After last night's flop of a salad (it was good last night, not for lunch today) I was very excited when this turned out as great as it did! The feta cheese was great. My husband ate it too...he didn't know it had feta cheese in it :) It wasn't his favorite, but he picked out the zucchini and ate some. That's progress, right?!? I bought the chicken sausage from Sam's. I buy the big pack and freeze them in two's or three's. The sausage is fully cooked, so I just sliced it in half-moons and browned in the skillet. By changing the flavors of sausage, you could really change up the dish. To be honest, I don't remember what kind mine was. It had a slightly sweet background to it. I pulled it out of the freezer tonight and thawed it in the sink in cold water. This is a refreshing change on the noodle casserole dish! I've got some already packed for lunch tomorrow. Oh, and Rusty...you're getting a container too!
2-1/2 cups uncooked ziti (I used whole wheat rotini)
8 ounces chicken sausage (I used 4 links)
5 cups zucchini, thinly sliced (I used 4 medium)
2 cups vertically sliced onion (didn't have this)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 ounces) feta cheese (I used the whole 4-oz. container)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (you could use 1/2 cup)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.
Slice sausage in half-moons. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add sausage to pan; cook until browned. Remove from pan. Wipe out skillet.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in pan. Add zucchini, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Cook 10 minutes or until veggies are tender and zucchini begins to brown, stirring occasionally.
Combine broth and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan with the veggies; cook 1 minute. Combine zucchini mixture, pasta, sausage and feta cheese in a large bowl or the pasta pot; toss well. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 X 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly and light browned.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Cooking Light)
These are SO yummy! Really a favorite with the men. My brother said its like his favorite Waffle House meal all combined in one little package. Everybody wanted leftovers to take home, but these were the first to go! If you have some of the eggs and sausage leftover, wrap them in a torilla with cheese for a breakfast burrito the next day.
1 20-oz. package refrigerated hash browns
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives (I omitted these)
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 eggs
1/2 lb. Jimmy Dean sausage
2/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (mine was at 350, so I left them in longer) Grease a large baking sheet; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together potatoes, the 2 beaten eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used more salt than that...those potatoes are bland!) Shape mixture into 12 mounds (about 1/3 cup each) on prepared baking sheet. I only got 9 mounds out of it. Press the back of a tablespoon into each mound, making a nest. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and set.
Meanwhile, beat together the 12 eggs, milk, the 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper (If you only get 9 nests like I did, 8 eggs would work). In a 12-in skillet melt butter over medium heat; pour in egg mixture. Scramble the eggs with a spatula over medium heat. Fold them around the pan until they are cooked through, but still glossy and moist. Remove from heat.
In another skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spatula. Cook until no longer pink. Drain on paper towels. Add to the eggs and mix in about 1/2 of the cheese. (I still used the 12 eggs and 1 whole roll of Jimmy Dean, but I had lots leftover. I just wrapped them in a tortilla and make a breakfast wrap the next day!)
Spoon about 1/3 cup of egg mixture into each potato next. Sprinkle cheese over eggs. Return to oven; bake about 2 minutes or until cheese melts. If desired, garnish with chives.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Better Homes & Gardens)
Frozen spinach is a great bargain at the grocery store. Just think of all of the bags of fresh spinach it would take to wilt down and fit into a 10-oz. frozen box of spinach. A lot! This recipe is a great way to sneak spinach into your diet. My husband even ate it! I made him some without the spinach, but he said that the ones with the spinach were just as good! If you have a small family, go ahead and make this whole recipe. Cook half now and freeze the other half of the shells for later. Freeze the stuffed shells (without the sauce) and then store in a zippy bag. Top with sauce and cheese before baking. You could use Italian sausage, ground beef or Jimmy Dean like I did. Change it up to use what you have on-hand!
1 box jumbo pasta shells (I didn't use the whole box)
1 lb. Italian sausage (I used Jimmy Dean)
1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 10-oz. box frozen spinach
3/4 cup shredded or diced carrots (I forgot these!)
1 26-oz. jar spaghetti sauce
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 X 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.
In a large skillet cook sausage over medium-high heat until browned, breaking up chunks with a wooden spoon. Drain. Thaw spinach in the microwave. Squeeze out all excess liquid.
In a medium bowl, stir ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the shredded cheese, spinach, carrots and sausage (I was going to cook the carrots with the sausage to soften, but I forgot!)
Spread about 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce over bottom of baking dish. Fill the shells with the cheese sausage mixture. Arrange shells, filled side up, on sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over stuffed shells. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered 5-10 minutes longer until cheese is melted.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Eat Better America 2010 Calendar)
Hummm....not really sure what to say about this one. Although it wasn't one of my favorites, it doesn't go on the "never-make-again" list. If I do make this again, I would change some things up. This was my first time cooking and eating polenta. It is a thicker, creamier version of grits. And, yes, it was thicker. And being a Southern Gal I am used to grits being a certain way. If I were to make this again, I would thin it out with some more chicken stock (I did add an addition 1/2 cup or so, but it was still too thick). Although Clay said, "Why don't you just make grits next time". Good point. I have made this chicken before, but I used the apple gouda flavored chicken sausage. That was better in my opinion. The original recipe called for 1 lb. of sausage to be split among 4 chicken breasts. I used about 1/2 lb. between 4 and I thought it was still too much. Less sausage and maybe add some cheese. If you have polenta pointers, feel free to share. Next time I'll stick to what I know!
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1/2 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cups milk
2 cups water
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup yellow corn meal
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
4-oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pound each chicken breasts to around 1/8" thickness (not too thin because the chicken will tear). Season both sides with salt and pepper. Divide the sausage among the chicken breasts and roll up. Secure with toothpicks.
In an oven proof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the pan seam side down and cook, turning, until browned all over (about 5 minutes per side or until golden). Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until cooked through, about 25 minutes (I cooked mine an extra 5 minutes).
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring milk, eater and salt to a gentle boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook 15-20 minutes, until creamy, lifting the lid and stirring every 3-4 minutes to prevent sticking (I added additional chicken broth to thin out while stirring. Maybe around 1/2 cup or so). Remove pot from heat, stir in pepper and butter. Gradually stir in cheese.
Enjoy!
(Chicken Stuffed Sausage adapted from Rachael Ray)
(Cheesy Polenta adapted from AllRecipes.com)
Tonight we had my brother and his girlfriend over for dinner. I wasn't sure what was on the Menu when I told them they could come for dinner, but we picked a good one! This turned out better than I expected. The sausage and parmesan cheese gave it so much flavor. I used a mixture of brown and white rice, but you could use what you have on hand. The original recipe called for regular long grain rice, but I had instant so that's what I used and how I wrote the recipe. When you find sausage on sale for a good price stock up and keep it in the freezer. I defrosted mine in cold water in the sink tonight. This made enough for us all to have a bowl, plus I have lunch for tomorrow and Chaz was able to take some home with him. If you have these ingredients give this one a whirl.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
1 cup instant brown rice
1/2 cup instant white rice
4 cups chicken broth
1 lb. mild Italian sausage, casings removed
2 zucchini, cut into cubes
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
In a medium saucepan, cook onion and garlic over medium heat in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in the rice and 3 cup chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer over low for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave covered an additional 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage, breaking it up, over medium heat until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Remove and drain on a plate covered with paper towels. Add the zucchini to the skillet and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Return the sausage to the skillet, adding the remaining 1 cup chicken broth (1 cup) and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the rice along with 3/4 cup parmesan cheese. Top with extra parmesan cheese and chopped pecans.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine)
I just recently started cooking with Italian Sausage since I've picked it up during the sales at Publix and Winn Dixie. I really like the change it gives me in my regular dinner routine. I found this recipe in a Philadelphia Cream Cheese insert in one of my magazines. It is very simple and very delicious. Great for quick weeknight meals. The peppers give it a good fresh kick. You probably have most of these items in your stockpile. Its a great change on the noodles-pasta sauce dinner!
1 box Penne Noodles (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
1 lb. Italian Sausage
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
8 oz. cream cheese (I used reduced-fat)
1/4 cup milk (add more as needed for desired consistency)
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break up large chunks with a wooden spoon. Drain off excess fat. Return to skillet and add peppers. Cook 5-10 minutes or until softened. Stir in spaghetti sauce and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add cream cheese, cook another 5 minutes or until melted, stirring frequently.
Drain pasta and return to pot. Add sausage mixture, mixing thoroughly. Add enough milk to thin out the consistency (I didn't measure, so I'm not sure how much I added. I'm guessing between 1/4 and 1/2 cup. It will resemble an alfredo sauce). Top with Parmesan. Serve with a small salad.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Kraft)
We made this recipe a while back at a Pampered Chef party we had at my sister-in-law's. I've been wanting to make it ever since, and just never did. It was so easy and so yummy! This week Publix had the Pillsbury Pizza Crusts and the Johnsonville Italian Sausage on sale. Everything else I had in my stockpile. This recipe makes two side-by-side calzones. I cut each one into 6 slices. One and half did me right! Pizza is something that is really good to make at home yourself. You can add the things that your family likes. And I just hate to pay for pizza. I cringe when I have to write the $20 or more check for the pizza guy. The ones from home just taste so much better! I have a really awesome pizza recipe that I came up with a while back, but we'll just have to wait for that one! Here's how you do the calzones...
**I completely forgot to add the sauce in the sausage mixture! We just dipped it instead :)
1 lb. Italian sausage
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can olives, sliced
1 8-oz. jar pizza sauce (more for dipping)
2 tubes refrigerated pizza crust (I used the thin crust)
1 8-oz. block mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook sausage in a medium skillet until browned, breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon. Drain off excess fat. Return to pan and add onion, garlic and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables soften. Stir in pizza sauce and sliced olives.
Unroll one package of pizza dough across the entire rectangular baking sheet or baking stone (I used my large rectangular baking stone from Pampered Chef). Sprinkle half of the cheese in two rows on the dough with about 2-inches in between (remember you're making two long calzones). Top cheese with the meat mixture, dividing evenly between the two rows. Top each row with the remaining cheese.
Unroll second package of pizza dough and stretch to cover the top of the first. Press along the edges to seal. Press down the center creating the two calzones. Use a pizza cutter to cut down the center of the dough, making two separate calzones. Press the seam to seal. Lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cut five two-inch slits in top of each calzone to vent.
Bake 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with extra sauce for dipping.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Pampered Chef)
I changed this up a bit from the original recipe I played with a few years ago. Publix had their Italian sausage on sale for $2.99 lb. In my original recipe I used some of the chicken sausage that you can find in some of the grocery stores. Really, either one works. If you do use the chicken sausage cut it in chunks. Tonight's version was especially good! I had to change it up to use some of the things I had on hand (it calls for cans of diced tomatoes...I used Ragu). Like Shannon at The Bargain Buggy mentioned today, you have to be adaptable and make use of your stockpile. Sure, I could have spent more tonight and got the tomatoes at the grocery store, but I knew I could play with the recipe some, and it would turn out great. Actually, my husband said it was one of my better dinners! "Yay for me," as Ella says.
1 box penne pasta (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
1-1.5 lbs. Italian sausage (5 links), casings removed
1 jar Ragu
1 tablespoon tomato paste (use $1/1 Muir Glen to get it for $.09)
1/2 10-oz. jar Classico Sun-dried Tomato Pesto (the kicker!)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used Mozzarella)
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese (I use Kraft)
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Heat about 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add sausage, with the casings removed, and saute until brown. Crumble with the back of a wooden spoon while cooking. Remove to a paper towel to drain off excess fat. Return to skillet. Add tomato paste, Ragu and pesto. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Combine pasta and sausage mixture, and spoon into a 13 X 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with the cheeses. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.
Now, I realize that the pesto is probably never on sale, but I think it makes this dish DELISH! The flavors are just so wonderful. I picked up my jar at Wal-mart before I started couponing , so I can't remember how much it was. I can't image it being more than $3.00 or so. But, if you can't bring yourself to splurge on the pesto here's the original recipe for the sauce...
Here is the original ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
sprinkle of salt, oregano, crushed red pepper (to taste)
3 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
Add garlic to the sausage and saute while the sausage is cooking. Drain excess fat from sausage and return to pan. Add the seasonings, tomato paste, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes. Assemble as directed above.
I definitely think that the pesto version is better. But, the tomatoes were on sale the other week at Publix, so you may have a lot to use in your stockpile. Whichever version you do choose, be sure to leave a comment below so that others will know how it turned out for you!
Enjoy!
I love to make these baked beans. They are so quick and easy. They are perfect for weeknight meals, and delicious enough to serve to guests. They are great on the stove, or make a larger batch and put in the oven for real "baked" beans. When the Jimmy Dean sausage goes on sale, you can half it into 1/2 lb. portions and freeze. These beans would be great with the BBQ Chicken Tenders and Corn Fritters I made the other week. Tonight I pan fried some boneless pork chops and served them with these beans and the frozen Teton Ranch Potatoes that were B1G1 a few weeks ago at Publix. Make these beans for dinner one night. Your family will be asking for more!
1/2 roll Jimmy Dean Sausage (1/2 lb)
1 28-oz. can Bush's Baked Beans
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 tablespoons BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Crumble with the back of a spatula while its cooking. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the beans in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the maple syrup, BBQ Sauce, brown sugar and yellow mustard. Add the sausage and simmer over low heat until thickened; about 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
If you have already started your diet, do not read this post. You will relapse, I promise! My sister-in-law, Shelley, made these Christmas Eve for breakfast. They are so good, and everything you need to make them has been on sale the last couple of weeks. It only uses half of a Jimmy Dean sausage roll, so save the other half to throw in some baked beans later. I may make that later this evening with our pork chops for dinner! Try this breakfast when you feel like being bad. Its to die for!
Makes 6 pockets-
1/2 of a 1-lb. Jimmy Dean sausage roll
1 8-oz. block cream cheese
1 tube crescent rolls (I used the Big & Buttery ones)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Drain on paper towels and wipe out the skillet. Return the sausage to the skillet (off of the heat) and add the cream cheese. Stir together until the cream cheese is melted.
Open the tube of crescent rolls and unroll onto a work surface. Press together the seams of the triangles leaving the three "scored" rectangles. Cut each rectangle into two squares, making 6 squares to work with. Press the squares out slightly creating more surface area. Put approximately 1/4 cup sausage cheese mixture in the center of each square. Pull corners up over the center and twist creating little pockets. Twist and press the seams to make sure they are all sealed.
Place on a baking sheet or baking stone and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-22 minutes. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
(recipe from Shelley Grimes)
My Dad has made these mushrooms for years. They are so delicious, and couldn't be any easier. These are great served as an appetizer or simply as a snack. Publix has their whole button mushrooms on sale as well as the Jimmy Dean sausage. The sausage was 2/$5 and if you used the $1/2 coupon in the Winter Savings booklet each roll was $2. I always keep sausage on hand. It is great browned and added to a can of baked beans or cooked and scrambled in some eggs. But, I digress. These mushrooms were fabulous. And I even have some stuffing leftover that I'm debating on how to use.
1 16-oz. package whole mushrooms
1 16-oz. package Jimmy Dean sausage
2 cups shredded mozarella cheese (I used 1/2 white cheddar, 1/2 mozz)
Brown the sausage in a skillet. Remove and drain on paper towels. Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms and remove the stems. Chop stems and saute in skillet over medium heat in sausage drippings. Add the sausage back to the pan and fold in the cheese until melted.
Put mushroom caps on a broiler pan or baking pan fitted with a wire rack (I put my cookie cooling rack- make sure yours is oven proof- on top of my baking sheet). This allows the juice from the mushrooms to drip down. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.
Thanks Dad!
Enjoy!
