Italian Sausage Pasta

5-18-16

I love making pasta sauce but just get bored of the same old hamburger and veggies and then I saw a package of spicy Italian sausage. Let the experimenting begin. Final result, yum!

1 lb spicy Italian sausage
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
container of grape tomatoes, I used about 1/2 of them
1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 tsp each, dried basil, oregano, rosemary (any or all)
1 large 28 oz can of tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
1 lb pasta, penne or rigatoni
Parmesan cheese to top

I browned and scrambled the Italian sausage in a skillet over medium high heat, then drained the grease.

In stockpot, I put a few turns of olive oil and added tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and spices. I covered and cooked over medium heat until the grape tomatoes were just about ready to burst. Stir occasionally.

Add tomato sauce and a bit more salt and pepper and bring back up to a boil, add sausage and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

I cook the noodles in salty water according to package directions and add them in when we are ready to eat. Stir well and be sure all the noodles are coated with sauce!

Top with grated or shredded Parmesan and enjoy! 

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Baby Back Ribs

3-13-16

Decided to make these last night and realized that this a recipe that I have never shared. Taken me several attempts to come up with a bake and broil method for tender ribs without tons of marinating and grilling or smoking. Guess you could call it the shortcut to lip smacking, sauce dripping, melt in your moth pork ribs!

4-5 lbs baby back ribs

I cut mine in half to get them to fit into a 10x13 glass baking pan, place them bone side down in pan.

marinade:
3/4 cup veggie or chicken stock
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

mix together well and pour over ribs, let stand about 30 minutes

season ribs with
kosher salt
ground black pepper
garlic powder
onion powder

Cover pan with foil and bake at 350F for 30 minutes, take out and baste meat with pan juices and then recover and bake another 30 minutes

My favorite barbecue sauce is one that I learned from Rachael Ray. I make and use this sauce all the time!

1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp coarse ground pepper
2 shots of bourbon (I use Jack Daniels)
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
(I prefer to grate the garlic)
juice of 1/2 orange

Place all ingredients in saucepan and simmer over medium low about 20 minutes. Be sure to stir sauce every now and then.

Take foil off pan and brush sauce over all exposed sides of the ribs. Bake 10 minutes, remove, apply sauce again. Bake another 10 minutes, remove, and sauce for a third time. Bake for 10 more minutes and then change from bake to broil. Check after 5 minutes, sauce burns quickly. Once sauce is to your liking, remove and let stand 10 minutes before serving.  

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Chili

2-1-16

I don't know how I missed putting in my blog a recipe for chili! This is one of our family winter favorites. Guaranteed to clear the sinuses! 

1 lb roll mild or medium sausage
1 lb ground meat (I like chuck)
2 16 oz cans of beans (I like kidney)
1 can rotel w/diced green chili in it
3 roma tomatoes (If don't want to use fresh, use 1 small can tomato puree)
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1 jalapeno, minced (if want a little more kick)
1 tsp chili powder
olive oil
salt and pepper

In dutch oven, brown sausage and ground meat, crumble. Drain excess grease. Set meat aside and in same pan, over medium heat, add onions, a splash of olive oil, salt, pepper and roma tomatoes. Cover and let tomatoes burst, usually just a few minutes. Mash tomatoes. Add garlic and stir well. 

Add meat back in as well as rotel and beans. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer about 15 minutes, then add in green pepper and jalapeno (if want it). Simmer another 15 minutes and serve.

Good as is or add some sharp cheddar or sour cream on top.

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Shrimp, rice and veggies

1/3/16

This is my version of shrimp fried rice. It is a quick, tasty meal that only takes about thirty minutes from start to finish. These are all items that I usually have on hand! Pretty much works with just about any vegetables.

1 package frozen shrimp, medium (usually about 45 to package)
2 ribs of celery
6 baby carrots
1/2 onion
1/2 cup of broccoli (tops only, no stems)
green beans (I used fresh that were parboiled for a few minutes)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
couple pieces of garlic, diced or grated
1-2 cups cooked rice (I used quick cook rice)
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
soy sauce

In large pan, cook shrimp according to package directions then drain excess water out of pan and set aside

Cook rice according to package directions, leave covered and set aside

In mini chopper, dice celery, carrots and onions

In  medium pan, heat olive oil on medium high heat
Add veggies from chopper and lightly saute for just a few minutes
Add broccoli, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for another few minutes. I like veggies to still have some crunch left to them but cook to your own taste!

Over medium heat, using large pan with shrimp, add in sauteed veggies, green beans, rice, almonds and soy sauce to taste. I start with a couple of tablespoons and then add a bit more at a time. Be sure to toss mixture thoroughly to distribute evenly. Remember, soy sauce is salty!

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Cabbage Roll Stew

10/21/15

Fall is here and all the cooking channels are starting to show recipes for stews and soups. The Backyard Produce box this week was full of veggies just made for a hearty stew as well. I had a small batch of Napa cabbage so decided to try and find something hearty to put it in. Think this mash up of recipes is a keeper. Joe loved it and we ate the pot ourselves! Sorry kids, no leftovers to share this week.

1 lb ground beef
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 head Napa cabbage, washed and coarse chop
2 cups chicken broth
1 28 oz can of plum tomatoes, mashed
1/2 cup uncooked rice
3-4 cloves of garlic, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dill
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp chili flake or red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Large dutch oven style pan is the best bet to make this a true one pot meal!

In bottom of pan, drizzle olive oil and brown and crumble the ground beef. Add carrots, onions and cabbage and cook for a few minutes. Once cabbage starts to wilt, sprinkle with the paprika, dill, allspice and chili flake. Stir well and cook about 5 minutes. Add in tomatoes, chicken broth, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Grate in the garlic and mix. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 30 minutes. Add the rice and cook for another 20 minutes. The rice will absorb up some of the liquid and thicken the stew!
Salt and pepper as needed. 

I served this with saltine crackers, delicious! 

This pot was enough for 4 large soup bowls.

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Cajun slow cooker roast

9-21-15

Had a couple of London Broils and decided I wanted to use the slow cooker but wasn't in the mood for a traditional pot roast. Looked through the cupboards and this is what I came up with!

2 London Broil roasts, cut into 3 or 4 pieces (depends on size) I used 1.25 pound pieces and cut them into 4's
1 onion peeled and sliced
4 carrots peeled and sliced
12 new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
1 can cream of celery soup 
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 cups beef broth
3 cloves garlic, grated
olive oil
Cajun spice (I use Tony Chacheres) 
salt and pepper

In skillet, heat couple tablespoons of olive oil. Rub all sides of the London Broil with some olive oil then rub all over with the salt, pepper and Cajun spice (can cut into pieces before rub or after). Brown all sides in the heated olive oil. 

In crock pot, place onions on bottom, layer carrots next and then potatoes. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper then place browned meat on top.

In skillet used to to brown the meat, add beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, cream of celery soup and garlic. Scrape up bits from bottom of pan and mix thoroughly. Pour into crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours.

This should serve at least 4 people. When I do these crock pot roasts, I love to use half and place other half in freezer container or freezer bag for a time saving quick meal that I can reheat and serve in a matter of minutes! 

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Roasted Root Veggies

9/11/15

Backyard Produce sent me a beautiful batch of root vegetables but I only had a few of each so decided to combine them up with some others I already had on hand and turned them into this gorgeous feast! 

3 small beets, washed, peeled, diced
3 medium Yukon potatoes, scrubbed, cubed (feel free to peel if not a skin fan)
2 medium turnips, peeled, diced
1 medium onion, peeled, chopped
garlic, minced, I used about 1/3 of a bulb
5 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 cup white wine
2-3 tbsp olive oil (drizzle over all the veggies, use a bit more or less to taste)
2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Toss all the vegetables & the garlic into a 13x9 pan, add in salt, pepper, thyme & olive oil the mix well.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, take out & give it a good stir. Add a 1/4 cup of white wine; put back in oven for another 15 minutes. Take out & stir again. Add the last 1/4 cup of wine and put back in for another 15 minutes.

Just before serve, toss with another sprinkle of salt and pepper!

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