Sausage & Peppers

This is one of my favorite recipes to make. It is from my grandmother and my mom made it often when I was growing up. My grandmother passed away in 2013 and I think of her every time I make this. 

It's very simple and easy, but so delicious- only 5 ingredients:

To make it even easier, cut up your green peppers and onions the night before. I don't usually use shitake mushrooms, but it turned out great. You can use any mushrooms you like. I prefer to buy non-cased sausage for this, but couldn't find any at the grocery store this time around. You can also use hot or sweet italian sausage, depending on your preference. 

My grandmother was always adamant that the key to this recipe is to cook your sausage separate from the peppers and onions- or else it turns out with a funny taste. I usually cook my sausage, drain it, and set it aside. Then I rinse and wipe out the pan and cook my onions and peppers. 

Start by browning your meat in a large skillet. 

Once cooked, drain your meat and set aside. This is where that important step comes in- rinse and wipe out you pan.

Once clean, return your pan to the stove and drizzle with some olive oil. Add your peppers and onion and cook until translucent- about 5 minutes. 

Add your meat back in. Add your tomato sauce and mushrooms- I usually do about 24 oz of tomato sauce- but you can add more or less depending on your preference. 

Reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for 30-40 minutes. 

And voila! Enjoy :)

Easy 5 Ingredient Sausage & Peppers

Ingredients: 

2-4 green bell peppers cut into strips

1 onion, sliced

3 cups tomato sauce

1 lb ground italian sausage, non-cased (I prefer hot or mild)

16 oz can mushrooms, drained (I usually use stems & pieced)

Olive oil

Directions:

1) In a large skillet, brown your meat over medium heat. Once cooked, drain and set aside. *Rinse and wipe out your pan, this is an important step to avoid the infamous "funny taste" my grandmother referred to

2) One the pan is clean, place it back on the stove and add in your green peppers and onions with a little olive oil. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes over medium heat.

3) Add your meat back in. Add in your mushrooms and tomato sauce

4) Reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook for 30-40 minutes

Serve on sandwich rolls or in a bowl with italian bread on the side. 

Smoked Salmon Fettuccine

Some people have a strong sweet tooth, I definitely have a strong carb tooth (...is that a thing?). I love pasta- I make it at least once a week. Give me a good one dish pasta recipe and I'm a happy girl. I bought some smoked salmon the other day and thought it would be deliciously paired with fettuccine. You can use spaghetti, or any pasta you want really. It has some of the my favorite ingredients to cook with: shallots (way more flavorful than onions), garlic, and lemon. You can leave out the cream if you want a lighter, dairy free recipe. I used smoked salmon seasoned with black pepper, if you use plain salmon I recommend seasoning it with black pepper before serving. 

                  

Ingredients:

8 oz fettuccine pasta

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup diced shallots

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)

1/4 cup cream  (optional)

4 oz smoked salmon cut into bite-sized pieces

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook your pasta according to pasta package directions

While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, sauté your garlic and shallots in olive oil over medium heat until fragrant

Add wine, cream, and lemon juice and boil for 2 minutes until sauce is reduced by half

Drain your pasta, add it to the sauce and toss to coat- stir in your smoked salmon and parsley

Serve with grated parmesan cheese, sliced french bread, and a glass of white wine...enjoy!   

Fig, Prosciutto, & Arugula Pizza (Trader Joe's Style)

This past weekend I was out in Colorado for one of my dearest friend's weddings. Thursday night was her bachelorette party...which is where I discovered this amazing and delicious pizza. I've been craving it ever since, and decided to make it for dinner tonight for the hubby and I.

This recipe is adapted from the amazing Pioneer Woman. All of my ingredients are from Trader Joe's and cost me under $13.00...

Ingredients:

1 Trader Joe's Plain Pizza Dough ($1.19)
1 jar Trader Joe's Fig Butter ($2.29)
1 8oz package Trader Joe's Fresh Mozzarella ($3.29)
1 4oz package Trader Joe's Sliced Prosciutto ($3.99)
Trader Joe's Wild Arugula ($1.99)
1 TBSP Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

Directions:
Roll out pizza dough into a circle (as thin as your preference) and place on pizza pan. Drizzle on olive oil, and spread fig butter all over pizza dough. Top with sliced fresh mozzarella, and bake for 12 minutes at 500 degrees. Take pizza out, top with prosciutto and lots of fresh arugula. Season with salt and pepper...Enjoy (with a glass of wine)!

Spicy Cilantro Corn Fritters w/ Garlic Lime Guacamole

This is a simple and delicious recipe I created this summer after successfully growing my own cilantro and having some leftover fresh corn- great for a snack...thought I would share for a splash of summer in this wintery season!

Fritters:

2/3 cup white flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
Pinch salt
7 Tbsp water
1 cup fresh corn (cut off the cob) *you can also use canned corn, but fresh will taste better!
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (add more for if you like spicy!)

Heat 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a sauce pan. Spoon batter into pan to create fritter patties. Let patties fry to crisp on one side, then flip over.

Serve warm with simple guacamole:

Guacamole:

2 Avacados
1tsp garlic powder
Juice of 1 fresh lime

Enjoy!

Strawberry Bread

Let's talk about breakfast...and baking. I love both, but lately have not been finding much time for either. This weekend, however, we have been blessed with a wonderful 4 days off. I woke up yesterday and decided to make one of our favorites: Strawberry Bread. It is simple and soo good! Perfect for me because I love to buy berries but can never seem to eat them fast enough before they go bad. So, when I have strawberries lying around I love to make this recipe:

Strawberry Bread & Butter:

1 and 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.
Add strawberries & stir.
Combine wet ingredients in small bowl and add to flour mixture and berries.
Stir well and pour into a 9x5 in loaf pan.
Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until you pierce a knife into the center and it comes out clean.


Strawberry butter (optional- but delicious):

1 tsp confectioner's sugar
1/2 stick butter
2-3 strawberries

Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender- spread on bread and enjoy!

What's your favorite go-to recipe when you have time for breakfast or baking?