GOAT CHEESE PESTO SAUSAGE PASTA

do you like goat cheese?

perfect. then you're going to love this delish recipe.

some background: my farmer, miss kaye and i traveled out to a fellow farm-family's home (the watterson's) a few weeks ago. they made us dinner which is pretty fantastic. i'll take any opportunity to get out of making a hot meal that isn't popcorn or out of a crockpot.

the watterson's own and operate 24 west ranch right here in the treasure valley (southwest idaho). you can find their goodies at whole foods (boise), albertson's, some local eateries, and i'm sure a few other places i'm unaware of.

needless to say, their farming and our farming differ quite a lot.

the dish miss jill prepared for us was goat cheese, chicken sausage spaghetti. (that is a very unofficial title...i'm just not sure what she called it.)

not but two days after visiting their farm, i was craving it again. this means i made a special 30 minute trip to the store to get the goat cheese. it was a MUST, people. a must.

here's how it went down:

ingredients include: mushrooms, onions, pesto, goat cheese, spaghetti noodles, and chicken sausage (i purchased mine from costco and it's a little spicy and i love it and i could eat several in one sitting).

step 1 - slice up three or four chicken sausage links (depending on how many people you have eating.) i sliced up two for farmer and me. cook those links up and set aside.

step 2 - start cooking your spaghetti.

step 3 - in the same pan, saute up some onions. if you're an onion lover like my farmer, you'll do 1/2 of a walla walla sweet, which i feel like is a hefty portion of onion for two.

step 3 - add in three tablespoons of pesto. i lo-ove pesto, so this might be too much for you. you'll also add in the chopped mushrooms and the set-aside, cooked sausage. just cook those together for about five minutes.

step 4 - add 1/2 of a large package of goat cheese. now pump the brakes. i'm not sure if this was the right move on my part. remember, i was trying to adjust the recipe for two...so naturally, i thought 1/2 would be just right. but i don't think it was. i mean...it was still pretty tasty, but not NEARLY as tasty as what had been prepared for us...and i really really think it's because i skimped on the goat cheese. rookie mistake. the next time i make this i'll use 3/4 package of goat cheese. so anyway, pop the goat cheese in the pan with the sausage, onion, pesto, and mushrooms. stir it around until it's melted.

step 5 - wham bam nelly...you've got yourself some spaghetti. now pile the sauce on top of some whole grain spaghetti noodles and you're set. i prepared a little spinach salad to go with...yep, right out of a mason jar.

i swear it's better than it looks in this shabby picture.

enjoy!

ps. thanks watterson family for a lovely evening and and lovely recipe! yu-UM!