Potatoes and Sausage

I am back. Back to menu planning, back to torturing trying new recipes on my family, I am back. Last week I tried this recipe for spicy chicken stew. It was a crock pot recipe, and it did make the house smell scrumptious. However, it was not received well, even the dog turned up her nose. After dinner the rest of the dinner was bid a farewell into the garbage disposal. It is very rare around here that a fail goes straight down the drain without passing go, without becoming a science project in the refrigerator.

Tonight's new recipe was a much bigger hit. In fact, I got the green light from Hero to try it again with chicken instead of sausage. (He'd rather I not cook sausage at all, but Mama loves sausage so he tolerates it on occasion.) When I first came across this recipe in a grocery check out recipe magazine there was an ingredient and a step that threw me off for a bit, but it proved to be a pleasant surprise. As always, my thoughts, and changes to the recipe are in red. Since I doubled the recipe that is the way I will share the recipe with you.

Potatoes and Sausage

• 1 pkg. Kielbasa, sliced into 1-inch pieces, I like to use the skinless variety
• 1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced
• 1 medium sweet bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces, I completely forgot this ingredient and it still tasted delicious
• 8 red potatoes cut into fourths, I left the peels on, removing any eyes or blemishes on the potatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic chopped
• 4 TBsp olive oil, I just used the canola I had in the cupboard
• 1/4 tsp salt, I didn't measure and I probably put in closer to 1/2 tsp
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, again, I didn't measure and probably used closer to 1/2 tsp
•  1 TBsp of dried thyme, I didn't measure this either, just eyeballed it in my palm
• 1 TBsp of dried rosemary, I didn't measure this either, just eyeballed it in my palm
• 1/2 C. heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. I used a mortar and pestle to crush up my dried herbs. 
3. Mix all the ingredients, except for the cream, in a bowl. Then pour into a greased 2-qt. casserole dish.
4. Bake covered for 45 minutes.
5. Stir in the cream, mix well, continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes until potatoes are cooked and most of the cream is incorporated. 

This casserole fed my family of three with some left overs. Meghan and I each had a small portion, while Hero had a couple of servings. I think this would feed a family of six with no left overs, but be sure to have plenty of sides just in case. The next time I make this I think I will substitute the sausage for cut up chicken breasts, and I will try using my favorite seasoning, Cavender's Greek Seasoning. 

Enjoy!

Why do we do that? and Secret Ingredients

Today I made potato salad to go along with our BBQ beef. As I was peeling and cubing my potatoes I was thinking about secret ingredients. My potato salad has an ingredient that shocks most people when they find out it is in there--pepper sauce. Yes, Tabasco. Not a lot, just a couple of shakes, only enough to warm the back of the tongue and throat.

What do you put in your potato salad? I put:

• Yukon Gold potatoes, because they are waxy and prevent "mashed" potato salad
• Hard boiled eggs, I usually boil one egg per potato with one extra to slice on top.
• Celery
• Onions, I prefer red onions in my potato salad.
• Chopped olives, I prefer black olives. Green olives are NASTY.
• Mayo
• Stone ground mustard
• Garlic powder
• Sweet relish, although if I am really LUCKY and have some of my Granny Franny's zuchinni relish I would use that in a heart beat!
• Apple cider vinegar--just a splash
• Tabasco
• Salt, Pepper, and a bit of sugar

Now for the "Why do we do that?"

Why do we I sprinkle paprika on my potato salad? I cannot taste any flavor that it imparts. I realized this afternoon that I put paprika on my potato salad because that is what my Granny Franny does. I love that woman!

Roasted Vegetables

Mr. Wheeler LOVES roasted vegetables, a fact I have just recently learned after almost 12 years of marriage. Tonight I made roasted vegetables, and tonight I took the easy way out.

• 2 medium sized red potatoes (remember we are a small family of three)
• 2 medium sized red onions
• 2 carrots
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 packet of Lipton's onion soup mix
• splash of olive oil

1. Wash your potatoes, cut them into similar sized chunks. Place potatoes into a zip-loc bag, or if you prefer a bowl that will be large enough to mix all your ingredients.
2. Peel onion. Leave a smidge of the root attached so that when you cut your wedges your onion maintains its shape. Cut onion into wedges, I cut each of my onions into 6 wedges. Add to cut potatoes.
3. Peel (or not depending on preference) carrots, cut into similar sized chunks. My carrots were like me, short and squat, so I cut them in half. Then I cut the bottom halves into half again and the tops into fourths. Add to other cut vegetables.
4. Peel garlic and add to other vegetables. I have taken to buying my garlic already peeled, it is just easier for me since we use a fair amount of garlic in our house.
5. Sprinkle vegetables with soup mix, add enough oil to coat vegetables evenly. I love to use a zip-loc bag for this step because then I can close it up and give it to Miss M to shake it up. She LOVES to help in the kitchen.
6. Spread coated vegetables on baking sheet. 
7. Bake at 350F for at least 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Tonight I baked them at 350F for 25 minutes and then at 425F for 20 minutes when I added my chicken to the oven. Turned out great.

Enjoy!

Smoky Potato Skillet Casserole

Smoky Potato Skillet Casserole

This is another "Taste of Home" recipe.

• 1 package (16 ounces) smoked sausage links cut into 1-inch pieces (I used Turkey Kielbasa…because, well I love Kielbasa)
  
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 1 TBsp butter
  
• 2 cups water
  
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 package (5-1/4 ounces) au gratin potatoes (the recipe encourages the use of other flavors, so I am using cheesy scalloped potatoes)

1. In a large skillet, sauté the sausage, celery, and onion in butter until vegetables are tender. Stir in water, milk, and contents of sauce mix from potatoes; bring to a boil.
2. Stir in potatoes. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring once.
   

Enjoy…this is a new one for us, so I will have to let you know how it is received in this house. I am sure I will like it, what is not to like about sausage, cheese, and potatoes. My family on the other hand tend be a bit choosier.

Couple of days later…….

Even though we all ate it, Phillip and I agreed that this is not a favorite recipe and will not be used again. Maybe your family will enjoy it more than we did.

Italian-Style Shepherd's Pie

Unforturnately this recipe and a few more to follow don't have an y corresponding pictures. I will try to do better in the future at remembering to get pictures before I am doing dishes and dinner is all done. Sometimes I get so caught up in hurrying up and feeding my family, that I forget to take pictures.

I got this recipe from a Betty Crocker check out stand cookbook. As in the past I will note any changes I made to the original recipe in red.

Prep Time: 20 Min. Start to Finish: 50 Min.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef boneless sirloin, trimmed of fat, cut into 1-inch cubes. DO NOT use stew meat, this does not cook long enough to make the meat tender.
• 1 cup sliced onions (about 1 medium)
• 2 medium carrots, sliced (1 cup)
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 jar (14oz) tomato pasta sauce (any variety) (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 package (7.2oz size) Betty Crocker roasted garlic mashed potatoes (1 pouch) Phillip doesn't like instant potatoes, so I used a package of Ore-Ida steam in a bag potatoes that I had in the freezer. I think they were a garlic mashed type flavor. It was more than the recipe called for, but I used the whole bag. Followed the directions on the package to make the mashed potatoes and then used them in the recipe as directed.
• 1 cup hot water (this is for the potatoes that I didn't use)
• 2/3 cup milk (for the potatoes I didn't use)
• 2 TBsp butter or margarine (for the potatoes I didn't use)
• 2 TBsp shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375F. Spray 2 quart casserole or 11x7 inch glass baking dish ith cooking spray. Heat 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onions, and carrots to skillet; sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently until beef is brown.
2. Stir in mushromms and pasta sauce. Heat to boiling. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occassionally. Spread in casserole.
3. Make potatoes as directed on package for 4 servings, using 1 pouch Potatoes and Seasoning, water, milk, and butter. Spoon into 8 mounds around the edge of hot beef mixture. Sprinkle cheese over all. I had more potatoes than needed, so I just layered them in one layer on top of my meat mixture.
4. Bake uncovered 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and potatoes are light golden brown. 4 servings (1 1/2 cups each)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

We LOVE potatoes at the Wheeler house. However since doing the South Beach Diet a few years ago we have trained ourselves to restrain on indulging ourselves too often. When we do have potatoes they are usually mashed and either Garlic Mashed or Ranch Mashed. I'll save the Ranch Mashed recipe for another day....

If you are in a hurry you can just peel your potatoes, cut them into cubes, place them in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and enough water to cover them. Then you can add a few peeled cloves of garlic to the pan to boil along with the potatoes. They will mash up real nicely. Along with our love of potatoes we also LOVE garlic, so we are usually heavy handed around here. This is a recipe with no actual measurements, when it comes to the garlic, use amounts your family will enjoy. Using this method makes the garlic taste strong and sharp.

Today I had some time on my hands so I decided to roast my garlic. Roasting your garlic will make the garlic subtle and sweet. First I cut the top off my head of garlic. Then I placed the head of garlic on a piece of tin foil set in a small baking dish. After I drizzled olive oil, salt, and pepper on the garlic, I covered it in the foil.


I baked the garlic in the oven at 350 degrees Farenheit for about an hour. You know the garlic is done when it is soft. Let the garlic cool completely. Once the garlic has cooled, squeeze it to get the cloves out of the skin.

Once you are this far you can store your garlic in the refrigerator for about a week.

Tonight I peeled and cut enough potatoes to feed the two of us. Boiled them in salted water. When they were done I drained the water and then put them back on the burner that I turned down to low. Doing this will allow any extra water to evaporate. About half of my roasted garlic were added to my cooked potatoes, then I mashed my potatoes and garlic. Once they were mashed I added about 2 TBsp of butter cut into small pieces to my mash. A Dash of salt and fresh ground pepper will make your potatoes even tastier. Finally I add a couple of dollops of sour cream. Stir well, taste, if you like more sour cream then add more...this recipe is all about what tastes good to you and your family.

Tonight we had this with Fast Marinated Flank Steak.


Enjoy!