• 2 sausage links (I used hot turkey) casings removed
• 1 small onion, diced (not too fine)
• 8 oz. mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/2 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 2 Tbs milk

Put sausage in onion in non-stick pan and cook over medium heat until sausage is cooked through, crumbling as you go.  Add mushrooms and let cook another 3-5 minutes, or until they start to brown.  Add soup, sour cream, and milk, stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Let simmer about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.  Serve over egg noodles.

Pico de Gallo

• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 jalepenos, deveined and seeded to your liking (the more seeds/veins you leave, the spicier it will be)
• 1/2 medium red onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 c. chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbs lime juice (maybe a little more)
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of that together and let it sit while you get everything else ready.

• 1/2 lb breakfast sausage, casings removed (or just buy bulk, but turkey doesn’t come that way)
• 1 medium sweet potato
• the other half of your red onion from pico de gallo
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 eggs, any way you like them (only scrambled for me, folks, but if you’re into something else, please be my guest)

Peel and half your sweet potato, then cut into half moons.  Set potato to parboil (by putting it in a pan with a little bit of water and letting them simmer for about 5 minutes.)  While those are contemplating their existence, cook your sausage over medium high heat until brown and crumbly.  Add mostly cooked potatoes, red onion, and spices.  Let cook for about 7 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through and onions are starting to become soft.  Sprinkle with cheese and let stand a few minutes while you fry up your eggs.  Hash, then eggs, then salsa.  Ta da!

Anyway, this was tasty, and I used up these HUGE sausages that I got at the Amish market the other week.

• 1 lb red potatoes, cut into 1″ cubes
• 1 red onion, cut into four slices (to make huge onion rings)
• 2 green peppers and 1 red pepper, quartered
• 2 sausage links (we used hot, and they were big, you might want another one…)
• 2 Tbs fresh oregano, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic (not peeled!)

Using heavy duty aluminum foil, make a packet out of the potatoes and unpeeled garlic.  Spray with a little cooking spray, and then season with salt and pepper, or, if you’re me, Badia complete seasoning that you stole from your housemate.  Wrap up tightly, making sure to seal the ends well, and throw on the grill over medium for a total of 30 minutes.  Flip those occasionally.

Meanwhile, figure out how to fit your onions and peppers in a single layer on one of those grill basket things.

(This is what I’m talking about: )

Throw your sausages on the grill after the potatoes have been on for 15 minutes.  Turn them around from time to time to make sure they cook all the way through.  Throw the veggies on 5 minutes later, and grill 5 minutes on each side.

Take everything back inside.  Carefully open your potato packet, and remove the garlic cloves.  Press on them with a knife to remove the pulp, and put it in a big bowl with your oregano (and maybe I should have added a little olive oil at this point.)  Squish it all together.  Roughly chop your onions, cut your sausages into pieces, and your peppers into slices.  Turn it all around in the bowl and voila!

Note:  I made this dish for 2, although normally meals on here serve 4 (and sometimes more.)

• 2 sausage links (I used spicy, sweet would have been just as good)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, again thinly sliced
• 1 c. cooked orzo (about 1/2 c. uncooked, just follow the directions on the package)
• Roughly 3 Tbs balsamic vinegar

Remove sausage from casings, crumble, and brown.  When sausage is no longer pink, turn heat down and add pepper and onions, letting cook about 7 minutes or until just soft.  Add balsamic vinegar, cook until reduced slightly.  Add 1/4 c. of pasta water (it’s starchy and therefore better than “regular” water) and orzo.  Stir to combine.

Really, the standout of this meal, which was new to us this week, was the salsa mayo. We were immediately trying to think of other things it could go with. Watch next week when we have the same salsa mayo with grilled shrimp tacos and Mexican rice.

Biscuits:

• 8 oz. buttermilk biscuit mix (I didn’t have this, so I made mine from scratch. Jiffy or Bisquick would work just as well and be a lot easier.)
• 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 lb. Spanish chorizo (which is already fully cooked) finely chopped

Place mix in a bowl, stir in cheddar and chopped chorizo. Add water or milk according to package directions. Form into 1″ thick square. Cut into 4 squares. Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes (mine actually took almost 20. I blame this on the “from scratch” business.)

Salsa Mayo

• 1 c. chopped tomatoes (2 plum or 1 large regular tomato)
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I was done with chopping at this point, ugh)
• 1/2 c. mayo
• 1/2 Tbs. lime juice
• 3 shakes Tabasco (see mom and dad, I eat it now!)
• If you like olives, add 10 chopped green olives and let me know how it is

Mix everything together in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Beg my mother to tell you the Tabasco story in the comments.

Chicken

• 4 thin chicken cutlets (I halved breasts the thin way)
• 1/2 Tbs. ground coriander
• 1/2 Tbs. lime juice
• Salt and pepper

Season chicken with all that stuff. Cook on each side 3-4 minutes, until cooked through. (I imagine it would be equally wonderful on the grill.)

I just piled everything on top of everything else, but if you want a sandwich, split the biscuits, place chicken, then mayo, then some leafy lettuce, and then the biscuit top on top. Top on top. Hop on pop. Oof.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. package vacuum packed gnocchi (I looked everywhere and eventually found it with the fancy Italian food in the yellow cans and jars – not sure what brand that is)
• 6 oz. smoked chicken and apple sausage (the recipe says to remove the casings, which I found impossible) sliced thinly
• 1 c. thinly sliced fennel
• 1 c. thinly sliced onion
• 1 c. thinly sliced red bell pepper
• pepper
• 1/4 c. shaved Parmesan

Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add sliced sausage and cook until lightly browned (or not so lightly, as you can probably see in the picture,) remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan (without washing) add another teaspoon or so of olive oil, and add peppers, fennel, and onions. Reduce heat to medium and cook until veggies are tender, about 13 minutes. While the veggies are hanging out, cook gnocchi according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 c. of cooking liquid and add to pan when veggies are done. Add back sausage, add pepper and cheese, stir until cheese is melted.

Ingredients:

• 2 c. dried red beans (kidney)
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2 c. chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 10 c. water
• 2 Tbs Cajun seasoning (salt free, preferably)
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 lb. smoked turkey sausage, thinly sliced
• 3 c. cooked rice

Wash and sort beans. Cover with water to 2″ above beans. Let stand 8 hours. Drain beans. Heat oil in a pot (you’ll need a big one) over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, saute for 4 minutes. Add everything else except for rice, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until thickened and beans are cooked through.  Season to taste with salt. Serve over rice.

Ingredients:
1 lb. sweet or hot sausage (we use turkey, always)
1/2 lb. cooked penne pasta (or whatever shape you like, not too small)
1 chopped yellow onion
3 chopped cloves garlic
14 oz. canned pumpkin
3/4 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. white wine
1 Tbs dried sage
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
pinch cinnamon
1 3oz. package shitake mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 c. half and half/cream/milk
Grated Parmesan
Chopped chives

Remove sausage from casing, cook until browned. Push to side of the pan. Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Cook until onions have started to soften and mushrooms have slightly browned. Stir together. Add white wine and let cook mostly off. Add chicken stock and simmer for one minute. Add pumpkin and stir (this will be thick!) Add cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sage, allow to simmer briefly. Add pasta and stir. Top with chives and cheese (Rick informs me that the “stinky cheese” is optional and the dish is still delicious. I am a girl who loves stinky cheese, so I piled it on.)

Ingredients:
1 package turkey sausage (Hot or mild – I prefer hot)
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup cream (I used light last night but have used heavy in the past)
2 Tbs country Dijon mustard
1/4 cup (a good handful) chopped fresh basil
1/2 pound pasta (something small) cooked according to package directions

Start your water boiling for your pasta. (You’ll want it close by.) Remove your sausage from the casings and crumble and brown over medium high heat. When your sausage is done, add your pasta to the water (I use small shells and they normally take about 6 minutes to cook.) Add white wine and let cook off until reduced by about half. Turn heat wayyyyy down, add mustard and cream, stir to mix. Let simmer together for about 3-5 minutes. Add basil and pasta, stir to combine.

Now, yesterday, when I made it, I got hot sausage by accident and preferred it. Normally I got mild and added a couple of red chili flakes – you choose. Also, the sauce was really sparse, so I took about a ladle full of pasta water and mixed it in before I added the pasta and it worked well. Some tips, ya know?