Sausage Broccoli Pasta

I think we all love those throw together quick recipes!!  This is one of them!  It's not a rocket-science, thought provoking thing...  It's a what do I have on hand kind-of meal.

1 lb. pasta, (I prefer penne or rigatoni for this recipe.)
1-2 pkgs. smoked beef sausage (the already cooked kind), sliced
16 oz, approx. broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
1 bell pepper (preferably red or orange), chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
Seasoning
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook pasta, steam broccoli and cook sausage in frying pan.  Combine all ingredients (except cheese)in bowl and season.  I use the Parmesan Garlic seasoning from Pampered Chef, but you could use lemon-pepper, Italian Seasoning, Herb Seasoning, etc.  I use a generous amount about 1-2 tablespoons. Top with Parmesan cheese.

The great thing about this dish is it can be served warm, room temperature or even cold.
Be creative!  Add other vegetables or use kielbasa sausage, turkey sausage, ground sausage or diced chicken if you want to shake it up!  Try any kind of vinaigrette dressing??  The possibilities are endless!
Enjoy!

Spaghetti Casserole

This is a family favorite!  Definitely a comfort food...a recipe from John's sisters that I've modified just a bit:

Spaghetti Casserole
1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage
1 large jar spaghetti sauce
16-24 oz. spaghetti noodles
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Brown ground beef or sausage then drain.  Add cream of mushroom soup and spaghetti sauce and mix well.  Simmer.  Boil noodles.  Pour cooked noodles into a 9x13 pan, top with meat/sauce mixture then sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Breakfast Tacos

Who doesn't like breakfast tacos??  They come in all mixes, makes and models... You can use sausage, bacon, brisket, hashbrown, eggs - you name it!  The simplest process, warm a tortilla, add some eggs, bacon and/or sausage, hashbrown, some salsa and/or guacamole and voila!  They are definitely one of our family favorites!!  John decided to make some for breakfast and we had no eggs (yes, we've been out of eggs for a week, I guess it's time to go to the store).  He used sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms and hashbrown, topped with cheese, salsa and some impromptu guacamole!  It was a superb breakfast!

 

 

The only problem we had with the tacos this morning...John fills them a little too full, but whether the filling was in the tortilla or on the plate it was very tasty!

Monte Cristo

The Monte Cristo Sandwich, according to Wikipedia:
A Monte Cristo is a fried ham and cheese sandwich, a variation of the French croque-monsieur. In the 1930s–1960s, American cookbooks had recipes for this sandwich, which was invented by John Logue of Roanoke, Texas, under such names as French Sandwich, Toasted Ham Sandwich, and French Toasted Cheese Sandwich. Emmental or Gruyère cheese is typically used.
In my opinion, the best Monte Cristo sandwich you'll ever eat is served at the Cafe Orleans in Disneyland, according to their menu:
Monte Cristo Sandwich
The specialty of the house is, without a doubt, the Monte Cristo sandwich. Adapted from the French classic sandwich, croque-monsieur, the Monte Cristo sandwich appeared in California restaurants in the 1950s. Featured at Disneyland Park eateries since 1966, it has since become a coffee shop standard nationwide.
It could just be that anything in Disneyland taste better because, after all, you are in the "Happiest Place on Earth!"  or it could be that it's just an AMAZING sandwich.  They batter the entire sandwich then fry it...how can you go wrong with that?? 
Sadly, my homemade version is not quite so exciting, but it's still very tasty! We start with sourdough bread, white bread can be used, but we've found we prefer the sourdough.  Next, layer on some deli sliced ham (usually Black Forest Ham) and some sliced swiss cheese.  Mix together a couple of eggs and some milk.  Dip the bread sides of the sandwich into the egg mix and then place on the grill.  Grill both sides 3-4 minutes until golden brown then put on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  We then dip our sandwich into raspberry or strawberry jam.  Delish!!

 

Hawaiian Crepes

The sun has been out and shining. It's still pretty darn cold out, but it's given me hope that spring might possibly be around the corner!!  I know that I am more than tired of the cold weather, so that sunlight is going to motivate me to hold on for the warmer weather!  It seemed fitting that we have Hawaiian Crepes for dinner, which also makes me think of warm sunshine and sandy beaches.  I've never made this recipe before, so it's not like I have an attachment to the recipe and Hawaii or anything - it's just what they are called.  Here's the recipe:

Hawaiian Crepes
Makes: 4 large crepes or 8 smaller crepes

Crepe Batter:
1 cup flour
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp melted butter
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup water
Crepe Filling:
1/2 Tbsp butter, plus more for cooking crepes
4 oz. deli ham, cut into strips
2 cups dices pineapple
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
Salt/Pepper to taste

To make batter:  Combine the flour, eggs, melted butter and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Gradually add the milk, then the water, whisking to prevent any lumps.
To make filling:  Heat the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add the ham, pineapple and jalapeno and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the ham is lightly browned on the edges and the pineapple is softened.  Remove from the heat, stir in the ricotta and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add enough butter to coat then pour in about 2 tablespoons of the crepe batter, swirling and tilting the pan so that the batter covers the entire surface with a thin film.  Cook on the first side for 1-2 minutes, until the bottom takes on a deep brown color.  Flip the crepe and spoon in some of the ricotta-ham mixture.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, until brown and crisp on the bottom.  Fold the crepe over the stuffing and slide onto a plate.
Repeat.

370 calories, 18 g fat, 390 mg sodium
Recipe from - Cook This Not That: Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals

If using for dessert crepes, add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the batter.

 

Side note:  The girls used the leftover raspberry pudding dessert (previous post) to fill the extra crepes.  It looked pretty tasty!