The past two weeks have been an emotional ride for Bryan and I . Good news is we bought our first condominium! YEAH! The new place is bigger than our current apartment. It has a higher ceiling. The marble counter top in the kitchen looks absolutely beautiful. Most importantly, we are able to have a place that is truly ours. We are very excited and can’t wait to move in.
Unfortunately, that excitement was quickly disappeared as we discovered a water leak in the bathroom after closing. With a few peeks behind the wall, we noticed there is mold and rotten woods. It is very discouraging. The bathroom looks modern and perfect. We would never thought we have to remodel it, at least not today. Now, we would have to cut open the walls, clean up the mold, dry off the walls and woods, change all the rotten woods and do a new subfloor if needed. Many and many more… On a positive note, we are glad to discover this problem before we moved it. We are trying to be positive, but this is definitely stressful. Hopefully, things will go smoothly and nicely. Once everything is in place, I think we will be able to breathe again.
Other than the fix in the bathroom, Bryan and I will also be doing a few fixes on our own. Painting, sanding the kitchen cabinets etc. There will be many firsts for me. I look forwards to trying new things in the next few weeks. I can’t wait until everything is finished, so we can move in.
Fall is officially here. The wind is here and it is less hot. That does cheer me up a little (I love fall!). This pasta is the dish to start the fall. The sauce was cooked and reduced with red wine, bell pepper, plum tomatoes and some herbs. It was hearty and rich. Then, there were the fresh and sweet grape tomatoes. Their skin was soften while cooking in the sauce for a while, but they didn’t break apart. When you bite them, they just burst in your mouth with the sweet tomato juice. A great blend of freshness and heartiness will bring you warmth and comfort in this cooling weather. Enjoy!
Spaghetti with Sausage and Grape Tomato Ragu
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 sweet Italian sausage (removed casing and crumbled into small pieces)
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
- ½ red bell pepper (removed seeds and membranes, cut into ¼-inch dices)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ¼ cup red wine
- 8 ounces canned San Marzano tomatoes (saved the juice)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add sausage and cook until golden brown. Remove sausage and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Leave ½ tablespoon fat in the pan. If there isn’t enough fat, use olive oil.
- Add cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, garlic, dried oregano, and chili flakes. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the wine and bring to a boil. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir in the canned tomatoes with juice, tomato paste and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes. Add sugar. Taste and adjust.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water (salted) to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain and transfer to serving plates. Scoop ragout over the pasta and top with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I love using mix colors grape tomatoes. It brings more colors to the dish.
So sorry to hear about your house situation. But in the bigger picture, CONGRATS on getting your own place! I know how it feels with the whole emotional roller coaster and stress. Hubs and I are going through the same thing now and ugh. But at least at the end of it all, we know we’ll finally have a place of our own to call home. Hey, maybe you and I would move into our place at the same time. 🙂 Well, everything is bound to be good if there’s a massive pot of that pasta 😉
Thank you so much for the encouragement, Jayne. After a few days of thinking, we are feeling better. I am sorry to hear that you guys are going through some difficulties too. But you are right! It feels good to have a place of our own. Hope things will go smooth from now on for you guys. Enjoy the weekend! 🙂
Oh, I’m so sorry about that bathroom but congratulations on your new condo! I’m sure it will be great when things are fixed and you’re moved in and enjoying the space. We just had someone come in to fix a tile and discovered that the bathroom in question has wood instead of concrete backing it (something like that) so in other words, water seeping in is bad news and we’ll eventually need to re-do as well. It is always something but good you have not moved in yet and can tackle it and hopefully that is that!
I love grape tomatoes and pasta! We’re going apple picking soon and the orchard has tomato picking. I always get some to take home to roast for pasta and to make a salad. Your plate looks wonderful…you’ll be enjoying it in your new condo very soon! Keep your chin up!
Thank you for the kind words, Monica! That really cheer me up. Yea, it is a good thing that we haven’t moved in. Can’t imagine the mess and inconvenient. Hopefully, your bathroom will get fix soon too!
I love apple picking! We did it one year and it was so much fun! Enjoy your harvest and can’t wait to see what you are going to make with these sweet fresh fruits!
Ooo, beautiful homey food…just the meal to settle into your new home! Sorry to hear about those home troubles…I guess good things always come with a few small things to have to iron out. Good luck with everything going forward…at the very least, it looks like you have fantastic natural light for food photography at your new place! 😉
Thank you very much Bonnie! Hopefully the construction will go smooth and we will be able to move in in a month. Fingers crossing!
Congratulations for your moving to the new place! And sorry to hear about your water leak situation 🙁 I totally understand the stressful feelings until everything was set. Hope you also get the chance to build the kitchen into a perfect place!
The spaghetti dish looks so comforting. It’s definitely a good one to have when you’re feeling down.
Good luck and hope you have a nice week ahead!
Thanks Maggie! The kitchen is looking pretty good, just need some sanding and painting here and there. Once the bathroom is fixed, everything should be good. Have a great weekend yourself too!