Zucchini and Sausage Marinara and Eagle River Highlights

Whoa…I'm back in action, relishing the most fun summer I've had in years, probably since my childhood.

Yesterday was my youngest's 9th birthday.  Landon and his buddies enjoyed and afternoon at the Fort Aktinson Pool.  Great facility and reasonably priced…hope to get back there at least one more time this summer.

Before that, we spent a week in the woods of northern Wisconsin…great family time and wonderful memories made.

Reviving an old tradition go-karting tradition at Elmer's. 

Our 2nd annual cruise at Pirates Hideaway

Fishing for bass, northern and blue gill on Carpenter Lake.

Eating our first fish fry. 

Hanging out on the raft, with the lake to ourselves!

Kids had a tread-off, for nearly an hour!  

 Those are just a few of the highlights, we also went Stand Up Paddleboarding, saw lots of wildlife, played in the sand, cooked over the fire and cherished every minute together!

While we were gone, the garden just kept right on a-growing!  Which means that the zucchini, aka the only vegetable thriving in our garden, are now the size of small children.  I've been experimenting a lot with zucchini, but will try to space out all of the zucchini recipes over the next month or so.

 Before we left, we had Zucchini and Sausage Marinara for dinner in an effort to utilize what was left in the refrigerator.  

Started by grilling up the Italian Sausage links in my beloved grill pan.  

Ultimately, I had to cut the links in half to ensure they were cooked all of the way through.  

While the snausages were cooking, just boiled up some gluten-free pasta.  It really isn't very different and is now the norm in our house. 

I would recommend undercooking the pasta a bit so that the penne tubes stay intact while being combined with the rest of the deliciousness. 

As far as the zucchini, some coconut oil was heated and the squash coins were layered in. 

Seasoned with freshly ground roasted garlic and sea salt, also decided that some onion would be a fabulous addition to these veggies. 

In order to keep the zucchini from getting to mashed, I gently flip the veggies after sufficient time to brown. 

 A wise man once said..."Let it Be" - great advice! 

As the zucchini were cooked, they were added to the pan o' pasta and topped with a jar of marinara sauce. 

Finally, the cooked sausage links were sliced and added. 

Gently combined and ready to be devoured by my hungry crew! 

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

Italian Sausage links

Ronzoni Gluten-free Pasta

Zucchini - as much as you like!

Coconut Oil

Freshly ground roasted garlic and sea salt

Sliced Onion

Jar of marinara sauce

Parmesan - optional

Directions:

Cook and slice sausage links. 

Boil pasta according to instructions. 

Sliced and sautee zucchini in oil of choice. 

Add sausage and zucchini to pasta, top with marinara.

Gently stir to combine, top with parmesan and serve.