sausage

52 Pizzas – Pesto Sausage Pizza with Mushrooms and Olives

Jan 28, 2018

You guys.

I didn’t think this post was going to happen this week.

Months ago I started complaining that my oven temp was off because all my cookies were turning out flat and I almost had a full on breakdown a few weeks ago when boyfriend asked for cookies for a work thing and both batches came out flat and I had to send them anyway because he didn’t tell me until the night before.

Not that I’m still upset about it or anything.

Men though.

So yeah, it finally stopped working this week. And I, of course, didn’t realize it until after I thought it had been preheating for 20 minutes and was about to put 2 sheets of veggies in for dinner.

Ugh.

Anyway, the guy came out the next day and got it heating up again but now the whole house smells like gas when I turn it on and maybe I just won’t bake anything else until I move out of here.
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Cheesy Sausage and Spinach Dip

Jan 10, 2018

Cheesy Sausage and Spinach Dip – gooey cheese dip with sausage, Rotel, and spinach! It’s always a party favorite!

This post originally published January 2017. Updated January 2018 and I still hate the pictures so maybe we’ll just try again every January until I like them.

Hi guys, how’s the week?

You guys, my 2nd grader had his 1st semester award ceremony on Monday and I balled like a baby.

Like, I get it, honor roll is a big deal and I know every parent in the room was proud as could be but I was the only one full on sobbing in the back row.

I drowned my feelings in melted cheese and tortilla chips because what else would I do?

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Spaghetti Squash Breakfast Bake

Mar 31, 2017

This post sponsored by Jennie-O. All opinions are my own.

Spaghetti Squash Breakfast Bake – low carb breakfast idea! Spaghetti squash, sausage, eggs, and cheese baked together for the perfect healthy meal prep breakfast!

Heeeey guys, happy Friday!

I feel like I haven’t done a real post in forever.

What’s been doing on? Weekend plans?

I plan on taking the top off the Jeep and taking the husky for a long hike.

Speaking of, the husky doesn’t know how to ride in the Jeep when I have the top off. I’m forever amazed by dogs in the backs of pickup trucks because she would literally go flying out of the Jeep if I didn’t strap her in.

Husky people, is this normal? Is mine defective?

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Red Beans and Rice

Aug 16, 2016

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. All ideas, recipes, & opinions are entirely my own.

Are you in full-on fall mode yet?
Last week my mom and I were exchanging emails about all the fall candles we bought and I realized that I’ve officially moved onto fall.

Yep, burning “Sweater Weather” in every room of my house.

No shame. And I’ve had my windows open for weeks.

It’s 97 degrees in central Texas and I’m sweating buckets. But I don’t care. It’s fall in my head.

I’ve also moved onto fall foods. I bought so much squash last weekend. Literally every acorn squash my store had.

Every single one.

I’m all in on fall, guys.

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Cajun Tortellini Alfredo

Mar 15, 2016

Cajun Tortellini Alfredo – delicious 20 minute weeknight dinner recipe. Tortellini and smoked sausage in a creamy cajun alfredo sauce!

Heeeey guys! Today I have a recipe that includes all my favorite things.

Smoked sausage, cheese, and more cheese!

It is so easy and will take around 20 minutes from start to finish! Cheese filled tortillini with sliced smoked sausage in a a creamy cajun alfredo sauce. It’s just a little bit spicy and easily adjustable to fit your desired spice level.

I love anything involving cajun seasoning and when I’m craving it, I either go for this tortellini or my Cajun Shrimp and Grits.

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Breakfast Stuffed Acorn Squash

Oct 19, 2014

Breakfast Stuffed Acorn Squash – healthy and delicious breakfast! Roasted acorn squash filled with sausage and topped with an egg!

I am forever looking for new breakfast ideas for myself. I’m not really into typical breakfast foods first thing in the morning (but I love a cinnamon roll in the afternoon or pancakes for dinner) and a girl can only have so many breakfast salads before she starts to lose it.

This Breakfast Stuffed Acorn Squash is my new favorite and I’m going through withdrawals right now because Trader Joe’s was out of acorn squash the other day and I’m refusing to go to any other grocery stores until the excitement of TJ’s wears off.

Life is rough.

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Sweet Lil Smokies

Aug 21, 2014

Sweet Lil Smokies – lil smokies wrapped in crescent rolls and baked in a honey pecan sauce. These are always the first thing gone from my parties!

You guys. I have had a week.

And I know that technically the week isn’t over but I’m done with blog posts after I hit publish on this and I’m done with sports practices. My only obligation is getting kids to and from school. After that, I’m free to get in my PJs and afternoon-drink.

Not that I’d ever do that.

I know I said I’d never mention Stove Saga 2014 again but… I’m mentioning it again. Because guess what? Now my stupid oven is stupid.

When I preheated the oven to make these Sweet Lil Smokies yesterday, it never preheated. Like, it didn’t light or whatever it is that ovens do. So I kept turning it off and on until it finally did.

And two hours later it finally passed 300F.

Ugggghhhhh.

Yeah, I really waited almost 3 hours for my oven to get to 375 degrees so that I could make these.

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Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Kielbasa

Mar 26, 2014

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Kielbasa – sliced kielbasa cooked in the crockpot in a delicious sweet and sour sauce. This is perfect over rice for an easy weeknight dinner or served by itself for a party snack!

Hi guys, I have the easiest recipe ever for you today.

My kids absolutely love this Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe and would happily eat it every night but I just haven’t been up to frying lately.

I was watching a vlog the other day and whoever I was watching mentioned Sweet and Sour Kielbasa and clearly I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The great thing about this recipe is that, even though it’s a slow cooker recipe, it’s ready in 2 hours!

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Mini Sausage Pancake Muffins

Mar 25, 2014

Mini Sausage Pancake Muffins – easy, make-ahead breakfast idea. Only 3 ingredients! Sweet and savory and delicious!

My seven year old is on Spring Break this week which I thought was going to be pretty awful because, omg, what am I supposed to do with 3 kids for an entire week when it’s 20 degrees outside? But it turns out that there are good things about it.

Like, I don’t have to yell “YOU HAVE EXACTLY 22 MINUTES UNTIL WE HAVE TO LEAVE! HURRY UP!” up the stairs every morning. Or we don’t have to sneak into the neighbor’s garage at 6:30 am to look for shoes we left over there last night.

Plus, instead of shoving cereal down his throat while also trying to put makeup on, get his brothers dressed, and make sure the dogs get ouside, I have time to make fun breakfasts.

Like these Mini Sausage Pancake Muffins!

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Sausage and Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms

Nov 04, 2013

I love getting to peek into other people’s Thanksgiving meals. Whether it’s via Instagram or a blog post or just hearing someone talk about their holiday. Thanksgiving is such a traditional meal and I think most of us tend to make the same things year after year. I love seeing other people’s menus for inspiration to change it up a little.

I never considered stuffed mushrooms a Thanksgiving dish but on the first Thanksgiving my husband and I spent together, I ate my weight in them at his mom’s house. And they have been a holiday staple in our house ever since.

I don’t think I’ve ever met a stuffed mushroom that I didn’t love but I like to make mine with sausage, a good cheddar, and cream cheese to give the stuffing that super creamy texture.

For these stuffed mushrooms, I used the Smoked Seaside cheese from Whole Foods. It’s a smoked cheddar and it’s super delicious. I love smoked cheeses so it’s no surprise that I’m now obsessed with the Smoked Seaside. And by the way, if you’ve never visited the Whole Foods cheese counter, I suggest that you do. I go about this time every year to stock up on enough Cranberry Cheddar to get me through the holiday season and I always end up talking to the person working the cheese counter for 20 or 30 minutes. They are so knowledgeable and can recommend the perfect cheese for whatever you plan on making.

I also picked up some of the Whole Foods Sage Breakfast Sausage to use in these. And then the usual suspects: mushrooms, cream cheese, and Parmesan. I already had the rest of the ingredients on hand so there wasn’t a whole lot to purchase for these guys.

These are so fantastic, I could easily eat the entire batch myself. That good. I like to put them out before the actual meal is ready as a little appetizer but you can use them as a side dish for the meal too. They work great both ways!

We’re having a Twitter party on the 12th to talk all about holiday food! There will be 10 $50 Whole Foods giftcards given away so go ahead and RSVP!

Make sure you check out the Whole Foods Holiday Guide which has menus, baking tips, brining tips, basically everything you could possibly need. They also have an e-store where you can order your holiday pies or your entire meal if you need to. And finally, check out Kitchen PLAY to see what a bunch of other bloggers cooked up for the Thanksgiving table.

Sausage and Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

24 small white mushrooms stems carefully removed and discarded
1/2 pound Whole Foods breakfast sausage
3 cloves garlic minced
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup Smoked Seaside English Cheddar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup grated Parmesan for sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with oil and place mushrooms in a single
layer on it.
To make the stuffing, cook the breakfast sausage over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain off fat. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add cream cheese and stir around until completely melted. Add Smoked Seaside, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Stir until the cheese is melted and mixture is fairly smooth.
Spoon mixture into mushroom caps. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until mushrooms have softened considerably.

I was given the opportunity to work with Whole Foods thanks to Kitchen Play. This post is sponsored but if you know me at all you know I am obsessed with Whole Foods.

Cajun 7 Layer Dip

Sep 09, 2013

With NFL officially starting this past week, football season is in full swing and I cannot be more excited about that! Two out of three of my teams won so I’m loving life. That Saints game was a bit of a nail-biter, right?

With football season comes football food which is my absolute favorite kind of food! It’s always cheesy and meaty and oh-so-bad for you. This recipe is no exception. It has sausage, bacon, three kinds of cheese, refried beans, jalapenos… basically everything I love. It was so delicious and even my husband, who had his own dish of paleo spinach artichoke dip, couldn’t keep his hands off it.

I’m looking forward another great season of football and sharing what I’m cooking with you guys. I’m thinking I’m going to share these recipes on Mondays…? In past seasons I’ve always done Friday but I feel like that it’s better to give you time to get to the store for all the cheese and bacon that you’re gonna need. Yeah?

One year ago: Apple & Oat Scones
Two years ago: Chili Cheese Enchiladas
Three years ago: Angel Food Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream
Four years ago: Wheat Oat Bread

Cajun 7 Layer Dip

from Creole Contessa

Ingredients

For 1st layer:

1 29 oz can of whole pinto beans drained, rinsed
1/2 small onion chopped
1/2 small bell pepper chopped
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 chipotle pepper
cooking spray to coat dish

For the 2nd Layer

8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

For the 3rd Layer

1 small jar of pickled sliced jalapenos

For the 4th Layer

8 ounces grated jack cheese

For the 5th-6th Layer

1/2 pound fresh andouille sausage casing removed
1/2 pound of thick cut bacon diced
cooking oil

For the 7th Layer

4 ounces Mexican cheese shredded

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F.
To prepare the first layer, place everything in a food processor, blend until almost smooth. Set aside.
In a skillet over medium heat add about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, add bacon and fry until crisp.
Remove bacon from pan and place on paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but about 1 teaspoon of bacon grease.
Add andouille sausage to bacon grease. Break up and cook and completely cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add beans to bacon/sausage grease and cook about 5 minutes.
Assembly dip in the above order. Bake at 375F for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.

Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula Linguine

Jun 12, 2012

Anyone else not feel like cooking these days?

Actually, I have zero motivation for anything besides this:

That’s what summer is for though, right?

We’ve been eating a lot of sandwiches, a lot of hot dogs, and a ton of take-n-bake pizza. Which explains why I haven’t been posting around here. But a girl can only survive on pizza for so long before she starts craving a home-cooked meal.

This is the perfect summer meal! It’s so fast and so light and so full of fresh veggies!

Instead of a typical pasta sauce, the cherry tomatoes are cooked quickly and then mashed to get all the juiciness out – then you add some pasta water and it creates a nice little sauce that coats the pasta well but doesn’t feel heavy at all.

Two years ago:Â Tempura Fried Asparagus

5 from 1 vote

Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula Linguine

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

Â½ pound whole wheat linguine
1 tablespoon olive oil
Â½ pound Italian chicken or turkey sausage
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
Â¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups arugula leaves
2 ounces Parmesan shaved

Instructions

Cook linguine according to package instructions. Set aside Â½ cup of cooking liquid before draining.
Heat oil over medium-high heat. Remove sausage from casings and add to pan, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Cook until browned, about 3 minutes, continuing to break up the sausage. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and pepper; cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove cover and use a wooden spoon to mash the tomatoes. Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat; add drained linguine, reserved pasta water, and arugula; toss together. Serve with shaved Parmesan on top.

Pasta Fagioli

Nov 10, 2011

Pasta Fagioli – Olive Garden copycat recipe. This hearty soup is filled with spicy Italian sausage, veggies, pasta, and beans and topped with fresh shredded Parmesan cheese. It is serious comfort food that the whole family will love!

My husband has been gone for a couple weeks now and while I’m the first to admit that it pretty much sucks, there are some good points to being alone.

My grocery bill is less than half of what it is with him home! I knew he ate a lot but holy cow.
I can get up at 4 am and no one yells at me!
To go with the above, I can sleep on the couch so that I can get up at 4 am without my children hearing and no one yells at me!
I can read all 3 books of The Hunger Games (again) without anyone asking me why I’m reading books meant for teenagers (again).
Real Housewives marathons. Enough said.
Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches are officially considered dinner.
I can make instant coffee and not feel guilty because I know he won’t ask for espresso unless he sees me prepping the machine.
There are no PTs to wash every night!
I can cook whatever I want, whenever I want! (!!)

And that last one is the reason I made this soup.

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Gnocchi with Sausage and Spinach

Oct 12, 2011

I try not to take many chances in my cooking. And by that I mean that I don’t make “chick food”. Because my husband is not shy and will tell me when something is not manly enough. I’ve learned through the years that if it doesn’t include a large piece of meat or isn’t covered in cheddar, it’s going to be called girly.

But sometimes a recipe calls to me. Like this one. I pinned it forever ago and every time I go to plan a week of meals, I click through and stare at it. Because gnocchi with a fun sausage (I used sundried tomato) and spinach is the kind of thing my dreams are made of.

So I finally took a chance and made it. Verdict? My husband loved it! He said it was weird but he ate it and then ate leftovers the next day! I loved it, the kids loved it, it was an all around winner.

Another bonus? It took no time at all to come together! The gnocchi only requires a few minutes in boiling water and I used a fully-cooked chicken sausage so all I had to do was brown it. Seriously awesome.

Gnocchi with Sausage with Spinach

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Ingredients

1 package pre-made whole-wheat gnocchi about 3 cups
1/4 cup gnocchi cooking water
2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
1 small onion diced
3 links fully-cooked sun-dried tomato chicken sausage diced
2 garlic cloves minced
4 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup Parmesan

Instructions

Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water before draining.
Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. SautÃ© onion until they begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add chicken sausage. Allow the sausage to brown and heat through, stirring occasionally. Add in garlic and baby spinach, toss and continue to cook until spinach is wilted.
Add cooked gnocchi into the skillet with the sausage and spinach, top with the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil and the reserved cooking water. Mix together. Top with Parmesan.

Pizza Spaghetti

Sep 29, 2010

Whenever I make a simple pasta dish like this, I go back and forth on whether to post it. It just seems so not exciting compared to cupcakes and cookies and bread. But then I remember that through all of last year, my most visited page was a recipe for a very simple, slow cooker pasta dish so I guess that means that you guys are on the hunt for quick, easy meals.

This one is really easy. To make it easier, I used a jarred pasta sauce but feel free to use a few cups of your favorite homemade sauce. The meal came together quickly and by the time the spaghetti was done boiling, the meat sauce was done and ready to be stirred in.

My boys all loved it. The 3 of them had it for lunch and then dinner with no complaints. It was a fun twist on spaghetti that I’m sure we’ll be having over and over again.

Pizza Spaghetti

Ingredients

8 ounces spaghetti
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage casings removed
1 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 26 ounce jar Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 small package pepperoni about 25 slices
8 ounce package Italian blend shredded cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and onion; crumble sausage and continue to cook until sausage is no longer pink. Add garlic and saute until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add pasta sauce and tomato paste; stir to combine. Add spaghetti. Slice half of pepperoni in half and add to pasta mixture. Stir in half of the cheese. Pour pasta into a large baking dish. Top with the rest of the cheese and pepperoni.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let cool slightly before serving.