My freebie SEPTA Senior Pass came in handy this morning! Victor had an early morning podiatrist appointment, so I had him drop me off at the train on his way so I could do a bit of shopping at Reading Terminal Market. I rarely get down there at opening, but, today, I was there just a few minutes after 8:00am. What a difference a few hours makes! It was quiet, it was peaceful. there were no lines… It was nice. The downside was a lot of merchants weren’t quite ready for the public and a lot of places don’t even open until mid-morning – but my main objective was sausage at Martin’s. They were open and ready.

I really really like their sausages and the prices just can’t be beat. $4.29 to $4.99/lb. I bought four each of six different varieties – and paid a mere $33.00. That’s twelve meals for us – $2.75 per meal. Not a bad price.

I separated everything and packaged it for the freezer. We’re good until Easter, I think.

I stopped by Downtown Cheese for a few of my favorite cheeses – and got to see Rachael and catch up on a bit of gossip. That’s always fun and always great to see her.

A cup of coffee at Old City Coffee and then I headed out to look at some seafood. Neither of the two merchants were really ready for business. I hung around one for a while but couldn’t catch anyone’s attention while they were setting up. I figured it was an omen and headed over to Iovine’s Produce. I picked up a few things and headed across the street and back down to the train station. It was barely 9:00am.

The beauty of getting done early is getting home and having time to do other things – like bake some bread. Here’s a preview – recipe and more pictures, tomorrow when we cut into it.

One of the things I really wanted to make was sausage with broccoli rabe – and armed with lots of sausage and a fresh bunch of broccoli rabe, I set to work.

I cut up two garlic sausage and browned them in a bit of olive oil. Into the skillet went sliced mushrooms, garlic, and sliced onions. When they were just about done, I added some white wine, salt, and pepper.

Then the broccoli rabe went in with some crushed red pepper.

Meanwhile, I cooked off a bit of orecchiette. When the pasta was cooked, i added it to the skillet and dinner was ready!

It really is one of the simpler meals to make – and it just bursts with flavor. The pasta can be switched out for potatoes – or both can be omitted and the whole shebang stuffed into a roll for a great sandwich.

Versatility at its finest – and 11 more meals to go!