Premio Please!!!

I love Italian sausages! Those delicious little links open themselves up to a world of flavors, combinations and possibilities. So it was no surprise when Premio offered me the chance to try out their one of a kind brand of Italian sausages, through Influenster, I jumped at the opportunity. Free sausages? Yes please! What I didn’t realize was what an amazing experience I had in store, and how much I would come to love this particular brand of goodness!

 

Once getting to the meats section of the grocery store, I was easily able to find the Premio brand. And I was shocked! Does this say Chicken and Kale sausages? My jaw dropped to the floor and my son gave his signature, “Whaaaaaatt??” and we both stood there in disbelief at the flavors on the self. There was Cheese and Basil, and Pepper, Onion and Mushroom. There was Tomato, Garlic and Rosemary, and there was Cajun Style. Now, maybe I’m a little behind on the Italian Sausage game, but for me, this was a game changer! I have never seen so many options of Italian Sausagey goodness on one shelf before. How I had missed Premio before was beyond me. But now I had found it. And now I could be happy again. The intense love that I already had for sausages grew 10 sizes that day! And I knew then that this new relationship with Premio would be one for the movies. Possibly PG-13, so the kids can still come in.  This was love.

After much debate and many trips back to the meat aisle, we decided on chicken and kale. I had come up with an amazing meal idea that would be not only delicious and hearty, but fast! We made our way to the seafood aisle and picked up a small container of pre-cooked and seasoned shrimp, and then we headed on to the pasta sauces and grabbed a jar of Prego Alfredo Sauce. (Prego was on sale, and I am all about a sale). I was short on produce, but knew I had a couple of items at home, so we went ahead to check out and made our purchase. I have to say it again because I’m so excited about it, thanks to Influenster, we got our new love Premio for free!!! (Free is my favorite price!) We took our free sausage and other items to the house, washed hands, and got ready to make some magic.

 

 

I was able to scrounge up some fresh mushrooms in my veggie drawer, and realized just how short on produce I really was, so I made due with a bag of frozen peas, which I thawed out in cold water while dicing up the ‘shrooms. I browned the sausages in a very large non-stick skillet (I planned on using this same skillet again. That’s why I chose a large one), took them off the heat and sliced them up and then put them back into the skillet to finish cooking. You can, of course, cook your sausages whichever way is your favorite, but I like to have a nice crispy brown casing on my own.

 

 

After cooking the sausages mostly through, I would normally drain the oil or fat that has developed in the pan after frying, but these sausages were fairly clean! No draining necessary, no extra oils, I was able to leave the sausages in the pan and use that same pan to begin putting together my sauce. (Another huge point for Premio! Oh how do I love thee, let me count the ways…) In the same pan that I used to brown my sausages, I added a little bit more oil, my diced mushrooms, my thawed and drained peas, and added some minced garlic. Stirring all of that around in the skillet I let it cook until the scent of the garlic and sausage filled my kitchen and the sausages were cooked all the way through. I then added my alfredo sauce and shrimp, mixed it all together adding some extra seasonings (season to your taste), and covered it up, letting it cook for a few minutes on the eye and allowing all of the flavors to blend with one another. We want to be sure to add the shrimp last because they are already cooked, and we don’t want to run the risk of overcooking. Go ahead and start cooking your noodles now. I chose angel hair, but then, I always choose angel hair. Pick which ever type of pasta works best for you. I personally think that a nice fusilli or even a penne would be great with this dish! Very soon you should start to smell the happy blend of flavors that you have created in your pan. Be sure to stir occasionally, and probably more than you would stir in a pot, as this is a skillet, and the sauce can easily burn if left to sit on the heated bottom for too long.

Once your pasta is done and your sauce is heated through, you’re ready to devour! I know it will be hard, but take some time to savor all of the loveliness in your bowl. Maybe make a salad on the side. Perhaps some garlic bread. I added a little parsley on top. Try not to inhale everything at once. Take a moment especially to taste what a flavorful, sweet and incredible sausage choice you’ve made.

 

 

Try this out! Add your own twists! Check out all of the Premio sausage varieties! Let me know what you think! Send me more recipes, ideas and views on Premio and tell me how your family (and you) cried out more Premio Please at your family dinner.

Hope you enjoy!

-just a girl-

 

An Organization System for My Organization System

I am THAT girl. You know the one. The one that has things everywhere. I mean, EVERYWHERE. The one with the scattered mess of a life that seems really calm inside in spite of it. The one that coins phrases like, “Organized mess”. Oh, that’s me. An outsider would likely get lost in my little storm that I call life. But I could find a thumbtack in it in less than 30 seconds, and not because I stepped on it. It drives my boyfriend nuts, makes my Mother crazy, and I’m probably setting a REALLY bad example for my son.
But I’m not content in this crazy world of mine. I’d love some order. Some organization. Some peace. So I try systems. I try all kinds of little ways to bring some order into my chaos. There have been apps, and PDAs and calendars.
I once went through a post it phase. Oh wasn’t that fun! I had post-its all over the place. I bought post-its of all sizes and colors. I wrote notes and reminders and to-dos, all on different types of post-its. Post-its were the key to my happiness! “I need a post-it to remind me to buy more post-its!” Eventually I realized, this was just creating more of a mess.
Then there was the notebook era. Oh, I had a notebook for my home schedule, and a notebook for my work schedule. I had a notebook for each and every project at work. I had a notebook for the kid’s projects. Soon, my life was full of notebooks. Tons and tons of half used, coffee stained notebooks that I could barely keep track of. And then I started to fill the notebooks with post-its….I think you see where I’m going here.
I needed something better. Something that could organize me, and keep me on track. Something that I could hold onto, and not create more clutter. And then a co-worker of mine introduced me to bullet-journaling. She says to me “Hey Lo, have you heard about bullet-journaling?” “No, I said, what is that?” and she explains to me this neat little system. It’s minimalist, and simple, and amaaazing. Se leads me to this website (bulletjournal.com) and I watch the video and read the site, and I think “This could possibly change my life!” Immediately I go to the store, and I buy a journal. I get just a small one, not too many pages, because this plan, after all, might just fail like the others. I set up my journal, Index, calendars, to-dos, and I fell so accomplished. I take it to work the next day and spend the first 10 minutes of my day sketching out my to-do list. By the end of the day, somehow, my desk is cleaner than it’s been in a year, and I’ve been more productive actually doing what is ON my list of things to do than… EVER! This is the start of a new era! I go home and use my to-do list to start cleaning and clearing out the junk in my house. I use it to take care of my personal errands, and lay out my housework. My bullet-journal quickly becomes as attached to me as my cell phone! Seriously, I almost took it to the bar once…it’s real guys, it’s so so real. 
 
I’ve been using this bullet-journaling method for about 3 weeks now and no, my life isn’t suddenly perfect, and I’m not suddenly a neat and organized goddess. BUT, I am happier, my mind is clearer, my junk is slowly decreasing, and I am more focused than ever before. I think I have finally found the system to rule them all. (Though I am fighting the urge to fill it with post-its…)
Have you had a similar experience? Do you have trouble finding the right system to organize your life? What are some ways that you keep your life in order? Tell me about them/ Has anyone else tried bullet-journaling? What do you think about it?

What's Up Nabisco???

 
So, am I the only person to notice the slow decline in Chips Ahoy cookies lately? Nabisco has been working really hard at these great new flavors and forms of our classic cookies, but somehow, someway, have been altering the flavor of the “original” chocolate chip cookie. My life-store, CVS (yes, life-store, to be explained in a later post), had all of the delicious Nabisco single sleeves on sale, 10 for $10. So, being that I was having a cookie attack anyway, I ransacked the place. So elated was I to have these yummy little chocolatey chip goodies that I ripped the box open and dug in. I was immediately disappointed. Not only are the cookies smaller than normal, but they are less crispy, a tiny bit softer, and have this odd, almost false-cardboardey taste to it. What happened to my cookies??? My co-worker (also concerned with the taste) googled it, and we discovered that we were in fact, NOT the only ones!! There are whole families out there missing the old crispy deliciousness of the Chips Ahoy cookie!!
What have you done Nabisco? Why have you taken away the cookie that we know and love and replaced it with this strange imposter?? Bring our cookie back!!!
Have you noticed the change in the Chips Ahoy cookie? What do you think? Should Nabisco bring back the old cookie, or do you like the taste of the new? Comment below and let me hear your voice!!

Who Says DC Bagels Can't Be Delicious??

I’ve heard the comparison for many a year: You can’t find a real bagel in DC. There are many imitators, many emulators, many that try so hard, but in the end, you’ll never find a bagel quite as good as you can get in NY. Well I’m here now to let the naysayers know, I have found that bagel!
Bullfrog Bagel is a tiny little operation in Northeast DC, right on the bustling, back on the rise, H Street. Those around them are already aware of the aroma of fresh baked daily bagels. Hand rolled, boiled and baked every morning, Bullfrog is worth every penny you’ll likely spend. You won’t be able to help but spend a penny or two, as you’ll want everything they have to offer!
Now I’m not a huge bagel fan. Never have been. Bagels are ok when they’re around. I eat them when available, especially when available for free. Like on my job, we have a Bagel Thursday. And who in their right mind is going to pass up free breakfast every week? Certainly not me! So this Bagel Thursday, we went with this fresh new bagel place on H Street. And boy was it worth it! As I said, I’m not a huge bagel fan, but I could eat these bagels all he day long! They look so fresh, smell so delicious, taste so amazingly delicious! And I’ve always felt like the right cream cheese makes the bagel. And at Bullfrog, their shmears are just as good as their bagels! A perfect compliment! Fresh and handmade, you can see real chunks of whatever flavor you’re having: salmon n the smoked salmon flavor, veggies in the veggie flavor, walnuts in the honey walnut! Big hearty chunks that you can’t miss. Mouthfuls of delicious flavors making your entire morning worth it.
Now I haven’t had the sandwiches yet, but I hear that they are just as good as the regular bagels. I can’t honestly imagine them being anything short of amazing, as it seems to me that Bullfrog is all about the fresh.
So, I conclude with this: If you’re looking for a high quality bagel, and have been disappointed time and time again, it’s time to visit the Bullfrog!
Have you ever been??? Comment below and tell me what YOU think!! Any other yummy bagels around to try?? Can’t wait to hear from you!
~~Lo aka justagirl