sausage

Pasta with Turkey Sausage and Peas

This healthy recipe for pasta with turkey sausage and peas makes a fast Italian skillet dinner for any night of the week.

This recipe is brought to you by DeLallo Foods

My dad loves sausage. My husband loves sausage. I love sausage. What is it about the comforting flavors of sausage and pasta that feels like a big family hug in a bowl?

But sometimes that big sausage-ey hug can feel a little too tight, a little too snug; just like my jeans. That’s why I’m lightening things up where I can and making small changes toward a healthier diet. For me, my husband, my dad, and you.

Subbing ground turkey for pork sausage is an easy switch to make, and it’s one that’s not even noticed because I have the secret to losing the fat but keeping all the flavor, and it’s all thanks to adding the same herbs and spices to ground turkey that make regular sausage taste so good.continue to the recipe… about Pasta with Turkey Sausage and Peas

Spiralized Zucchini, Quinoa and Turkey Sausage Stuffed Peppers

These easy stuffed peppers are made without rice, and instead filled with healthy ingredients like spiralized zucchini, protein-packed quinoa, and ground turkey sausage for a fast and super healthy all-in-one dinner everyone at the table will love.

The other day I read that the day of the family dinner plate being made up of a main protein (meat, chicken, fish), a side of carbohydrates (rice, pasta, potatoes), and then a side of veggies (carrots, broccoli, whatever is languishing in the fridge), is quickly losing ground as the best idea of what dinner should look like. I grew up on the same idea of that ratio and for many years followed suit.

But thanks to the popularity of meals in bowls, hearty salads served as the main meal, and more all-in-one serving options, the dinner plate has changed. And it’s not only in how we divvy out portion size, but the actual vessel our meal is served in, like using vitamin-packed vegetables such as sweet potatoes, every squash imaginable, and cabbage leaves, just to name a few.

And at our house, there’s really no more versatile vegetable-to-bowl main ingredient than the almighty bell pepper.continue to the recipe… about Spiralized Zucchini, Quinoa and Turkey Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Chicken, Crab and Andouille Sausage Gumbo Recipe

Chicken and andouille sausage are traditional ingredients in every good gumbo recipe but when you add crab, this gumbo goes from good to grand.

There are many stand-ins out there that simply don’t make the authentic cut. Cubic zirconium will never take the place of real diamonds and saccharin will never, ever, ever edge out the sweetness of real sugar.

But this gumbo recipe…now THIS gumbo recipe has no comparison. Gumbo may originally hail from Louisiana, but this recipe is the real-Southern-Delta-blues-gumbo-deal.continue to the recipe… about Chicken, Crab and Andouille Sausage Gumbo Recipe

Pigs In a Puff Pastry Blanket

Everyone loves the simple bite of pigs in a blanket enveloped in a bread dough. But when you wrap these little hot dogs in flaky puff pastry, this appetizer heads to whole new heights of deliciousness.

I for one am a bona fide hot dog aficionado. I’ve always loved ’em, and I always will. Slather those puppies with a truck load of pickle relish, a drizzle of ketchup and mustard, and then pop them into a soft, buttery bun and this girl is in heaven.

That’s the downtown way to eat a hot dog.

The uptown way to eat a hot dog is a bit more refined when they’re wrapped in buttery, flaky pastry dough to create a delicately puffed built-in bun. They’re just as appreciated at an elegant dinner party as a brawling Super Bowl party.

And one of the best parts about them is they’re an appetizer that’s easy to make on the run for a haute and hot diggity dog.continue to the recipe… about Pigs In a Puff Pastry Blanket

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms With Hollandaise

These baby portobello mushrooms stuffed with cream cheese and Italian sausage and drizzled with a rich and creamy hollandaise are the perfect appetizer for your next party.

When my friends at Arla asked me to come up with a holiday recipe featuring their cream cheese, I knew in the wink of an eye it would be the most crave-worthy holiday appetizer to appear on the buffet table –> Sausage and Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms.

You know the deal with sausage stuffed mushrooms. You’ve seen the eager eaters in action. Heck, you’ve probably been one of them. When you’re mid-conversation and suddenly spy a plate of these bite size poppers magically appear from the oven. You lose your train of thought. Your host carries the platter and drifts in slow motion to the appetizer table. And then like a swarm of locusts, guests swoop in, make their grab, and the delicious little nuggets disappear from the party platter.

And you are definitely one of them.

Because studies show, stuffed mushrooms are ALWAYS the first bite people reach for at a party. Okay, it may be my own personal study that’s proven this true, but I’m concluding it nonetheless.

But these aren’t just any ‘shrooms. Oh no. These poppers are taking the uptown route with a drizzle of creamy, homemade hollandaise.continue to the recipe… about Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms With Hollandaise

Baked Sausage and Cheese Rigatoni

Sweet Italian sausage, roasted red bell peppers and thick layers of cheese make this easy baked rigatoni pasta recipe a family favorite.

This post is in partnership with DeLallo Foods

Crusty and melty. Officially these descriptions are opposites. But not when you’re talking baked pasta, because then they go hand in hand. If there’s one thing better than pasta and sausage it’s pasta and sausage with melty layers of cheese baked through and crisped and crusted on top.

Talk about the ultimate cheese pull.continue to the recipe… about Baked Sausage and Cheese Rigatoni

Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Kale

A clean, herb-infused broth makes this slow cooker soup with Italian sausage and cheese tortellini a favorite to keep in your weekly meal plans.

This post is in partnership with McCormick.

“Oh babe, this is so good. Hey! Don’t eat all the broth! That’s mine.” My husband. He’s usually really good about sharing. “Oh. This is really good.” Until it comes to soup. He LOVES a good soup. And he wants it all for himself.

I’ve said it here before. My man is a soup aficionado. And if you can spell aficionado without having to hit dictionary.com, you are one swell spelling bee winner, because I can’t. But back to the soup…

Not only does the slow cooker create a broth for this soup that tastes flavorful and ultimately craveable, the perfumed scent of sausage, onion, celery and garlic that wafts from the kitchen as it cooks will have you wishing you could give that lid on the slow cooker just a crack to dip a spoon in for juuuuuust a bite for taste testing. Or better yet, dip in a big old slice of sourdough. Fancy that. We’re a family of dippers.continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Kale

The Best DIY Foil Packet Dinners

Cooking an entire dinner in a simple foil packet is every cook’s dream. Everyone can choose their own ingredients, you can cook in the oven or on the grill, and there’s minimal clean-up afterward.

This post is brought to you by Reynolds Wrap.

If I had a genie in a bottle, these would be my 3 wishes.

1: I wish I could just win the lottery/win the cumulative jackpot at Wheel of Fortune in Las Vegas/discover a pirate’s treasure trove of precious gems, jewels and coins/ so that I never had to work again. I would be the BEST philanthropist EVER.

2: I wish that I could eat whatever I wanted, all day every day or whenever the whim struck, and never gain weight.

3: I wish that I never had to do dishes again.

Sadly, #1 and #2 are highly unlikely to happen. But #3…now that is somewhere in my sights thanks to foil packet dinners.

The thing is, everyone thinks of foil dinners (or as we used to so un-polictically-correctly call them, hobo dinners) as the meal you prepare when you go camping. And for good reason. All you need is some aluminum foil, a sampling of ingredients and some heat.

But in my opinion, there’s no reason to wait to break out the camp fire because foil dinners are so incredibly easy to make at home and EVERYONE ends up loving them. People love the idea of harkening back to memories of camping and eating these out in the wild. It’s almost romantic that way.

And even more, they’re one of my favorite things to make for a DIY dinner party. Everyone gets to choose what they want, and prepare the packet dinners themselves. And even better for the hostess, clean-up is a breeze and that makes everyone happy.

continue to the recipe… about The Best DIY Foil Packet Dinners

Slow Cooker Little Smokies

This easy and addictive mini sausage appetizer is made even simpler thanks to the crock pot and is perfect for game days and parties.

Every year around this time, it’s the same thing.

The phone rings. Well, it used to ring. Now it just buzzes with texts.

And then I ~~hear~~ read, “Heidi, can you send me your Little Smokies recipe again?”

Yep, like clockwork.

As the big game day draws near I start hearing—make that seeing—the requests. And every year I send the same recipe out to friends who have had these sweet little barbecued sausages in the crock pot (or my new Instant Pot) on game days of years past.

They’re craving them again, but this time in the comfort of their own home where the game day bets are a little looser, and a whole lot more forgiving.

continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Little Smokies

Cheesy Sausage Pizza Bread

Mozzarella cheese and sausage are stuffed into rolled pizza dough and baked for an easy appetizer or main meal that’s always a crowd pleaser.

Today’s recipe is in honor of a sweet cheesy baby, and no, I’m not talking about myself again.

Instead, we’re celebrating the impending arrival of a sweet new baby for one of my favorite food bloggers (I wrote about her in this list of 5 Food Bloggers I’m Following Now), Sarah of Snixy Kitchen.

Sarah is a true food lover. Her two cats are even named Artichoke and Aioli, so it comes as no surprise that the new addition to her family has been nicknamed #CheesyBabyGirl.

She’s a woman after my own heart.

So in honor of this new cheesebaby, and the fact that today is National Cheese Lovers Day (ironic? I think not!) I’ve created a recipe for you today that does indeed contain cheese. Ooey, gooey mozzarella cheese.

Plus sausage.

And garlic.

And spinach, because heaven forbid I should cook anything that doesn’t have a spate of color in it.

continue to the recipe… about Cheesy Sausage Pizza Bread

Farro, Butternut Squash, Sausage and Dried Cherry Stuffing

Farro, a healthy whole grain, adds a nutty bite to stuffing’s traditional flavors with sausage, butternut squash and sage with a sweet taste of dried cherries.

This post and its bountiful Thanksgiving flavors is sponsored by Jones Dairy Farm.

At my house it’s called stuffing.

Drunk with chicken stock, brimming with celery, onion, and butter, and perfumed with sage, this bread concoction is always cooked in the bird and comes out supremely moist. Yes, I did say “moist.” Moist. Moist. Moist. It’s how I prefer my stuffing.

At your house you may refer to it as dressing.

To me dressing delivers a dryer bite. Something maybe even a little crunchy. A bit more austere, perhaps even a little stark.

Not like my beloved stuffing. It’s my favorite part of the feast.continue to the recipe… about Farro, Butternut Squash, Sausage and Dried Cherry Stuffing

Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup

This simple but flavorful Italian soup with sausage, white beans and kale doesn’t require any pre-cooking or searing, making it a true slow-cooker meal.

“Okay mom, let’s play the smell game.”

I sort of cringed at the idea. Sweaty feet. Burnt toast. The 4th hole at the golf course that sits next to the water treatment plant and man does it reek when the wind blows.

Why do I immediately go to the dark side?

“Okay. What’s the smell game?” But of course I already know.

“It’s where we say the things we think smell the best. You go first.”

I thought for a minute. More like seconds. Immediately those gross smells vanished to make way for the good.

The smell of burnt pumpkins after being lit too closely to their lids on Halloween night.

Summer rain on black top.

The smell of Gardenias and tuberose.

Puppy breath. Only to be outdone by the nuzzle spot right below the ear in the crook of the neck of a newborn baby that’s a mixed perfume of milky baby lotion.

And of course, the obvious at our house. Food cooking in the kitchen.

continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup

Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya

Classic Jambalaya is actually one of the easiest one-pot meals you can pull together, even for weeknight eats, and this recipe is authentic, hearty, and oh so satisfying.

It’s Mardi Gras, and finally, Fat Tuesday. Let’s parade the streets, toss some beads and celebrate with a big old bowl of Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya.

Then once we’ve had our fill, lets move onto the links at the bottom of this post to some crazy-fun, and unique, King Cake recipes because I want to get that lucky baby inside so I can be the queen of the party. As if.

continue to the recipe… about Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya

Scrambled Eggs and Sausage Breakfast Burrito Plus 5 More Recipes to Fold and Go

Breakfast is big deal at our house.

It might not always be big in portion or production value (hey, I’m all good with frog in the hole or a microwave egg sandwich or even basic scrambles) but we do make it a point to have something substantial and wholesome in our bellys before we walk out the door (Smudge and my man), or down the hall (me), to face the day.

We’re privy to spending a little more time on the process come weekend time. Isn’t that always the case when it comes to cooking?

So while my man was easing into his Sunday by flipping through the channels with switch ups of Meet the Press (“Hey, I’m digging the new addition of Chuck Todd,”) to Food Network (“Babe, we should make this for dinner,”) and settling upon the FOX NFL Sunday (“Kaepernick said WHAT?”), I was staring at a refrigerator full of blog post leftovers that had no combination value for breakfast, too many condiments and an overflowing crisper of farmer’s market finds.

This scrambled egg recipe isn’t so much about a “recipe” per se, but what you have in the refrigerator that needs to be used up. Choose flavors that meld together, in this case, our breakfast burritos went in an Italian migration sort of way.

continue to the recipe… about Scrambled Eggs and Sausage Breakfast Burrito Plus 5 More Recipes to Fold and Go

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Chicken Sausage Pasta and a Virtual Baby Shower

This recipe for roasted red pepper pasta has been rattling around in my head for a while. It just needed an occasion to be born to the world. So why not deliver it in celebration of a virtual baby shower for one of my favorite food bloggers, the insanely funny and talented Bev of Bev Cooks.

If you’re a food blogger, you know Bev. She’s a regular voyeur on most blogs, commenting on bloggers’ recipes with announcements like, “GET IN MY FACE!” or “Where’s my diving board? I’m going in.” And with her blogging raves about Wilson Phillips and Phillip Phillips and probably other Phillips we don’t even know about, we all know she has her obsessions. Which is pretty much how we all feel about her recipes. Obsessed.

Whenever I think of Bev, I think of…well…sarcasm accompanied by juuuuuuust a litttttttle drama. Her burgeoning belly, thanks to being just one month away from delivering TWINS! Whoa, she’s a better woman than I. And some seriously delish comfort food. Pasta. Pizza. Crazy inspirations like Chicken Taco Twists and Buffalo Shrimp Tostadas.

I can only imagine what she dreams about at night. Okay, maybe I don’t want to do that.

But I do know one thing she’s been dreaming of. Make that two. Those little babes cooking in her belly. Will and Natalie. Soon to join the world. 20 baby toes to nuzzle. I’m a tad jealous of all of the baby love that will be going on.

continue to the recipe… about Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Chicken Sausage Pasta and a Virtual Baby Shower

Sausage and Marsala Pappardelle Pasta

We all have our favorite recipes. And we all have vices. This recipe combines the best (best?) of both of them in my little world.

I’ve been sitting on this recipe ever since I started blogging. It’s one of those recipes I make it at least once a month, a favorite staple in our house and one I break out when company shows up unexpectantly because I always have the ingredients on hand.

But because it’s such a favorite for dinner, it’s usually dark by the time I’m done cooking and we’re hungry and there’s no light to take a pretty picture or any pasta left anyway. Oh, the life of a food blogger, balancing hunger pains of the family for you my lovely readers.continue to the recipe… about Sausage and Marsala Pappardelle Pasta

Sausage and Ricotta Lasagna

Lately I’ve been a whirling dervish in my choices of what I’m craving to eat. Cravings all over the place, and most of them leaning toward the ethnic side of food. Thai one night, Korean the next, Middle Eastern and as always one of my faves: rich sausag-ey Italian pasta. Lasagna, that’s what I need.

I’ll chalk it up to the fact that ever since I came home from Mexico I can’t quite get the flavors of other countries out of my system. I think its a sign that I just want to travel. It’s true! The night we got home I was on the internet stalking new travel adventures for me, my Smudge and my man, new places to create new memories.

This past week definitely resulted in a trove of memories I’ll be happy to reflect back upon. Converting online relationships to real life with talented foodie bloggers who traveled to Salt Lake City to attend Alt Summit was the highlight.continue to the recipe… about Sausage and Ricotta Lasagna

Sausage and Egg French Toast Cups

Neighbor gifts at holiday time are often a mixed bag. By the time Christmas has come to an end I usually find I’ve accumulated a countertop of cookies, candied nuts and hopefully a wine bottle or two from neighbors who’ve thoughtfully felt us worthy to share their neighborly wares.

One item that is pretty popular around our hood is Cinnamon Burst bread from Great Harvest Bakery. Naturally its tasty for breakfast—hot from the toaster and loaded with butter—or even for lunch as a sandwich with a slice of thick ham and some jammy preserves.

But after a few days of toast, I decided we needed a new treat for the sweeter side of breakfast. With sausage. And syrup. And make it easy on the cook, would you?

continue to the recipe… about Sausage and Egg French Toast Cups

Easy Entertaining with Harry & David

The wrapping paper and ribbons have made their way back into the holiday storage bins, the purple and gold polka dotted neck tie found its way back to the department store. While Christmas is geared toward filling the stockings with care and the joy of giving to others, adults are eagerly looking ahead to celebrating the night that puts the focus on renewal and the promises of a New Year.

New Years Day is when I do my official ring-a-ding-ling-ing of the New Year. In my opinion there’s really no reason for the party to end. But after celebrating the night away the eve before, having the party goods delivered to my door is what New Years day really calls for.continue to the recipe… about Easy Entertaining with Harry & David

7 Great Zucchini Pastas Plus Zucchini and Chicken Sausage Penne Pasta Recipe

We all know the drill, the harvest mantra: “What am I going to do with all this zucchini?”

Well, here’s what you do with it. You cook with it, you bake with it, you think about tanning it for the newest trend in vegan alternative leather.

Hey, we may have something there.

I have to share this photo of what happened in my garden 3 years ago. It was stunning.

We had just moved into our latest house and it was my first time gardening in the plot the previous owner had prepared for his veggies. I’d heard from the neighbors that he was quite the gardener—resulting in us removing about 40 trees and countless shrubs. But the guy knew how to cae for his soil, and the spot he tilled for his veggies, was bar-none, top notch soil.

I was by no means prepared for the bounty of this harvest.continue to the recipe… about 7 Great Zucchini Pastas Plus Zucchini and Chicken Sausage Penne Pasta Recipe

Mini Hot Dog Rolls and My Academy Award Recipe Round-Up

Paparazzi-chased limousines and never-ending flash of camera flashes. Form-fitted, haute couture-dressed beauties dripping in diamonds floating down the cascading red carpet. Acceptance speeches that have been rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed because, “It’s just an honor to be nominated.” Uh-huh. We’ve heard that one before.

The Academy Awards telecast is one of my favorite TV nights of the year, when the pomp and circumstance of Oscar’s big night and the celebrity falderal come front and center and we cheer—and jeer—the winners and the losers of Hollywood’s biggest popularity contest.

Which makes it the perfect night for us to pop some champers ourselves, invite some friends over and party like the Hollywood royalty we aren’t.

Who will be the big winner? It’s anyone’s guess with Vegas bookies as nervously sweaty about the odds as the ravenous, 10-day cleanse-ed actresses starvingly awaiting Wolfgang’s braised short ribs to be served.

For me, I have my odds-on favorite to win and a recipe to honor it in all the glory it’s leading man and his abs deserves.

Ever since the 1996 Golden Globes, when Brad—yeah, we’re on a first name basis, just don’t tell my husband—won the award for Best Supporting Actor and thanked his “love o’ my life, the angel Gwyneth Paltrow”—oh, if only that had worked out—I have been rooting for the poor little guy who just can’t catch a break to win at The Big Show. Maybe this will be his coup de grace, the one thing that will put him on a cover of a magazine.

So what’s my tribute to the big night?continue to the recipe… about Mini Hot Dog Rolls and My Academy Award Recipe Round-Up