Fast and Easy – Steamed Sausage and Vegetables
August 30, 2012 - Written by Diana
My son came home and asked what we were having for dinner. It’s a fun game we play. One of us asks what we are having for dinner and the other responds -”I don’t know, what are you making?”. If he’s cooking, sometimes I’ll tell him what to make, and if it’s me – I’ll figure something out. Tonight, I didn’t want to slave over the stove, but I remembered something my husband said when he brought home the market bag. He said that we should cook up the green beans and corn fresh and fast while we have them and not wait because they’re always best when they’re fresh.
I have a metal strainer insert that I use when I want to steam or blanch. Then I can either keep the ingredients from getting waterlogged because it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pot, or in the case of blanching, I can raise the strainer draining the water off without getting burned pouring it off. Tonight I filled the strainer with corn on the cob, green beans, potatoes, sausage (from an area farmer) …
Minty Spring Asparagus & Pasta with Lamb Mint Sausage
April 7, 2011 - Written by Diana
The last time we had Lamb Mint Sausage there were a few who said they didn’t know if lamb and mint went together. I love mint and I think the lamb mint sausage are very tasty, but it is a very mild flavor. I wanted to up the mint factor this time. So, I made a mint and parsely pesto to use with gemelli pasta and some asparagus, one of my favorite spring time foods. Of course I added some lamb mint sausage because I thought it would be the perfect thing to round out the dish.
For dinner, the pasta was warm when mixed with the pesto and the warm asparagus and sausage. The next day cold leftovers were even better. I think my mother will love this dish so much that I’m going to make it for her when she visits this summer. She has strict dietary restrictions and we have to go without tomatoes, onions and she doesn’t like heavy sauces, so this will be perfect for her. You could substitute beans for the sausage, …
Garlicky Smashed New Potatoes with Spinach and Lamb Mint Sausage
March 27, 2011 - Written by Diana
Lamb Mint Sausage is my new favorite sausage. We bought it at Blues Creek Farm Meats when we were at the Lamb Cutting Class and discovered that we love it . The mint is sort of subtle, and when you throw it into an Alfredo sauce like my daughter did last week, you might not taste the mint at all. However, if you cook it on it’s own and serve it without any sauce, you can get the nice mint flavor that’s subtle, but it’s there. As a result, I don’t like to mix this sausage with other foods and serve it on the side. Tonight, to go with the sausage, I made one of my husband’s favorite sides – potatoes, though he likes potatoes almost any way you can think of to prepare it. I did a rough smash, mixed it with some garlic and shallots that were sauteed in oil, and some fresh spinach that wilted down. I threw in a couple of tablespoons of butter and some garlic olive oil …
Easter Kolbasz – from Best of the Wurst in the North Market
April 8, 2010 - Written by Diana
Last year my sister and I discussed Easter Kolbasz, and our family traditions. This year when browsing through North Market in Columbus, Oh, purchasing my Easter Leg of Lamb from Blues Creek Farm Market, I perused the selections at Best of the Wurst. When I had my tour of the North Market, I mentioned to Dave that it would be wonderful if they could get some Hungarian Kolbasz for sale in the market, so that I could have it for my Easter dinner. There in the front window of the Best of the Wurst Market stall was hungarian sausage. Could it be? Was it the good stuff from my childhood? I bought one package with the idea that if it was good, I would be going back for more later. Later, I opened the package, and it was good, really good, much better than the other stuff, though a little drier and less greasy than the ones …
Kielbasa, Peppers and Potatoes – a Fast Family Meal
March 10, 2010 - Written by DianaThis is one of my favorite quick tasty dinners. Maybe I take too many shortcuts, but this one is good. I can do this meal in under a half an hour, which is more time than my son gives me before he asks about dinner. Seventeen year olds who run track are always looking for food; the quicker I get it into him, the less likely he is to fill it with junk or fillers. You can parboil the potatoes in a pot of water on the stove or a bowl of water in the microwave. I do this because it will absorb less oil since it’s partly cooked already. The kielbasa is turkey kielbasa, and it’s a little lower fat too. The peppers – are mine. We grew peppers last summer and froze them. I haven’t run out of peppers yet, so I like to find as many meals I can to use them in and the peppers though wilty are still delicious and full of flavor. I don’t put a dressing on it because my son isn’t a big fan, and we just use our preference of mustard or ketchup. If I had my way I would pour …
Italian Sausage, Tomato & Cabbage Stew(p)
September 24, 2009 - Written by DianaThis stew is one of the best combinations for using up the veggies in your garden. The cabbage, potatoes and tomatoes all came from the vegetable garden. I would have had onions too, if my daughter hadn’t pulled them and thrown them into the composter with the weeds. The garlic, onions and sweet italian sausage (bison) all came from the farm market. The rest I had in the cabinet. It didn’t take long to prepare and was ready as soon as the cabbage was wilted enough. Lots of great flavor in this meal, you’ll love it.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
- 1 onion sliced in half and then into slivers
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 8 small potatoes scrubbed and sliced in half
- 1 /3 head of cabbage rough chopped
- 2 cups whole tomatoes and juice – smooshed
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp basil
- Salt
- Pepper
Directions:
Spray a skillet with cooking spray, and cook the sausage with onions and smashed garlic. Halve potatoes and boil in a small pot of water until al dente, not soft. Throw rest of the ingredients …
Sausage & Chard Crustless Quiche
August 24, 2009 - Written by Diana
I like quiches a lot, but more without the pie shell. I’m that way with pies too, I like the insides the most. This was our breakfast this morning. I used some herb garden chevre in it that we got from the cheese guy at the farmer’s market and some gouda (because it’s good-er that way). Quiches are fun because you can change it up a little – put in a different meat, or a different cheese, use some other veggies and it changes the taste for a whole new type of quiche.
Ingredients:
- turkey sausage – 6 breakfast links, cooked and crumbled
- handful of chard, stems removed
- shallot – diced
- 6 eggs
- 2 tbs evaporated milk
- 2 tbs herb garden chevre (you can substitute another herby chevre)
- 1 tbs gouda
- salt, pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Instead …
