I had a hard time thinking of what to name this recipe. I landed on Creamy Sausage & Chickpea Pasta. But it also has spinach, and a generous topping of Parmesan cheese, and the option of pine nuts! Creamy Sausage, Spinach, Pine Nut & Parmesan Pasta? Gah! That would’ve been a little too long for a recipe title, so I stuck with the three main ingredients and here we are. I found this lovely recipe a photo story in the internet by Jamie Beck. She didn’t give recipe proportions or detailed cooking methods in her quick Insta-story so I’ve derived my own over time. When I first spotted the finished product it looked so tantalizing, I couldn’t resist giving it my best shot!

I was really excited to write this because once I discovered Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta two years ago I never looked back. Then, I started tell people about it and lo and behold it turns out that it’s closely tied to the Chili’s restaurant chain where I’ve eaten exactly once in my life. It’s not that I’m against Chili’s, it’s that the town I grew up in is so small there are no chain restaurants and you’d have to travel for miles to find one. When I was in boarding school a friend’s family took us to Chili’s on the weekend as a treat and that’s the only time I remember being there. I wonder if this is a benefit in this case? I have zero nostalgia for this recipe, yet everyone does so I get to experience the pleasure of it for the very first time?

There is no whoosh of memories that come back to me when I take a bite of this Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta. The only thing I think about is how much my family enjoys it so it’s gathered us around the table many, many times. It’s just one of those meals that works. The whole family really likes it, it’s fairly simple to make, and it’s just different enough to be novel once in a while. As you’ll see in my recipe notes, I cut down the heat quite a bit. One of my children does not like spice so I tend to dial back any kind of pepper flavor whenever asked. That said, feel free to turn the dial right back up if you want to!

It’s been several years since I’ve written about edible Christmas gifts but here’s what I want you to know: I still give them to friends and family. This Candied Pecans recipe is from my mother and is her signature gift to loved ones far and wide. Luckily, I’m on the list too, I always get a bag. We love these to no end and look forward to them all year long. Sure, I could technically make them whenever I wanted, but they would they be as special if I did?!

The beauty of these pecans is that they hit all the right notes. They’re sweet and salty, enrobed in crispy meringue, and still maintain a nice amount of crunch. As I mentioned on instagram, we love to tip them into a bowl and snack on them throughout the whole day. However, they are also delicious when added to all kinds of things like salad with a sharp vinaigrette, blue cheese, and thinly sliced pears, or a salty nut mix or grazing board. They are functionally the perfect addition to just about anything.