December 23, 2011: Cheddar Wurst Chili Mac

Do you have a crowd of people to feed for dinner before the big holiday meal? This recipe is an economical way to feed lots of diners and fill them up. It’s a recipe I created completely on my own, from scratch – hope you like it!

Cheddar Wurst Chili Mac topped with shredded cheese, salsa and sour cream.

Cheddar Wurst Chili Mac

One 1-pound package smoked cheddar link sausage (such as Hillshire Farms), cut into half inch thick slices

2 small stalks celery, diced

½ white onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large Roma tomato, diced

2 T. chopped green chile (substitute black olives for less heat)

1 15-ounce can Ranch style beans, undrained

1 cup water

1 cup dry macaroni

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Sour cream and fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish (optional)

In a large skillet or saucepan, saute the sausage with the celery, garlic and onion until the vegetables are tender. Add the beans, green chiles (or olives) and diced tomato. Cook over medium low heat for a couple minutes, just until heated through. Add the water and raise heat to medium-high. Add dry macaroni and cook for an additional 15 minutes, until the macaroni is soft. To serve, spoon into bowls and top with cheddar cheese, sour cream and cilantro.

November 29, 2011: Hawaiian Sausage Skewers Recipe

As the holidays bear down upon us (along with all those advertisements showing perfect houses and presents and families to make us feel guilty), chances are your to-do list is growing while the time available to do all those chores gets smaller and smaller. On those hectic weeknights when you don’t have any social obligations, a quick and easy dinner is in order. Try this recipe to use a couple ingredients you’re sure to find on sale at the grocery store right now: pineapple and sausage.

Hawaiian Sausage Skewers

1 one-pound package smoked link sausages, such as Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage, cut into 1 ½” long slices

½ fresh pineapple, cut into 1 ½” chunks

½ large white or yellow onion, cut into large chunks

1 cup Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce

Thread the ingredients in alternating fashion onto skewers (you’ll need about 8 skewers or so, depending on their length). Spray a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place skewers on broiler pan and brush with half of the barbecue sauce. Broil for about 6 – 9 minutes, until pineapple and onion begin to char. Remove from oven and turn over; brush with remaining barbecue sauce. Broil for another 5 minutes or so, until completely heated through.

Serves 4

Tip: This is really delicious served with rice, plain or cheesy. If you don't have any Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce already made, any type of fruity barbecue sauce will do.

October 16, 2011: Any Leftovers With Any Pasta Recipes

Yesterday I shared with you a recipe I concocted to use leftover pork loin roast. Today I want to share with you several possible combinations of other types of leftover meat, vegetables, pasta and sauce.

Mexican Chicken

Protein: Leftover chicken, shredded

Vegetables: Black olives, tomatoes, yellow onion, garlic, jalapenos or green chile, bell pepper

Pasta: Fideo (or any type of tiny shaped pasta)

Sauce: Velveeta cheese

Garnish: Freshly chopped cilantro

Italian Sausage

Protein: Leftover smoked sausage or minced beef (steak, roast, etc.)

Vegetables: Tomatoes, garlic, white onion, mushrooms, black olives, bell pepper

Pasta: Spaghetti or gnocchi

Sauce: Tomato sauce

Garnish: Parmesan cheese and basil

Vegetarian

Protein: Black beans

Vegetables: Green onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, celery, mango

Pasta: Macaroni

Sauce: Pasta water and a bit of olive oil

Garnish: Crumbled cotija or goat cheese and cilantro

All American

Protein: Ham

Vegetables: Corn, peas, carrots

Pasta: Penne or farfalle

Sauce: Velveeta

Garnish: Minced parsley and bacon bits

These are just a few ideas for using leftovers with pasta. Hopefully this gives you further ideas of ways to take one night’s dinner and totally, yet easily, transform them into a brand new meal another night. Bon appétit!

Tip: Thicker, wider pastas work best with meats and lots of vegetables.

September 28, 2011: Lentil and Sausage Stew Recipe

I don’t know about the weather in your neck of the woods, but around here it’s getting downright chilly at night and in the mornings. It won’t be long now before we get our first freeze.

As the weather gets cooler and the days get shorter, I start thinking about making hot, hearty dishes like stew and soup for dinner. Here’s one that used up a lot of food in my refrigerator. Feel free to substitute other meats and vegetables that you may have in your fridge; adding some greens is a flavorful addition and ham would work equally well with the flavor profile of this dish. To me, there are no hard and fast rules for soup ingredients; experiment with what you’ve got!

Lentil and Sausage Stew

1 T. olive oil

2 cups chopped white or yellow onion (about 2 medium onions)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ cups sliced carrots

1 pound smoked sausage (I used jalapeno cheddar but any variety is fine), sliced

1 pound lentils, rinsed and drained

4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth

1 t. dried sage

1 T. dried fennel seeds

½ t. black pepper

1 t. salt (or to taste)

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven to medium low. Add onion, garlic and carrots and cook until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add sausage, lentils, broth and spices. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 45 minutes, until lentils are soft.  

Note: You may need to add extra water if the stew is too thick.

You can also make this recipe in a slow cooker. Just add all ingredients to your crock pot in the morning and by dinner time all of the ingredients should be thoroughly cooked.