Sausage Pastry

1 can refrigerator crescent rolls
1 lb. hot sausage
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp dill

Brown sausage and drain very well.  Mix with cream cheese, mustard, and dill.  Remove crescent rolls from can and place flat on a sheet of wax paper, use your fingers to connect the pieces so that you end up with a rectangle.  Spread sausage mixture on flattened crescent rolls.  Lift the end of the wax paper and roll up and off into a small pre-sprayed loaf pan.  Place in refrigerator overnight.  Remove and slice, place pieces in a pan, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown.

These may be prepared in advance and frozen for use later.

Sweet Sausage and Three Cheese Lasagna

For the sauce:


2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled

1/2 pound lean ground pork

1/3 cup dry white wine

2 (28-ounce) containers crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 medium dried bay leaves

For the lasagna:

1 (9-ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles

24 ounces ricotta cheese

1 pound mozzarella cheese, low-moisture or fresh, thinly sliced

2 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2 ounces)

Directions

For the meat sauce: Heat oil in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add onion and garlic, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook until just softened. Add sausage and ground pork and stir to break up meat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat starts to color, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add wine and cook, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate browned bits, until the alcohol smell is cooked off. Add tomatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, basil, oregano, bay leaf, and season well with freshly ground black pepper. Stir until well mixed and tomatoes start to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.



For the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees F and arrange rack in middle.



Spread 2 cups sauce in a thin layer over the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Layer 4 noodles over sauce, top with 2 cups sauce and spread it evenly over the noodles. Evenly dollop 1/4 of the ricotta across the sauce, top with 1/4 of the mozzarella, and sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cover with foil and bake until liquids are bubbling and noodles are beginning to soften, about 40 minutes.

Remove foil and continue baking until top is golden brown and noodles are completely tender, about 20 minutes more. Allow to rest 20 minutes before cutting.

Sausage Bread

I have not made this recipe, although I indeed to make it one of these days when I cheat on my diet.... it looks easy and WONDERFUL.

I found it on ThePerfectPantry.com - a blog that I follow and hightly recommend to you.   I love the recipes and seeing how other people organize their kitchens.

http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2010/10/fresh-pizza-dough-recipe-charlottes-sausage-bread.html

Almost Festival Sausage

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

2 pounds mild or hot Italian sausage links
1/2 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
4 tablespoons tarragon or apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Splash of water
Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large frying pan, saute sausage over medium-high heat until
lightly browned. Place in a baking pan.
In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, vinegar, honey, soy sauce,
mustard, water and cayenne. Pour mixture over sausage. Bake for one
hour.
Serve hot as desired.
Nutrition facts per serving: 466 calories, 36 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 86 mg cholesterol, 18 g carbohydrates, 17 g protein, 1366 mg sodium, 0 g fiber

Sausage & Spinach Soup

Sausage & Spinach Soup
Serves 10
Cooking Techniques = Saute & Simmer

2 – 2 ½ pounds Italian sausage – I prefer mild or sometimes called sweet
1 large yellow onion or 2 medium onions
4 large carrots
5 cloves garlic
3 quarts of home made chicken stock or your favorite low salt commercial brand
30 oz. of fresh tomatoes, diced although I prefer to use canned tomatoes this time of year
30 oz. of cooked beans - cannellini, great northern, black, pinto or a combination. - For this recipe, I suggest using canned beans. Really shortens the prep time down.
1 large bag of washed spinach about 14 oz. – if you prefer to buy a bunch of spinach, be sure to thoroughly wash and dry it to remove any dirt or small stones. And avoid any bunches with yellowed leaves. I now like to use the triple washed spinach. Still tastes fresh and really shortens the prep time…a must when trying to get a meal out in a hurry.
3 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped or 1 tablespoon dried
1-cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
12 oz bag of Conchiglie pasta also called shell pasta – go with the medium sized
Salt and Pepper to taste – of course

I like to have the ingredients prepped before I start. You need to remove the sausage from the sausage casings. Peel and chop the onion, carrots and garlic. This is a soup with a lot of texture so you don’t have to chop it too fine. Really depends on your own preferences.
If you are using dried beans, you won’t be making this soup until tomorrow. You really want to soak dried beans overnight and then cook them. If you are using canned beans, open them up and rinse them off in a colander.
If you are using fresh spinach, wash and dry it in a salad spinner and remove any tough stems.
Grate the cheese and chop the fresh basil and put on a pot of water to cook the pasta.
Cooking the Pasta
Cook the pasta separately and add it to the soup just before serving. There are pluses and minuses doing it this way.
The negative is the pasta doesn’t get to cook and absorb all the wonderful flavors from the rest of the ingredients. The plus is the pasta doesn’t absorb all the liquid and leave you with a pot of overcooked pasta with very little broth. This is especially important if you make extra and plan to serve it as leftovers the next day.
Start with the sausage. Heat a large soup or stockpot over medium high heat and brown the sausage until it is cooked through. Using a wooden spoon, break up any large chunks of sausage. This should take about 10 minutes.
At the same time you are cooking the sausage, start heating up the water for pasta. The trick is to have the pasta cooked and ready to go just as the soup is ready to serve. Depending on your stove and where you live the water takes 5 to 10 minutes to boil and then another 8 to 10 minutes to cook the pasta al dente.
(In Italian the phrase means "to the tooth" and is a term used to describe the correct degree of doneness when cooking pasta. The food should have a slight resistance when biting into it, but should not be soft or overdone or have a hard center.)
A lot of fat will come from the sausage so I like to pour off most of it before adding the onions, carrots and garlic. Be sure to stir this combination while it is cooking so the ingredients don’t burn and stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for five minutes. Now add the chopped tomatoes, beans and dried basil if you are not using fresh. Otherwise, wait until the end to add the fresh basil.
Simmer the soup for another 10 minutes and then add the spinach and fresh basil. Cook for about a minute until the spinach wilts. Take a spoonful of soup and taste for seasoning. Be sure to let the soup cool in the spoon before you taste otherwise it will be too hot for your taste buds to figure out what it needs. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon some pasta into your serving bowls, ladle in some soup and top with the grated Parmesan cheese. I like to serve some extra cheese in a separate bowl on the side for those who want more.
Serve with some French or Italian bread and you have yourself an incredible meal.

Emeril's Savory Breakfast Casserole

To view this recipe on the Foodnetwork channel click here


* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onions
* 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
* 6 ounces Canadian bacon or baked ham, trimmed and diced
* 2 links Emeril’s Kicked Up Smoked Sausage or 6 ounces hot
smoked sausage, chopped
* 8 large eggs
* 3 cups whole milk
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 1 1/4 teaspoons Emeril’s Original Essence or Creole Seasoning
* 8 cups (1-inch cubes) stale French or Italian bread, or rolls
* 8 ounces grated Gouda or Fontina cheese (about 2 cups)
* 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Lightly grease a 3-quart (9 by 13-inch) baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside.

In a medium skillet, melt 2 teaspoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, green and red bell peppers, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the parsley, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool.

In a medium skillet, melt the remaining 1 teaspoon butter over medium-high heat. Add the Canadian bacon and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add the sausage to the skillet and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels and let cool.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, cream, 1 teaspoon of the Essence, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper and whisk to combine. Add the bread cubes and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the cooked Canadian bacon and sausage, the onion mixture, and the Gouda cheese and stir to incorporate the ingredients. Pour into the prepared dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake until almost completely set, 50 to 55 minutes.

(Alternatively, the bread pudding can be assembled up to this point, covered, and refrigerated 8 hours or overnight, and then baked. Let sit at room temperature while preheating the oven, before baking. )

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, melted butter, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon Essence. Uncover the pudding and sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the top. Return to the oven, increase the heat to 375 degrees F and bake until the pudding is completely set in the center, puffed, and golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.

Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

She Loves Wine's Zucchini Casserole

This is a layered casserole that is cut into wedges and served as a main dish. I usually omit the sausage.

Makes: 1 pie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Ready In: 80 minutes
Servings: 6

2 - 3 Small Zucchini
1 Large Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 pound of sausage browned (optional)
1/2 pound mushrooms sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced thin on an angle
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
2 cups Mozerella Cheese shredded
1 26 oz. jar Newman's Own Spaghetti Sauce with a crushed clove of garlic
A few shakes of garlic salt
Shake of red pepper flakes

1. Spray a large round flat bottom covered casserole with Olive Oil. Cover the bottom with a thin layer of spaghetti sauce. Layer in the order listed above, using half the ingredients, repeat with remaining half
2. Bake in covered casserole for 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350. Let set 10 minutes before serving.