Yesterday I had to speak in church, so my mom and stepdad drove up from Bountiful to come support me (or maybe throw tomatoes). I ended up not writing my talk until about 45 minutes before I gave it because I was down in Bountiful on Friday and Saturday for the UGA Family History Fair that was going on down there. Don’t worry though–my counselors ended up taking most of the time, so it all ended well enough 🙂
(Side note: seriously, family history fairs are my new favorite thing—hundreds of people who are as obsessed as I am with genealogy and whose eyes don’t glaze over every time you mention your latest ancestral find? Sign me up for next year!)
When we got back from our church meetings on Sunday, my mom and I busied ourselves in the kitchen making this delicious pasta dish I’d made before while Matt and my stepdad Scott were guffawing it up over old Westerns like “My Name is Trinity.” (Seriously, even after giving some Westerns a semi-decent shot, I still don’t get the obsession.)
(Check out the pasta recipe below–I promise it’s way more scrumptious than it might look here!)
Even though my weekend felt like a lot of running around and taking notes and preparing and cleaning and cooking, it was still awesome to be able to spend it with family and participate in the fair. Seriously, I’m so juiced about being able to do family history work pretty much full-time this summer.
I have found my new calling in life.
Have you ever tried doing family history?
Pronto Penne Pasta (recipe found in Taste of Home’s Prize-Winning Recipes 2011)
2-1/4 cups uncooked whole wheat penne pasta
1 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, crumble sausage into a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Add onion and green pepper; cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, garlic, tarragon, basil, and cayenne.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour and milk until smooth; stir into sausage mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
3. Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar cheese until melted. Drain pasta; toss with sausage mixture. Sprinkle each serving with 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese.
Yield: 6 servings
