Friday, March 27, 2020

Potato And Pepper Sausage Bake


Here is another recipe for those of us...(All of us) who are stuck in the house because of the current Corona Virus quarantine..Potato and Sausage  Bake..

INGREDIENTS:

5 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 large sweet orange pepper, sliced

1 large sweet red pepper, sliced

1 shallot, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons paprika

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 package (19 ounces) Italian sausage links

 Minced fresh thyme, optional

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 400°.

 Place the potatoes, sweet peppers, shallot and garlic in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan.

Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with seasonings; toss to coat.

Spread evenly over pan, leaving room for the sausage.

 Add sausage to pan.

2. Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in sausage reads 160° and vegetables are tender, 30-35 minutes.

If desired, sprinkle with fresh thyme before serving.

Don't Sweat The Technique-

 •Arrange the sausages directly onto the pan instead of on top of the potatoes, so the potatoes cook evenly.



Enjoy!  Eat well my friends...Stay in the house..Stay safe.
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Thursday, March 26, 2020

Lasagna Toss

You guys know I like Pasta, Italian food of any kind...So Dig this...Stuck in the house during the quarantine..Here is an eas meal to fix..

INGREDIENTS-


1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-3/4 cups spaghetti sauce 6 ounces spiral noodles, cooked and drained

1 cup Daisy small curd 4% cottage cheese

2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided Grated Parmesan cheese

Minced fresh basil

DIRECTIONS-

1.Preheat oven to 350°.

 In a large skillet, brown beef with onion, garlic and salt.

Stir in spaghetti sauce; simmer until heated.

Remove 1 cup meat sauce; set aside.

Stir noodles into the remaining sauce.

Place half of the noodle mixture in a greased 2-qt. casserole.

Cover with cottage cheese and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

 2.Add remaining noodle mixture; top with reserved meat sauce and remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cover; bake for 20-25 minutes.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle with basil.

And there you have it...Enjoy!
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Monday, March 2, 2020

Savory Slow Cooker Oatmeal


The person I got this recipe from once put together a set of savory oatmeal toppings titled Oatmeal for Dinner.

She said she remembered adding Italian sausage

as a topping and thinking it would be great to get the sausage flavor into the oats themselves, instead of just sitting on the surface.

That's how this recipe was born. The slow cooker is perfect for steel-cut oats—long, patient simmering makes them tender all the way through. (For a more traditional, non-savory oatmeal option, check out our Slow Cooker Steel-Cut Oatmeal recipe with butter, sugar, and milk.) For the savory version, Italian sausage links—mild or hot, whichever you prefer—work well, but you can try other types of sausage too.

Start this before you go to bed, and in the morning you'll have nothing to do—just add toppings and make a pot of coffee. Stay away from the computer. Lie in bed. Open the windows. Listen to music. It's Sunday.

INGREDIENTS:

Slow Cooker Savory Steel-Cut Oatmeal Makes 4 to 6 generous servings 

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large Italian sausage links (about 1 pound), mild or hot

2 cups steel-cut oats

8 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt, (if needed )

Optional toppings: sliced hot chiles, vinegary hot sauce, pickled peppers, cilantro, fried eggs, sliced green onions.

DIRECTIONS:


Step 1: Set a medium skillet over medium heat. Pour in the olive oil, coat the bottom of the pan, and add the sausages. Brown them, turning a few times so they color evenly, until they're nice and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Don't worry about cooking them all the way through.

Step 2: Remove the sausages from the pan, halve them lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Step 3: Turn on your slow cooker. Add the steel-cut oats.

Step 4: Pour in the broth.

Step 5: Add the seared sausages. Stir everything together.

Step 6: Cook 4 to 5 hours on high or 8 to 9 hours on low. When done, taste the oatmeal: Grind in some black pepper and add salt if needed.

Serve in warm bowls and throw on one or more of the optional toppings!


Enjoy!  Eat Well My Friends
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Food Safety Tips
Protect yourself against food-borne illnesses.


1. Use a "refrigerator thermometer" to keep your food stored at a safe temperature (below 40 degrees fahrenheit).

Cold temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. Ensuring that your refrigerator temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of food-borne illness. You can buy a refrigerator/freezer thermometer at appliance stories, home centers (i.e. Home Depot), and kitchen stores including online ones, such as Cooking.com.

2. Defrost food in the refrigerator, the microwave, or in cold water... never on the counter!

Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than two hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the outer surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you’re short on time, use the microwave or you can thaw meat and poultry in airtight packaging in cold water. Change the water every half-hour so it stays cold and use the thawed food immediately.

3. Always use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and cooked foods/fresh produce.

Bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry, and fish can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. An important way to reduce this risk is to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/ fish, and cooked foods/fresh produce.

4. Always cook meat to proper temperatures, using a calibrated instant-read thermometer to make sure.

One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and egg dishes. The USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are as follows:

* Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks and roasts), fish - 145 degrees fahrenheit

* Pork and ground beef - 160 degrees fahrenheit

* Poultry - 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Cook meats like roasts and steaks to lower temperatures, closer to medium-rare, so that they retain their moisture. It is recommended that those who are at high risk for developing food-borne illness (i.e. pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, or certain chronic illnesses) should follow the USDA guidelines.

5. Avoid unpasteurized/raw milk and cheeses made from unpasteurized milk that are aged less than 60 days.

Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized (heated to a very high temperature for a specific length of time) to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. These bacteria, which include salmonella, E. coli and listeria, can cause serious illness and sometimes even death. The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses. Raw milk cheeses aged 60 days or longer are okay, since the salt and acidity of the cheese-making process make for a hostile environment to pathogens.

6. Never eat "runny" eggs or foods, such as cookie dough, that contain raw eggs.

Even eggs that have clean, intact shells may be contaminated with salmonella, so it’s important to cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees fahrenheit and you can use an instant-read food thermometer to check. Eggs should always be cooked fully and those who are at high risk for developing foodborne illness (pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic illnesses should follow the USDA guidelines. If you can’t resist runny eggs or sampling cookie batter, use pasteurized eggs. They’re found near other eggs in large supermarkets.

7. Always wash your hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry, or eggs.

You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so it’s important to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food. You should also wash your hands after touching any uncooked meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, as the bacteria from these foods can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. Use soap and warm water and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

8. Always heat leftover foods to 165 degrees fahrenheit.

The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165 degrees fahrenheit in order to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.

9. Never eat meat, poultry, eggs, or sliced fresh fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than two hours or more than one hour in temperatures hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator or freezer for more than two hours they may enter the Danger Zone—the unsafe temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly.

10. Whenever there’s a food recall, check products stored at home to make sure they are safe.

You should discard any food that’s been recalled because it’s associated with the outbreak of a food-borne illness. But, according to a survey conducted by Rutgers University during the fall of 2008, only about 60% of Americans search their homes for foods that have been recalled because of contamination. For more information on food recalls, visit the website Recalls.gov






Cavier & Vodka
Courtesy of The Lady (Bug) of the Household