Sausage with Cream Sauce

Hot Italian Sausage
Salt/pepper
Fresh parsley
Heavy cream
Grated Parmesan cheese

Watch out RR, this was ready in 20!

Sausage Bolognese with Penne

After our holiday eating and recovering from some kind of stomach flu we have been working on eating healthier. I think for the most part we have a good diet but there is always room for improvement. I found this recipe in Family Circle and it seemed like the perfect meal to work into our weekly menu. Lots of veggies and still very taste too. The only MAJOR change I made was to use mini Penne instead of Linguine. I didn’t really use exact measurements but very close. Anyway, this is a great dish, easy to make, fast with a processor and low cal too. I included the nutritional facts just so you could see how low cal it truly is.

Adapted from Family Circle, Jan 2010

Ingredients

• 3 medium-size carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 package (20 ounces) sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 box (13.25 ounces) low-carb linguine (such as Dreamfields)
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Pulse carrots, celery and onion in a food processor until finely chopped.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable mixture and cook, stirring, 6 minutes. Rinse food processor bowl; set aside. Crumble sausage into skillet and cook for 3 minutes.

3. Add wine to skillet; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Drain tomatoes and save the liquid. Add tomatoes to food processor bowl; pulse until finely chopped. Add tomatoes and their liquid to skillet; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium; cook for 30 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in milk and cook another 8 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions in salted boiling water, about 12 minutes. Serve pasta with sauce, and Parmesan, if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe 8 servings

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• Amount Per Serving
• Calories 289
• Total Fat (g) 6
• Saturated Fat (g) 1
• Cholesterol (mg) 38
• Sodium (mg) 536
• Carbohydrate (g) 39
• Fiber (g) 3
• Protein (g) 17

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Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Carrot Prosciutto Wraps

This is my husband’s favorite appetizer and I love to make them this time of year. The hardest step is standing in line at the deli counter in Central Market.

Ingredients:

• Thinly Sliced Imported Prosciutto
• Carrots
• Balsamic Vinegar
  

Directions:

• Shred carrots.
• Mix carrots with vinegar until the carrots are well coated but not saturated.
• Place a stack of shredded carrots on the end of a slice of prosciutto and roll it up.

Leftovers Lasagna?

After a small impromptu BBQ this weekend we found ourselves with too many leftovers. With some of the leftover corn on the cob we made delicious lasagna. It took almost no time to cook and was such a great way to change up the leftovers.

Ingredients:

Grilled Corn on the Cob, removed from cob

Ricotta cheese

Mozzarella Cheese

Onion

Spinach

Lasagna noodles, cooked until slightly tender

Sweet Italian Sausage

Salt/pepper

1 egg

1 can of chopped tomatoes

Fresh Parsley

Directions:

Combine Corn, onion and salt and pepper and allow to sit for at least an hour in the refrigerator.

Sauté onions and sausage until the sausage is no longer pink. Add the tomatoes and parsley, simmer until the pasta is ready.

Mix ricotta, egg, mozzarella, salt and pepper until combined.

Layer in casserole dish as follows. Pasta, corn mix, cheese mix then another layer of pasta. Repeat this process until the cheese and corn are all in the dish. Then layer spinach and mozzarella cheese topping with the sausage tomato mix.

Bake at 350 for about 45 mins.

Let it rest for about 10 mins then serve.

Farro and Herb Pilaf with Sausage, Mushrooms and Spinach

Swimming this summer also gave me a kick-start to my health program. I was one of those people who said that I eat healthy and exercise but still can’t drop the extra 10 pounds. With the idea of hundreds of people seeing me weekly in my bathing suit, and my iPhone “Lose it” application, came the awareness that I could eat better. I could get more nutrients for the same or fewer calories. Farro wheat is one that I have added to my regular meal rotation. It has a great earthy taste and is packed with nutrients. Farro is just as easy to prepare as rice or pasta and can be added to many different meals just as with rice or pasta. If you have not cooked with Farro, please give it a try. Try this meal. It’s fast, easy, yummy and packed with great stuff for your body.

Recipe adapted from Whole Foods Markets.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups farro
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 links sweet Italian pork sausage, removed from casings

1 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups baby bella mushrooms, halved
2 cups packed baby spinach
Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped oregano

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add farro and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and toasted, 4 to 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and farro is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up into small chunks with a spatula, until almost cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, toss well and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from the heat and stir in spinach until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir parsley, oregano, salt and pepper into pot with farro. Spoon onto plates. Top with sausage-mushroom mixture and serve.

Stuffed Chicken with simple Sauce

My husband brought home some boneless, skinless chicken breasts the other day from the grocery store and asked if I wouldn’t mind making stuffed chicken for dinner. Well I guess I didn’t mind because that is what we had that night. I usually have some frozen sauce which makes the dinner very easy and quick to prepare. I guess it’s been a little while since I made sauce because I had none on reserve. So, having committed to making the chicken and not having the 5 plus hours required to make my sauce, I had to make a quick substitute that didn’t taste like a last minute stand in. I also didn’t use basil to stuff the chicken as ours are just starting to pop out of the ground in our herb garden. The sauce and chicken turned out well. I do like my thicker, harder sauce better but this was a nice spring substitution.

Chicken Ingredients:

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

Fresh Mozzarella (fresh mozzarella is so nice in this dish)

Parsley, chopped

Oregano, chopped

Salt and Pepper

Sauce Ingredients:

1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage

2 Cans Diced Tomatoes

3 or 4 Cloves of Garlic

Red wine

Onion, chopped

Salt and Pepper

Chicken Stuffing Directions:

Pound the chicken out and flip it over, lay mozzarella on top of the chicken, spread herbs on top of the cheese and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roll the chicken up as tight as possible and hold closed with a toothpick or two. Set the chicken aside in a casserole dish until the sauce is ready to be poured over the chicken.

Sauce Directions:

Sauté the onion and garlic in the red wine until the wine is almost fully evaporated then add the sausage and brown. Finally, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer for a few minutes. Try to avoid the urge to add more herbs to the sauce. The chicken has so much favor and you don’t want it to have to compete with your sauce.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake at 350°f until the chicken is fully cooked. I serve my on top of spaghetti.

P.S. I lost my camera and had to use my phone.

Leftover Easter ham bird nests.

With a lot of ham left from our Easter dinner, I wanted to make something a little different than my normal ravioli or macaroni and cheese. I just didn’t want to loose the convenience of leftovers. So, here is what I came up with, my son calls this bird nests so let’s go with that.

Ingredients:

Leftover Ham, cubed

Green Bell Pepper, chopped

4 Green Onions, chopped

Two Roma tomatoes, diced

Cheddar, garlic and dill cheese

1 Box Puff Pastry Dough

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine ham, pepper, onion, tomatoes and cheese and mix.

Roll dough out large (enough to fit across a large muffin pan)

Cut the dough around each muffin cup and allow the dough to fall down into the cups.

Fill each cup with ham mixture

Bake according to the dough instructions.

I served the nests with roasted carrots and asparagus. The kids loved this meal and you could easily change the ingredients to use any leftovers you have.

Day of "Rest" feast

Today, on my DAY OFF, yeah right, I kissed my husband good-bye and watched him leave for his trip to LAX. I should have known then that this would not be a typical Sunday but the sun was high and the day warm. Who could have guessed the mayhem to come.
Ten minutes after my husband left my 2-year-old daughter threw dirt in my 4 year-old son’s eye. He, Bryson, was rolling on the sidewalk screaming and crying. Keep in mind that he’s a middle child so all this is normal. After a minute of him not getting up I took him in to flush out his eyes. More crying and more screaming followed, again not too unusual for my boy.
Then, off to church, lunch, and dropping the 6-year-old off at religion class. An hour later I picked him up from his class and drove the 4-year-old to soccer practice. After 10 minutes in the sun I knew that I would be making a trip to the ER. So, I dropped the two other children off at mom’s house and headed to the ER with Bryson. 2 hours later I got back to mom’s to pick up the kids. While gathering shoes, my SWEET daughter runs as fast as she can to my parent’s bedroom. WHY? Well to consume a bottle of thyroid pills I guess??? I scoop the pills out of her mouth, throw the boys in the car and head back to the ER. So, a few hours later life is finally returning to “normal”. Normal…1 crying, 1 throwing up and 1 yelling “Mom what’s for dinner”.
IF your day went anything like mine then “what’s for dinner” seems a huge task but fast food even bigger. All I could think was that none of the drive- through restaurants offer wine and I sure could use a glass.

So if you spent your day shuttling kids to and from the ER, religion class and soccer then here’s a quick and easy solution to “mom, what’s for dinner?”

Ingredients:
½ diced Onion
1lb Ground Beef
2 Links of Hot Italian sausage
1 can of Great Northern Beans
1 can of Sliced Mushrooms
Fresh Parsley
Salt and Pepper
1 lb Penne Pasta

Direction:

Start salted water to boil for pasta. Brown onion, beef and sausage while pouring yourself a glass of wine. Add beans, mushroom and all spices to meat mixture. Simmer until the pasta is ready. Throw everything together and eat.

Spinach, Sausage and Three Cheese Ravioli

Mangia, Mangia, Eat, Eat!

Again with the ravioli?? Yep, I can’t get enough. I’ve been noodling with the idea for a few weeks ever since finding out that there are two fun blog contests that I can enter. Why make two entries when you can make one that meets the requirements for both. Remember, I am Foodie with Little Thyme. So the idea was born, make ravioli words. Cool, huh?

The first contest is hosted by Jennifer at Savor the Thyme and the Tangled Noodle. The challenge: to spell, write or draw using food or drink.

The second challenge, well more of a party, create an Italian food or drink. The party is hosted by Marie of Proud Italian Cook and Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita.

So my entry for both, homemade ravioli that spell the word MANGIA, “eat” in Italian.

Spinach, Sausage and Three Cheese Stuffed Ravioli.

Stuffing Ingredients:
Frozen Spinach
Hot or Sweet Italian Sausage (casing removed)
Ricotta Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Dash of Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Sauté sausage and spinach together, remove from heat and cool.
Combine all ingredients in food processor.
Fill ravioli cases and dry for 1½ hour.

Light and Easy Marinara
Because the raviolis have such a strong flavor I want a lighter tomato sauce.

Ingredients:
3 cans of Diced tomatoes
1C red wine
1 Onion
Garlic
Salt and Pepper
Oregano
Parsley

Directions:
Sauté onions and garlic in red wine. Cook until the wine is almost completely reduced.
Add the tomatoes and all herbs then simmer until the ravioli is finished cooking.
Pour over cooked ravioli and seve with large chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese on top.

Étouffee

Happy Fat Tuesday to you!
With the Lent season upon us, take this last chance to cook something a little bit sinful. Wednesday many of us will be giving up something in order to prepare for Easter. If you are like me then the things you give up could very well be food related. Also, take this last opportunity to prepare your body for all the fish it will consume in the coming weeks.

I would like to issue a Kitty Cat Warning at this time. If you are the owner of a cat, they will have a hard time resisting this meal. Our cats were willing to fight the dogs for a spot in the kitchen. Our kitten was even willing to get burned in the hunt for Crawfish. Our 9-year-old cat, that is seldom seen while the kids are awake, was right there in the mix too.

Étouffer means to smother and smother this recipe does, not to mention sticking to your ribs. Étouffee is great in that you can put in any ingredients you want and it still tastes wonderful. Have fun and use some ingredients that you don’t normally use in your cooking.

Ingredients:
1 Lb Chicken strips
1 lb Shrimp Frozen baby small shrimp
1 Lb Crawfish tails Frozen, cooked and peeled
1 Lb Andoulle Cajun Sausage
½ C Butter
½ C All-purpose Flour
2 C chopped Celery
2 C Chopped Onion
4 or 5 Cloves of Garlic
1 C Chopped Green Onion
1 C Chopped Sweet Bell
3 Tbsp Butter
1 Beer Shiner Bock have extras to drink.
1 C water
½ Fresh Parsley
1 Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Red Pepper
½ Tsp Pepper Black and white peppercorns
1 Tbsp Chipotle Tabasco
½ Tsp Smoked Paprika
4 C cooked rice

Directions:
Thaw Crawfish and shrimp, if frozen. Fresh Crawfish can be a real chore to cook and peel.
Start rice cooking.
Cook chicken and sausage in the pan or pot that you will be using for the Étouffee. Remove all your meat to a plate while preparing the roux.
Stir together flour, and butter until smooth. Cook over Medium-high heat for 3 minutes stirring constantly.
Reduce to medium heat. Cook and stir 5 minutes more or until a reddish brown roux is formed.
Add onion, garlic, celery, & sweet pepper. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.
Add 3 Tbsp butter: stir until melted.
Stir in beer, water, green onion, parsley, red pepper flakes and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Add Crawfish, shrimp, chicken and sausage. Return to boil and reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered 5 or 10 minutes more or until heated through.
Serve on top of cooked hot rice.
I grate cheddar chipotle cheese on top of ours. Cheddar cheese with roasted jalapeno peppers.

Again, you can add your choice of seafood or meat and even add vegetables if you like. I had planned to add okra but forgot I had it.

HAPPY FAT TUESDAY! Drop us a comment. We would love to know how you will celebrate this day.

Real Spagetti and Meatballs

This is my first post for Barefoot Bloggers . For those of you who are not familiar with Barefoot bloggers, they are a community of bloggers who twice monthly make and share recipes from Ina Garten’s cookbooks. Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake selected this month’s first recipe. She choose Real spagetti and Meatballs from Barefoot Contessa Family Style, page 103

I make red sauce and Meatballs often so I was eager to try her recipe. I vowed to follow it to the T as to not compete with my own recipe. Her meatball recipe is much different than mine and it was fun to try something new. I will however revert to my own recipe the next time I make meatballs. Her sauce is very light compared to mine and was a nice complement with the heavy meatballs.

Her recipe:
OK The only thing I changed was NO VEAL! I also broiled the meatballs and doubled both recipes to freeze some for later meals.

For the meatballs:

1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For serving:nocoupons
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan

Directions :
Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.
Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.
For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper. Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

Pasta with Sausage and Spinach

My kids love this dish, spinach and all!

4 or 5 links of Italian sausage (sweet or hot)
1 package of frozen spinach
Milk
Flour
1 lb Penne Pasta

Remove the sausage from it’s casing and sauté.
Once the sausage is cooked, add the frozen spinach.
Turn your salted water on to boil while the spinach is cooking.
When the spinach sausage mix is well cooked and starting to bubble add milk and flour.
You must mix the flour in the cold milk until dissolved before adding it to your hot spinach mix. I mixed approximately 2 tablespoons of flour to my 2 cups of cold 2% milk. I stir it with a fork for a few seconds and then add it to the spinach mix.
Simmer with a lid on until your pasta is al dente. Remove from the heat and pour onto the pasta.
Note: the sausage has enough flavors that you don’t need to add more spice. Don’t even add salt. I know you want to but just try it first.

Cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Thai Noodles

What do Thai noodles and pork have in common?
Duck sauce? No!
No Duck sauce at our house.
Ever since getting a BIG bug in my Chinese food I’m not a fan of ANY Oriental food. Yes, Uncle Chen’s in Euless, TX serves up bugs with their meals, but that’s a story for another time.
So what do they have in common? How about basil, parsley, garlic and cheese?

Pork Tenderloin Recipe
1 Pork Tenderloin halved
4or 5 cloves of minced Garlic
Fresh Basil
Fresh Parsley
Kosher salt and Pepper

Chop all the herbs and mix together. Add, salt, pepper and garlic to a small bowl then stir to combine.
Lay a few pieces of string on top of a large sheet of foil. Now, lay the pork on top of the strings and foil.
Spread the herb mix out across the Tenderloin.

Add mozzarella cheese, shred or block will work.
Tie all the strings tight to make a good closure of the meat.
Wrap the foil up around it. Take care to make sure all the seams are on top.

Place the pork in you pre-heated 350°F oven directly on the oven rack.
Bake 1-1 1/2 hrs depending on the size of your tenderloin.

Let rest a few mins. Then cut and serve.

Thai Noodles with Veggies Recipe
1lb. Thai Noodles
3 or 4 cloves of minced Garlic
Fresh Basil
Fresh Parsley
Red Bell Pepper seeded and diced
Kosher Salt and Pepper
Brussels sprouts
Edamame

Pour olive oil into a small saucepan, then add all of your ingredients and sauté for the length of time that it takes your salted water to boil and the noodles to cook.

Drain your al dente noodles and top with your veggie mix.
Add a sprinkle of fresh grated Parm. cheese and serve along side your tenderloin.


Disclaimer! My husband and six-year-old son do not like Brussels sprouts. When mixed with garlic, cheese and Edamame they are happy to choke down 3 or 4 sprouts.
Comments and suggestions always welcome and appreciated.