration I'll link to the original, most times I give it my own twist!

Chicken Sausage with Butternut Squash and Pine Nuts

Total Cook Time: 40 minutes

You will need:

1.5 lbs fresh chicken sausage*
1 medium bunch of kale**

1 small butternut squash***

1 lb pasta of your choice

3 Tbsp pine nuts

5-6 sage leaves

1-2 cloves of Garlic

Olive oil

grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese****

* I prefer to squeeze the fresh sausage out of casings for this, you could buy ground sausage instead or even chop up prepackaged sausage into coin shapes

** I prefer dinosaur kale for its texture and milder flavor, traditional kale is too curly!

*** Save time and buy pre-peeled and pre-cut butternut squash

**** This is the real Parmesan cheese, its more expensive but well worth it for the taste, never buy the crap in a jar lol****

First get all of your ingredients out and get yourself prepped- this will make the dish come together much easier!

For the butternut squash... chop off both ends and peel skin, then chop in 1 inch chunks. Place on parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil, salt, some garlic, and a few sage leaves. Pop in a 400 degree oven while you prepare the rest of the meal (about 20-30 minutes).

Rinse kale leaves and tear away from center rib (middle hard piece, not pleasant to eat!) roughly chop

Fill a large pot with salted water and set on stove...

Heat a liberal amount of olive oil in a pan over medium heat in a high-sided skillet (2-3 swigs).

Toss in some garlic and saute your kale until it's a little crispy, then remove from pan

Boil water for your pasta now!

Then add some more oil and toss in your sage leaves and pine nuts to toast them up.

Just until golden brown and you can start to smell them... then remove and set on paper towel

Add in a more glugs of olive oil and the rest of the garlic and when it just starts to brown, squeeze the sausage out of their casings and into the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Let meat brown and caramelize, about 5-7 minutes.