SPICE UP YOUR LIFE WITH ANDOUILLE SAUSAGES

 Our thanks to Carol Feltman of Seattle, Washington for this great recipe.

"Home made spicy Andouille sausages. Adjust the seasonings to suit your preferences. Pack any unused sausage casings in a jar with salt."

Prep Time:
20 Min Cook Time:
15 Min Ready In:
1 Hr 35 Min

Original Recipe Yield 3 sausages
Ingredients

1 1/2 yards of large sausage casing, about 2 to 3 inches wide
4 pounds lean pork meat
2 pounds pork fat
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon ground paprika
1/4 teaspoon crushed bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
5 teaspoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke
Directions

Soak the casing in cold water for about an hour to soften it and loosen the salt in which it is packed. Place the wide end of the sausage stuffer up against the sink faucet and run cold water through the inside of the casing to remove excess salt.
Cut the meat and fat into 1/2-inch wide chunks. Pass them once through the coarse blade of a meat grinder. In a large bowl, mix together the ground pork and fat with the garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme, paprika, bay leaf, sage, and hickory smoke. A wooden spoon works well.
Cut the casing into 26 inch lengths and tie a small knot in one end of each. Fit the open end over the tip of the sausage stuffer and slide it on until the tip of the stuffer touches the knot. The casing will look like accordion folds. This keeps excess air from getting into the casings. Fit the stuffer onto the meat grinder or according the directions that come with the stuffer, or hold the wide end of the stuffer against or over the opening by hand.
Fill the hopper with the sausage mixture. Turn the machine on if it is electric and feed the stuffing gradually into the hopper; for a manual machine, push the stuffing through with a wooden pestle. The sausage casing will fill and inflate gradually. Stop filling about 1 1/4 inches from the funnel end and slip the casing off the funnel, smoothing out any bumps carefully with your fingers and being careful not to push the stuffing out of the casing. Tie off the open end of the sausage tightly with a piece of string or make a knot in the casing itself.
To cook, slice the sausage into half-inch rounds and grill in a hot skillet with no water for about 12 minutes on each side, or until brown and crisp at the edges.

SMOKY SAUSAGE CHILI

Image via Wikipedia


I know, I know it's not quite time for chili yet but this Smoky Sausage Chili recipe caught my eye so I thought I'd post it so you can use it in the months to come.

I really don't enjoy the Winter months but with some hot, steamy chili simmering on the stove it makes it a little easier to handle.
Try this recipe out and let me know how you love it.


INDREGDIENTS:

1 pound of lean ground beef
1 large onion
1 tablespoon of chili powder (I prefer a little more as hot and spicy chili is always what I'm looking for)
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1/2 pound of smoked sausage (again I use the hot stuff as opposed to the mild variety)
1 12-ounce can of kidney beans
1 cup of Pace's picante sauce
1 cup of V-8 vegetable juice
1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce

PREPARATION:

Brown the ground meat with the onion in a large sauce pan or a dutch oven.  Sprinkle the chili powder and cumin over the meat while it is cooking and stir it for about 2 minutes.

Slice and quarter the smoked sausage.

Add all of the remaining ingredients and bring everything to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.  Be sure to add a little water if it gets too thick.  Don't want it to burn now, do we?

That's it.  Simple, quick and really really great on a cold Winter day.  Now go sit in front of your fireplace, bring along a good book and watch the snow through your window.  If you're like me that's as close as I want to be to the outside.

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Mama Joyce's Country Gravy

This is probably the best gravy for pouring over your morning biscuits that I've ever had. Thanks to Mama Joyce for this special treat!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of sausage (Bob Evans Mild or Spicy)

1 stick of margarin

5 tablespoons of flour

4 cups milk

2 teaspoons of ground sage

1/4 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Just a "Smidge" of ground red pepper

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Biscuits of your choice. (We like the Grands-style)

PREPARATION:

Brown and crumble the sausage. Remove from the pan.

In the pan add 1 stick of butter and brown it for 2-3 minutes being careful not to burn it.

Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the flour while whisking. Add the remaining ingredients also while whisking.

There you have it. It's delicious and we're sure you'll never make it any other way.

Good Morning Sunshine!

Steve and Kim

BAG-IT! COOK YOUR OMELET IN A BAG

When was the last time you had people begging you for an omelet and they all wanted it at the same time? Pretty frustrating wasn't it? Well, here's the cure for that immediate need to cook everything at once for your breakfast guests. Omelet In A Bag. It's fun, easy and everyone will get their food at the same time, guaranteed.

Oh, one more thing... Did I mention that you're not even going to have to get out the frying pan for this delicious meal? Nope, no frying pan here. Just a large pan in which you can boil water. You can boil water, right?


INGREDIENTS:
2 Eggs per person.
Sausage, Ham, Vegetables of your choice, cheese, green pepper, tomato, hash browns or anything else you'd enjoy in your omelet.

PREPARATION:

Crack open two eggs and place them into a plastic bag that will seal securely (Zip Lock is best).
Shake the bag to combine them.
Have your guests add their favorite ingredients to the bag... kind of like a buffet-setting.
Shake the bag again to combine all of the added ingredients.
Get out all of the air in the bag and seal it tightly.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Place all of your special bagged omelets into the boiling water and boil for EXACTLY 13 minutes. With a large enough pot you should be able to prepare six (6) omelets at the same time. Best yet... NO CLEAN UP of a sticky frying pan.
Once cooked remove from the water... careful it's very hot. Open the bags and poor the fully cooked omelet onto a plate.
Serve with a little bit of fresh fruit and enjoy this delicious, easy to make meal.
Collect smiles and complements for your meal. Tell everyone that it is now their turn to cook!

HAPPY EATING!
Steve and Kim

SAUSAGE EGG BAKE

There's nothing better in the morning (spelled any time of day) than a great egg/sausage breakfast. Here's one that will make your mouth water just by thinking about it.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound of bulk Italian sausage
2 (10 ounce) cans of condensed cream of potato soup (don't dilute it).
9 Eggs.
3/4 cup of milk.
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) of shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese.

PREPARATION:
Using your largest skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until the pink is no longer visible then drain off the grease. Stir in the potato soup. Then, in a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, milk and pepper and stir it into the sausage. Place everything in a lightly greased (Pam is healthy choice) 11 x 7 x 2-inch baking dish. Bake this uncovered in the oven set to 375 degrees for about 40-45 minutes or until you can place a knife in it that comes out clean... it is done.

GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
Steve and Kim