Sunday, January 24, 2010

Forget the diet.....sausage and pepper sandwiches.


I must let you in on a secret sandwich recipe that my hubby discovered, we tried, and I have since modified. Both the original and the pared down version are awesome...
What you'll need:
one coil of garlic sausage, sliced on the bias into thin rounds
one red and green pepper sliced into strips
one medium onion, sliced into half round shapes
mayo (not miracle whip)
marinara sauce (a jar of storebought is fine)
garlic 2 cloves minced
some olive oil
one large loaf of french bread
grated kraft italiano cheese or a mix of mozza and emmanthal/swiss or parmesan

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Throw in peppers and onions and saute in the oil until softened 3 - 5 minutes. Toss in the sausage rounds and garlic and saute until the sausage is cooked through and even a bit brown on some edges. Meanwhile place your french bread on an oven proof tray like a cookie sheet. Cut a triangle lengthwise along the top of the bread so that you have a "trough", yes trough, for the sausage mixture. You might find that you even need to use your fingers and carefully take out some more of the bread so that you have room for the sausage. Slather - and by slather, I mean don't be shy with it - some mayo into the nest you have created for the sausage. Now do the exact same with the marinara sauce. Place the sausage mixture into the french bread - you might not use all of it, but put enough in so it is level with the original top of the bread loaf. Liberally place the shredded cheese on top and put in the oven under the broiler until the cheeese is bubbly and the edges of the bread start to crisp up. You will need to be paying attention at this point. Once done, let it sit for a minute or two then you can cut into serving pieces - not more than four or you will really find it falls apart. You will likely just end up eating this with a knife and fork - but it is to die for.

The attached picture shows a modification where I used some left over roast beef instead of the sausage and individual buns instead of the french bread. Either is a great supper or snack that impresses despite the low key ingredients.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Corn Chowder

I meant to post this recipe sooner as I made this chowder using the leftover scalloped potatoes, which is the best way. My mum always made this with left over scalloped potatoes, except when I tried the recipe, I added bacon (why? Everything is always better with bacon).

If you don’t have any leftover scalloped potatoes, you can just cook up some onions with the bacon before you making the roux and cube up some potato to add-in.

Makes about 4 servings

3-4 slices bacon, chopped up
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. butter
2-3 cups skim milk (or more if you want thinner)
½ cup half and half
1 small can peaches n’ cream corn (or use about 1 cup frozen)

In a large pot, cook-up chopped bacon until lightly browned. Drain off bacon fat (if you want). Add butter until it melts, add in flour and make a roux. Slowly whisk in milk and cream and bring to a simmer until chowder thickens. Add leftover scalloped potatoes. Add half and half and more milk (if needed). Turn down heat and simmer until heated through. Add corn at end.

I add fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste. Fresh dill is sometimes good to add, too! This chowder makes a filling lunch or dinner served with salad and crusty loaf.



Sunday, January 10, 2010

Kickin’ it old school


No better way to bring in 2010 then to feast on post-holiday leftovers. My favorite!

One thing we had quite a bit growing up was an open faced turkey or chicken sandwich served with gravy and fries. This is because almost every other weekend we had rotisserie chicken – old school style – I remember the noise of the rotisserie in the oven going round and round few a few hours many a Sunday night.

After Christmas holidays, I found myself with leftover turkey, gravy and dressing. I told husband I was going to make him and old school Volume family recipe “Open Faced Turkey Sandwich” and proceeded to describe the dish:

“Leftover turkey served cold on top of white bread with gravy. Usually we had French fries on the side, but I think I will do something different.”
“Is the bread toasted?”
“Nope.”
“Oh. Would it be better toasted?”
“Nope.”
“And I would serve it with dressing on the side, but I ate it already.” (yes, I especially love leftover stuffing! Ever had a stuffing sandwich?!?)

We only had a bit of gravy, so I made a roux and used some broth to make some more. It is best to serve this with white, texas-style (thick-sliced) bread.

Needless to say, I got a lot of Mmmm and Yummy from the husband, so he was pleasantly suprised! I did serve it with some vegetables and a side salad to help off-set the dressing starter I wolfed down.