Tag: sausage
Sausage and Mushroom Ragu
This an easy recipe that is a crowd pleaser. Now that school has started again- it is time to get organized and get back to the same old routine. I kind of like getting back to my old routine- I like the familiar. Anyway, my point was to have your pantry and fridge filled with things that will help you through the week to make quick and easy meals.
One of those things is fresh tomato sauce. It doesn’t take very long to cook but it makes a huge difference in the recipe.
This particular dish was easy to make as I had the sauce ready. All I did was saute the sausage (which I had in the fridge as well), onion and garlic. It was simple and best of all- everyone loved it! This is a great week day meal and also yummy as a school lunch…
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Dublin Day 5- Goodbye…
One of my favorite things to do on a vacation is go home. I look forward to visiting new places but no matter where I am or how exotic the city is- I love coming home.
Dublin was a pleasure to visit. I am going to miss the Temple Bar area, the scones, the breads, the sausages, the bacon, the cheese…etc, etc. As you might have guessed, I focus on the food where ever I go. Food is the best way to get to know a new culture. I love going to grocery stores and studying all the aisles to see what the locals eat.
I ate and drank and now it is time to get back to reality- GG crackers here I come…
Scrambled Eggs with Sausage and Mushrooms with Gruyere Cheese
I love it when I can make two completely different meals with the same exact ingredients.
In this case, I made the sausage and mushroom mixture for the quesadillas yesterday. I had about a cup of the mixture leftover after dinner. While I was cleaning up and putting away everything in the fridge, I told my husband he will be getting scrumptious scrambled eggs tomorrow morning.
I woke up the next day and quickly took the mixture out of the fridge. I beat the eggs with salt, half and half and the Gruyere cheese. The scrambled eggs were made in a matter of minutes. I heated a tortilla and served the eggs with leftover tomatillo salsa.
It was a delicious and quick breakfast. I on the other hand, had my usual spelt toast with a dollop of strawberry jam and a chunk of low fat jalapeno cheese. Of course I had a big, huge, delicious cup of coffee with it. I was happy and so was my husband. Sia was happy munching on whole grain pancakes with fresh raspberries and maple syrup. All in all it was a good Saturday morning.
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Fresh Ancho Chili and Sausage Pasta
When it is hot outside, I think of Southwestern or Mexican flavors. Fresh chilies, cilantro, corn and avocados come to mind. I feel like making fresh guacamole and eat tons of chips with it- or make enchiladas. I do try to come up with different recipes to post on this blog- sometimes it gets quite challenging…
Some chain restaurants have a southwestern style pasta on their menus. That is what I started to think of when I visited the farmer’s market the other day- I bought some fresh ancho chilies. I pictured roasting them and then making a sauce out of them- maybe a cheese sauce for a pasta. I planned on stopping at the grocery store to pick up chicken thighs to grill and add to the dish- but as usual something came up and I didn’t get time to go. I then remembered I have chicken sausage in the freezer- perfect!
I roasted the ancho chilies and diced and sauteed them with sliced shallots and garlic. I then sprinkled all-purpose flour to make a roux. Chicken broth and a little half and half completed the sauce. I had a bag of shredded mexican cheese (including queso fresco, monterey, etc.)- which I thought would be perfect for this dish- though any cheese will do.
I roasted the chicken sausages in the oven and added them to the cheese sauce. I added a my favorite ingredient- smoked paprika. It gave the cheese sauce a delicious smoky flavor that complemented the smokiness in the ancho chilies really well.
Overall the flavor was very delicious and different. I added fresh cilantro on top instead of the usual basil or parsley. I felt cilantro was a better fit with all the southwestern flavors- and it was – really yummy. I wasn’t sure if my family would like it- but they did- they all relished it with a bottle of red wine and milk (for my daughter).
A Great Idea For Leftovers: Wonton Soup and Sauteed Dumplings
My daughter loves dumplings! She really didn’t start eating them until I practically forced her to try them at several different occasions. Now, she wants to go eat dim sum every weekend. We go to a local Chinese restaurant to have the delicious dumplings. We sit down and the dumplings start coming our way immediately- we are literally done in 15 minutes- no joke! Sia covets everything stuffed with shrimp. My favorite is a chive dumpling- it is absolutely delicious. It is shaped like a fat disk and I can’t get enough of them.
Packing lunch for Sia has always been a challenge. She does not like/eat sandwiches. She likes proper food- that’s what I get for not giving her a sandwich when she was really young. Anyway, I am always struggling to come up with different ideas. Once she started eating dumplings- I began buying them from Trader Joes and Whole Foods. They come in all different varieties- some that include veggies in them as well. I cook a few for her and put them in her thermos- she loves it!
Sia has been asking me how they make the dumplings at the restaurant. I usually explain the procedure to her, but, I am not sure if it actually registers- the glazed look on her face is usually not a good sign. She kept wondering why we haven’t made them at home yet- I really didn’t have an answer for her- there really was no reason we couldn’t. Especially since I have watched many people use them to make dumplings on television as well as fresh raviolis! So, when I saw the wonton skins at the store the other day, I grabbed them. I decided to use all the leftover proteins I had in the fridge and make a wonton soup- which she loves; as well as the classic sauteed dumplings. Well, she was thrilled to be able to watch me put the dumplings together and most importantly, she loved the way they tasted-mission accomplished. I can’t wait to make my own raviolis now!
A Kid Friendly Easy Paella Recipe- Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp
I had to cook for another one of our kid-adult play/dinner dates. It had to be something we would all enjoy and of course it had to healthy. I had just finished watching something on television about Spain- and what is the first thing that comes to mind- well, okay, two things- sangrias and paellas, right?? Well, it does for me…
I thought I could make a kid friendly paella with chicken, mild sausages and shrimp. I really wanted to add chorizo instead of a mild sausage, but I wasn’t sure how the kids would react to it- Sia can handle it but I wasn’t sure of the others. I LOVE chorizo, in case you don’t know what it is- it’s either fresh or cured sausage, made out of pork and various spices. Either way it is full of flavor and delicious. I can make a meal out of lots of chorizo, some Manchego cheese and red wine- oh, and maybe some delicious olives- you don’t need another thing! Chorizo and paella remind me of our trip to Barcelona. We ate a great meal, 3 times a day for our entire trip. The wine, tapas, paellas, sangrias and most of all the flan. I had to have a flan everyday and it was good every time! That reminds me to post a flan recipe soon! Anyway, the paellas were delicious with all sorts of seafood, and meats added to them.
I of course needed to make it quite simple and straight forward- so I didn’t add any spice- just lots of flavor. Who doesn’t like chicken, sausage, shrimp and rice?? I added some frozen green peas to fulfill the vegetable quota and some red peppers to give it color. The arborio rice made the dish really creamy and the chicken broth and saffron added great flavor. Adding the shrimp at the last minute ensured perfectly cooked crustaceans. I was extremely happy with the way the dish turned out.
The kids ate the dish but a bit reluctantly- Sia wanted only the shrimp and sausage and the other kids were not too keen on the shrimp. Once they were told about the no dessert till the dinner was done policy- everyone ate their share. The adults enjoyed it with a Malbec Rose- my favorite wine for the summer!
A One-Pot Kid Friendly Recipe: Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Sausage and Spinach
I am very proud of this dish. A friend was coming over with her kids and the initial plan was to order pizza and a salad and have some wine while the kids enjoy playing outside. I decided not to order in since kids eat pizza all the time- but the question was- what can I cook that would be appropriate for the kids as well as the adults??? My daughter is always asking me to make macaroni and cheese- the one from the box- and I do make it for her, I buy the healthy kind but it is still processed and that really bothers me. I try to make mac n cheese from scratch but am trying to get her out of out of the habit and don’t end up making it very often. I thought this would be a good opportunity to make it for her since her friends were coming over. I wanted to make a one-pot meal and didnt’ want to worry about serving vegetables on the side. I decided to make the regular cheese sauce for the dish and used the elbow pasta to make it look like the authentic macaroni and cheese. I chopped up chicken sausage and sauteed it with garlic and the frozen spinach. I then added the cooked pasta and poured the sauce and baked it. I made a salad for us grown ups as well as some garlic bread. Initially the kids were not happy to see the baked dish with the green stuff in it- but once they tasted it- I didn’t hear a peep. I think when they heard chocolate cupcakes were coming up next, they finished the pasta really quick- but seriously- they liked it!
My friend and I enjoyed the pasta and the salad with a great bottle of a Malbec Rose. We finished the entire bottle- well almost- I saved a few sips for my husband.
Overall I was very happy with the dish- everyone is searching for recipes of one-pot meals that are kid friendly as well as good for the adults. I will definitely making this one again- who knows maybe I will change it around a bit to get another new recipe!!
Sia and her friends enjoying the pasta in the backyard….
