Brats on a Bun

I made these yummy sandwiches yesterday for lunch. I kind of made them up as I went along, not really having an end product in mind. They were delicious!

Ingredients:
- Plain Brats
- Hoagie Rolls (no seeds/soft)
- Butter
- Garlic Salt
- Parmesan Cheese, Shredded
- Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
- Roasted Red Bell Pepper
- Provolone Cheese, Sliced

Preparation:
BBQ your brats until completely cooked through. Slice lengthwise in half. Heat your oven to broil. Slice rolls completely in half; butter, sprinkle garlic salt and a little Parmesan cheese (like you are making garlic bread). On a cookie sheet, place the rolls and broil until the cheese is melted and the edges of the rolls are slightly browned; remove from oven. Remove the top halves of the rolls and place on plates or cutting board. On the bottom halves, spoon on sun dried tomato pesto to cover (does not need to be terribly thick, but that is up to you). Lay two brat halves down on top of the pesto. Cover with chopped roasted red bell pepper, then top with sliced provolone cheese. Broil until cheese is thoroughly melted and bubbly; remove from oven. Replace top halves to their mates, slice in half and serve!

Salsiccia Salato

Very savory pasta sauce with sausage.

Ingredients:

4 - Plain Brats

1/2 C - Cabernet

1/2 C - Beef Broth

1/2 C - Roasted Red Bell Pepper - Finely Chopped

1/3 C - Kalamata Olives - Finely Chopped

2 T - Capers - Chopped

1/3 C - Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

3-4 T - Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions:

In a saute pan, roll brats in 3-4 T olive oil, then heat pan to medium heat and cover. Cook about 10 minutes, then turn brats. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Remove brats - slice in half lengthwise, then into half moons about a 1/2 inch thick. Place brats back into pan with juices and oil. Add all remaining ingredients, combine gently and bring to a simmer. Let the sauce continue to simmer until the liquid has been cut in half. Serve over pasta and enjoy.

Black Beans, Rice, and Sausage

Cooked White Rice - 2 Cups
1 Can Black Beans with Liquid
4 Brats, Sliced
1/2 Sweet Yellow Onion, Chopped
Small Red Bell Pepper, Chopped
Small Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
Olive Oil
1 t. Garlic Salt
1 t. Ground Corriander
1/2 t. Chili Powder
1 t. Onion Powder
1 Cup Beer

Cook brats with onion and peppers in olive oil until brats are fully cooked. Add beans and all spices/seasonings. Add beer and rice, cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes.

Kielbasa Potato Chowder

This is a great chowder, super easy and fast!! I served it with grilled panini's (tomato, mozzarella, spinach, hummus, and pesto on ciabatta). I also modified the original recipe by adding a small, cooked chicken breast and decreasing the amount of sausage.

Servings: 4
Time: Prep - 15 minutes, Cook 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 pound smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 bacon strips, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1-1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used Turkey and it was great.)
1-1/2 cups water
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoon chicken bullion granules
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 kale leaves, torn or 1/3 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or 2% milk

Directions:
In a large non-stick skillet, brown kielbasa and bacon; drain, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings. Ad onion and garlic; cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender.

In a large saucepan, bring broth and water to a boil. Add the potatoes, bullion and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add the meat mixture and kale or spinach; cook over medium heat for 2 minutes or until leaves are wilted. Reduce heat. Add the cream; cook 1 minute longer or until heated through. Yield: 4 cups.

Note: If you decide to add a small chicken breast, decrease the amount of sausage to about 1/3 lb if you want to. Also, I cooked the finely cubed, cooked chicken with the sausage, bacon, onion, and garlic all at the same time to let the chicken soak up some of the flavor from the other ingredients. I also added all of it to the cooked potatoes portion, including drippings (with the chicken, there really aren't much as far as drippings are concerned).

Tuscan White Bean Soup

I created this recipe based on a recipe I found on Everyday Health that used a ham hock instead of sausage, and took about 2 1/2 hours to make. I didn't have that much time, or all of the right ingredients. I used what I had in the kitchen. We had this filling soup with country French bread.

Makes 10 servings

Prep 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Olive Oil

1 lb. lean steak/roast, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 lb. link sausage*, sliced

2 medium yellow onions, chopped course

4-5 leaves, fresh basil, chopped medium

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped course

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 pinches Kosher salt

15 oz can, white kidney beans

1 can 14.5 oz diced tomatoes

2- 6oz. cans tomato sauce, sodium-free

6 cups water

5 bay leaves

3 teaspoons beef bullion, instant

Heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil has heated up, add the steak, sausage, and salt. Heat, continuing to stir until all meat has been covered in the oil. Add the chopped onion, basil, spinach, and carrot. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, bay leaves, and beef bullion. Increase the heat to medium high and stir. When the soup begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium low and stir frequently. The soup will be ready when the carrots are cooked through and tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

* I used chicken and apple sausage, but you can almost completely change the tone of the soup by using a spicy Italian sausage, or a sweeter sausage.

Americanized Bangers and Mash

Bangers and Mash is a British meal that is essentially sausages and mashed potatoes. I put a twist on the recipe to give it a little more flavor. I also would have added a photo, but we ate it up before I had the chance to.

Ingredients for Bangers

5 or 6 Bratwurst Sausages
1 Medium Yellow Onion, Halved and Sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1/2 Cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1/2 Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ingredients for Mashed Potatoes

6 Medium Potatoes, Peeled and Diced
2 to 4 Garlic Cloves, Peeled
1/4 Cup Butter, Cut Up
1/4 to 1/2 Cup Milk

Instructions:
In a large pot, bring 8 to 10 cups of water and a liberal amount of salt to a boil. Add the peeled and diced potatoes, as well as the peeled garlic cloves. Boil uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes.

In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Stirring regularly until the onion becomes transparent, then add the garlic and continue stirring. Next add the ketchup, soy sauce, and mustard. Stir until all ingredients are combined. The sauce will be very thick. Add the sausages to the pan, sitting them right on top of the sauce. Add the 1/2 cup water and cover without stirring. Heat should be at about medium to medium-high.

While this was all cooking, I sliced up four large carrots and put them into a small sauce pan with water and a lid. By this time, the potatoes and garlic are ready. Drain the water from the potatoes and garlic, and pop the carrots, if you desire, onto the burner the potatoes were on. In a pyrex bowl or measuring cup, add the milk and butter. Microwave for about 1 minute. While this is heating, mash the potatoes and garlic with a potatoe masher until nearly smooth. Add the butter and milk and continue to mash until all ingredients are well combined and creamy.

Remove the lid from the sausages and cook for about 3 or 4 more minutes to allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Move the sauce around a little with a wooden spoon to combine. By this time, dinner is on the table!

Total prep and cooking time: less than 30 minutes
Meal for three to four

Stovetop Smoked Kielbasa and Cabbage

I made this recipe for dinner on Saturday night. It was quick, easy, and spicy. I found it at Recipe Zaar.

Stovetop Smoked Kielbasa and Cabbage
6 servings
time to make 40 min (10 min prep)

1 medium cabbage, chopped
16 ounces smoked kielbasa
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium chipotle chile in adobo
1 medium tomato, cored and diced
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar

1. Slice the kielbasa on the bias into pieces that are about 1 1/2 inches long.
2. In a very large skillet over medium heat, pour in the cooking oil and brown the sausage pieces. Remove them from the skillet and set aside.
3. Deglaze the skillet with the chicken broth, add the chipotle pepper and tomato, stirring to blend. After a couple of minutes, add the cabbage. Sprinkle on the seasoned salt, add in the butter, and cover, allowing the cabbage to cook over medium heat. After 10 minutes, add the sausage back in, add the sugar, stir, and re-cover the skillet. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook until the cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Serve hot.

Pumpkin Strata

Here's the recipe for the strata that I brought to the party today. I usually halve the recipe for my 8x8 pan. Make the full batch if you want to make a 9 x 13 - sized entree.

• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1 1b sausage (I really like to use a spicy Italian sausage, but veggie or mild sausage works too)
• 1 c chopped onion
• 1/2 c chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 c chopped red bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 lb Italian bread cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 c shredded mozzarella
• 24 oz evaporated milk
• 15 oz canned pumpkin OR 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp marjoram

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13x9" baking pan
2. Heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage, onion, bell peppers and garlic. Cook 7-10 minutes until sausage is no longer pink. Drain.
3. Combine bread cubes, cheese and sausage mixture in a large bowl. Beat evaporated milk, pumpkin, eggs, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and marjoram in medium bowl. Pour over bread mixture, pressing bread into milk mixture. Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until set. Serve warm.