Sweet, Spicy and Cheesy?

Sometimes you don't have a reason for picking a recipe. Sometimes it's just luck of the draw as you flip through your box, hoping something will inspire you.  My sausage and potatoes recipes caught my eye but I don't really have anything profound to say about either. I will warn you the sausage patties come with some kick! Actually, both recipes do.

Paprika, red pepper, cayenne and hot sauce give these recipes some heat but I'm not a huge fan of heat, so know that the quantities listed won't leave you begging for water. Of course, you can always add in spice and heat if that's what you are into!

Sweet & Spicy Sausage Patties

Ingredients:
1 tsp. onion powder           1 tsp. garlic powder      1 tsp. red pepper           1/2 tsp. fennel
1/4 tsp. paprika                  1 tsp. salt                      1/4 tsp. black pepper     1 lb. ground meat
1 tbsp. & 1 tsp. brown sugar                                   1 tsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Mix your meat with all the seasonings.
2. Portion it into 8 balls.
3. Flatten each ball to 1/8 in. thick.
4. Heat oil over medium high heat.
5. Sear patties on one side until caramelized about 2 minutes.
6. Flip to cook 1 minute more.

Cheesy Vacation Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 potatoes, sliced 1/8 in. thick          oil and salt, to taste             

pico de gallo:  2 roma tomatoes       2 scallions              1 tsp. hot sauce      1 tsp. lime juice

                       1/8 tsp. cumin            1/8 tsp. cayenne

casserole:       1 tbsp. unsalted butter         1/2 c. jack blend cheese         1/2 c. mozzarella

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375.
2. Fry potatoes in 1 inch of oil, 3 minutes on each side.
3. Season with salt.
4. Prepare the pico de gallo in a bowl and set aside.
5. Butter an 8x8 pan.
6. Layer half the potatoes then half the jack blend cheese, then half the pico de gallo and half the mozzarella.
7. Repeat the layers, ending with mozzarella.
8. Bake until cheese melts (app. 18 minutes).

So there you go, a pair of fun recipes that aren't super hard to put together.  Oh and I absolutely don't remember why they are called vacation potatoes. As always, have fun.

Pizza in a Crock Pot?

Well maybe not pizza in the traditional sense but this is an easy fondue to do which you could use for dinner or as an appetizer at a large party. I also think you could switch out some of the ingredients depending on what your favorite type of pizza is.  Get creative ... I love fondue because you can have as much or as little as you want. You can keep it warming all night and pick at it in small doses. This particular recipe makes 20-25 servings and truthfully with all the meat can be a little bit of a heartburn creator so keep the Tums handy. It's so worth it!

Pizza Fondue

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage                   1 c. chopped onion           1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes   
2 jars (26 oz each) tomato sauce         4 oz. thin sliced ham, finely chopped    
3 oz. sliced pepperoni, finely chopped 1 lb. mozzarella, cut in 3/4 in cubes 
1 loaf Italian or French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions:

1. Cook sausage and onion in large skillet over medium high heat until sausage is browned, stirring to break up meat. Drain the fat.
2. Transfer to crock pot.
3. Stir in pasta sauce, ham, pepperoni and red pepper flakes.
4. Cover and cook on low 3 to 4 hours.
5. Serve fondue with cheese and bread cubes.

As always, have fun!

Sunday Morning Breakfast

So, I'm notoriously never awake enough to do real breakfast in the morning. My only hopes are either breakfast for dinner (huge fan!) or getting ambitious on the weekends. Even still, ambitious might be a strong word. I'm a bacon freak so you would think I would be all over my favorite bacon recipes for this. However, I went in a different direction. My east coast upbringing failed to introduce me to this special breakfast treat. It was only when I got out to Indiana that I discovered the joy of biscuits and gravy!

Anytime we go out to breakfast, I pretty much pick anything that will give me biscuits and gravy as part of my meal. Or I have to add it in on the side. I don't know why I am so obsessed but I am. This recipe is super quick and super cheap to make. In fact, it can be ready to go in less than a half hour!

Drop Biscuits and Gravy

Ingredients:
Biscuits:   1 c. flour   1 1/2 tsp baking powder   1/8 tsp. salt   1/2 c. milk   1 tsp. butter, melted
Gravy:      1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage                  1 tbsp. butter                    3 tbsp. flour    
                 1 3/4 c. milk                                      1/8 tsp. salt                       1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Combine milk and butter and then stir into dry ingredients just until blended.
3. Drop by rounded tablespoons on a greased baking sheet.
4. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
5. In a saucepan, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink.
6. Stir in butter until melted.
7. Sprinkle with flour.
8. Gradually stir in milk, salt and pepper.
9. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes.
10. Serve over biscuits. (4 servings)

Trust me if you've never had this - it's so worth it! I might just be a breakfast whore. Oh well ... there are worse things in life I suppose. I still refuse to eat grits. I have my limits.

As always, have fun!

Sweet? Savory? Both!

I like pie. I’m the first one to stand up and say that loud and proud. I have a whole section of pie recipes in my baking recipe box. Yes, I have multiple recipe boxes. That’s a conversation for another blog post. I like choices for myself and it’s also a handy resource if you’re ever looking for a good recipe – I usually have it and several variations.

For this post, it’s not one of those feel good Thanksgiving pies or even the hubby’s favorite, cherry pie. This is one is a breakfast pie.

Breakfast -I don’t know about you, but I don’t often have the time or desire for a full breakfast in the morning. This is precisely why breakfast for dinner is popular in my house.

This pie is the best of both worlds -sweet and savory – something I often struggle with. I love toffee peanuts and chocolate covered pretzels and of course anything chocolate peanut butter. I know many people are the same way – it’s that sweet and salty combo that makes our taste buds go wild.

Breakfast Sausage Apple Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb breakfast sausage links     1 pie crust     1 can apple pie filling     1 c. cheese     1/2 c. brown sugar

Directions:

1. Cook sausage and drain.
2. Bake pie crust for 10 minutes at 375.
3. Pour in apple pie filling.
4. Arrange the sausage on the top.
5. Sprinkle with cheese and then brown sugar.
6. Bake for 25-35 minutes.
7. Serve warm.

Yes, this recipe is just that simple. It’s also one I bet you could play around with depending on taste. Our go to cheese is cheddar jack as I can get big blocks of it cheaply at Sams Club. But, you could spice this up with a pepper jack or go in a different direction with a provolone or mozzarella. And it seems to me that you aren’t limited to apple pie only. My gut says blueberry would work well  -  and I’ve used cherries in a lot of different ways. Perhaps the tartness of the cherries would blend well with the spice of the sausage. Of course, there are different flavors of breakfast sausage links so your mix and match potential is endless.

As always, have fun!