Italian Stuffed Mushrooms

No, your not going to find a bunch of Italian folks stuffed into these shrooms. But you will find Italian sausage, ricotta and a few other things that will remind you being in an Italian Bistro.

1 lb Mushrooms
1/2 lb Mild Italian Bulk Sausage (hot if you like it)
1 tsp Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1/4 tsp Thyme, dried
2 tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Panko
1 tbsp Parmesan
Dash Crushed Red Pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste

1) In large skiller, brown sausage with garlic and drain any excess oils/grease; return to pan. Over med-low heat stir in ricotta and thyme until cheese is creamy. Remove from heat.

2) Heat oven to 400. Line pan in foil and spray with non-stick spray.

3) Using a damp paper towel, gently rub off any dirt on mushrooms. Remove stems and place on foil lined pan, hole side up.  Using small spoon, fill cavities with meat mixture.

4) Bake for 10 minutes then remove.

5) In small bowl, melt butter then add Panko, parmesan, salt and peppers to taste. Stir to distribute butter evenly, then sprinkle on top of meat mixture and bake another 10 minutes until Panko turns brown.

Cauliflower Casserole

Once again, the lovely Giada De Laurentiis has given me a great recipe. Of course I was unable to find some of the ingredients... so what can a girl do but improvise? Even if your not very fond of this vegetable, you should give it a try. Completely changes the taste with the sauce, and my hunny found that adding some shredded Colby to it really brings out the flavors. This recipe serves about 6-8 folks.

1 Cauliflower Head, cut up (about 6 cups)
1-2 Smoked Cheddar Sausage links (depending on how meaty you want this), diced small
*** Or try to add some ground Italian Sausage for a nice twist, just brown it up before hand***
1/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup Flour
2 cup Milk (1 1/2 cup if living in the low lands)
1 tsp Garlic, minced
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
1/4 tsp Nutmeg, freshly grated
Bread Crumbs
Parsley, dried

1) Heat oven to 350. Using butter flavored "Pam" spray casserole dish (I used an over sized loaf pan, but any will do as long as the cooked cauliflower is 1" from the top).

2) Heat large pot of salted boiling water and blanch cauliflower for about 2 minutes (way up here your gonna have to go about 4-5 minutes), drain and pour into prepared dish. Let cool while you make the rest.

3) In large skillet, heat sausage until browned, remove from skillet and set aside.

4) In same skillet, melt butter. Add flour and stir to combine. Cook about 2 minutes until the mixture begins to turn golden, continuously stirring. Slowly add the milk, a little at a time, stirring until its smooth as silk. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes. Keep stirring a couple minutes until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon. Add parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg and sausage, stir to combine. At this point, if the sauce is really thick, add a little more milk. You should be able to pour it out on top of the cauliflower to cover it. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs and parsley.

5) Bake until crumbs turn golden brown and cauliflower is tender, about 25 minutes.

Kielbasa With Polish Sauce over Pasta

My family loves a good sausage dish. So while taking a trip over the internet to find new and interesting recipes for sausage, I found this one that only had a few ingredients I was unable to find. But no fears... I AM the master (or mistress?) of improvising! Enjoy this Polish turned West Texan dish! Serves about 4.

12oz Dark Beer

1 1/2cup Water

2 tbsp Garlic, minced

1 lb Kielbasa

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

2 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Flour

2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar (Plain White Vinegar works too)

1 tsp Sugar

1 tbsp Corn Starch

1 tsp+ Water

2 Tbsp Parsley, dried

2 cup Pasta, cooked and kept warm

1) In saucepan over medium heat mix beer, water, garlic, kielbasa, red pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer about 25 minutes. Turn meat periodically, to coat. 

2) Remove meat to plate and let cool. Slice meat into 1" slices.

3) In large skillet melt butter, making sure not to burn it. Add flour and cook 4-6 minutes, stirring constantly, until light brown. Add vinegar and sugar, stir. Add remaining beer mixture and more salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer. 

4) In small bowl mix corn starch and remaining water, add to beer mixture and whisk well to incorporate. Simmer mixture until it coats the back of a spoon, about 10-15 minutes. Return sausage to pot and cook another 5 minutes.

5) Garnish with parsley. Serve over any variety of cooked pasta. The sauce works best with a ridged pasta... something that can grab and hang on tight to the sauce.