Italian Sausage and Peppers Skillet

Oh dear yummmm! Really loved this, definitely 10/10! This paired very well with these roasted potatoes, and I think would also pair well with rice, egg noodles, or even pasta.

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/7-dRPiukwYM

Original recipe credit: https://www.eatwell101.com/sausage-and-peppers-recipe

Ingredients:

5 spicy (hot) Italian sausage links

~1/4 c. water

1 T. olive oil

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed with mortar/pestle

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes, divided *(I used a can that had basil added; not obligatory, but worked very well!)

1 orange bell pepper, sliced (you could also use red or yellow)

1/2 c. chicken stock (or broth)

salt and pepper, to taste

fresh basil and shredded Parmesan, to garnish

Instructions:

1. Coat pan with a very thin layer of olive oil. Heat over medium heat and add the Italian sausages. After they start to cook just a little, add the water (to keep them from sticking too much). Brown on all sides, then transfer to a cutting board (note: sausages do NOT need to be cooked all the way through at this point, as you will be cooking them through in later step).

2. After removing the sausages, reduce heat slightly and add the 1 T. of olive oil to the pan. Stir in the red onion, followed by crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and 2 T. of the crushed tomatoes.  Stir constantly for 1 minute.

4. Add the bell pepper and rest of can of crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine and let cook, stirring occasionally, for around 3 minutes. 

5. Stir in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to simmer (increase heat slightly if needed).

6. Meanwhile, slice the Italian sausage into 1/4" rounds. Add them to the skillet mixture and stir to coat. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is cooked through (I went 10 min.) and sauce is thickened.

7. Remove from heat and serve garnished with chopped fresh basil and shredded Parmesan. Enjoy!

Homemade Chocolate Custard-Style Ice Cream

500th recipe post!!! What an amazing milestone! Thank you to all that have visited my blog, my YouTube page, cooked with me, and supported my efforts here.

This is decadent, to say the least. Super chocolate awesomeness, too. 10/10! My wonderful mom got me the same ice cream maker that she has, which I mentioned in my post about the amazing mint chocolate ice cream (also frozen custard style). I will make this again for sure, though I think it could be made with half the chocolate and still be great (will try that sometime). Next time I will also be sifting the cocoa powder after measuring it, as it would be easier to get it to blend. Pic below is from right after churning (soft serve stage).

Link to original recipe: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a26977162/chocolate-ice-cream-recipe/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

3 oz. Lindt 60% cacoa dark chocolate, broken in small pieces

3 oz. Ghirardelli 72% cacoa dark chocolate, broken in small pieces

1 1/2 c. whole milk

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

1/3 c. Dutch processed cocoa powder, sifted (after measuring)

3/4 c. sugar

6 large egg yolks

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

**make sure you have the bowl of the machine in the freezer the day before you want to churn*

Directions:

1. Add the chocolate pieces (both kinds) to the top pan of a double boiler. Stir until chocolate has melted completely. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, and cocoa powder. Bring mixture just to a simmer, whisking, frequently, then remove from heat. 

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and the egg yolks for 3-4 minutes, until mixture becomes pale yellow and thick ribbons form.

4. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in a ladle full of the cocoa-milk mixture. Continue with a second ladle full, then slowly stream in the remaining milk mixture. 

5. Pour the combined mixture back into the pan and place over low to medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, with a wooden spoon, making sure the mixture heats gradually--do NOT let it come to a simmer. It should heat to between 160-170°F (will coat back of the spoon, you will be able to wipe a finger through and leave a clean line). Remove from heat immediately.

6. Stir in the vanilla extract and Kosher salt. Strain into a clean, large bowl, and place on a cooling rack. Stir occasionally while it cools to room temperature (this will take about an hour to hour and a half).

7. Once mixture has reached room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, pushing it down into the bowl to just touch and cover the entire surface of the liquid. Place in fridge for at least 3 hours, up to overnight.

8. When ready, follow the instructions of your ice cream maker to freeze the ice cream/custard mixture. It will be soft-serve consistency; transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for a couple of hours to harden. Enjoy!

Roasted Red Potatoes with Onions, Thyme, and Sherry Vinegar

Excellent, made with the peppery steak (previous entry), perfect pairing, only oops was that I only used 1 onion instead of 2; should have done 2, as there was plenty of room left on large baking sheet and the onions are delicious. Went extra 5 min on baking at end, as my potatoes were not super small, and cut them in quarters instead of just halves.

Link to original recipe: https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/red-potatoes-roasted-with-onions-thyme-sherry-vinegar

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

2 small red onions

2 lbs. small red potatoes, cut in halves or quarters (depending on size)

3 T. olive oil

3 T. sherry vinegar

Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper

3 T. fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425°F with rack in center. Trim root ends of onions, leaving enough core intact to hold onion wedges together. Trim other end of onions, then cut in half vertically, then cut each half into four wedges.

2. In a medium bowl, toss onions and potatoes with the olive oil and sherry vinegar, then season with salt and pepper (to taste).

3. Pour veggie mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet large enough to hold all in a single layer. Transfer to oven and roast for 35 minutes.

4. Turn the potatoes and onions over. Sprinkle the thyme leaves over the veggies and return the pan to the oven for an additional 5 minutes (or until veggies are very tender and onions have browned). Serve and enjoy!