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!

Peppery Flank Steak Tagliata

Excellent 10/10, would happily make again!  

Link to original recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014601-peppery-flank-steak-tagliata-in-the-oven

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 flank steak (1.5 to 2 lbs; I used one that was 1.42 lbs.)

salt, to taste

1 T. coarsely crushed black peppercorns

leaves from 1 small bunch rosemary

6 garlic cloves, sliced

1/4 c. olive oil

5 oz. baby arugula

shaved Parmesan/Romano cheese mix (used BelGioioso salad mix)

Directions:

1. Lay flank steak on a baking sheet and season both sides with salt. Use half of crushed peppercorns to coat one side, then use remaining half to coat other. Top with the rosemary and garlic clove slices (do this to both sides).

2. Drizzle with the olive oil and use your hands to distribute and work it (and the seasonings) into the meat a bit. Let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, heat oven to 450°F. Place a cast iron skillet in oven, on the upper rack, while it is heating and let it heat for at least 30 minutes.

4. Once flank steak has rested for an hour, carefully place it in the hot pan and close the oven door. Let it cook/bake for 5 minutes, then flip. Let it cook/bake on other side for around 3 minutes (possibly 4 or 5 if it is on the larger side). 

5. Cut meat on diagonal, against the grain, into thin slices. Arrange the slices on a large platter, then surround with the arugula. Top the arugula with shaved cheese, then drizzle with some olive oil. Serve and enjoy!

Rigatoni with Mushroom Sauce

MMMMM so freaking good. Next time I will try adding 2 T. of the cooking water to help thicken the sauce.

Link to original recipe: https://themodernproper.com/rigatoni-with-mushroom-sauce

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 lb. (uncooked) rigatoni

4 T. butter

2 T. olive oil

1 lb. button mushrooms (cremini would also work), sliced 1/4" thick

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. Sauvignon Blanc wine

1 c. chicken stock

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

10 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

1. Cook rigatoni according to package directions.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and olive oil together. Add the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown (around 5-7 min.)

3. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 min, then stir in the wine. Bring to simmer and continue simmering until wine has reduced to slightly over half.

4. Stir in the chicken stock, bring back to simmer and keep simmering until reduced by half.

5. Slowly stir in the cream, followed by the Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Simmer sauce for 2-3 minutes.

6. Remove from heat. Stir in the basil leaves. Toss sauce with pasta, serve, and enjoy!

Balsamic Boneless Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms

YUM. This was super tasty and easy, 10/10!

Link to original recipe: https://www.budgetbytes.com/balsamic-chicken-and-mushrooms/

Ingredients:

4 T. balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 T. soy sauce

1 T. brown sugar (packed)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (around 1.25 lbs total)

salt and pepper, to taste

1 T. olive oil

8 oz. mushrooms, halved

2 T. butter

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, and thyme. Set aside.

2. Season chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium. Once hot, add olive oil, swirl to coat surface. Add the chicken thighs and cook 8 min. on first side, then 5 min. on second side (or until cooked through). Transfer chicken to a clean plate and cover to keep warm.

4. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook until slightly tender and browned (around 5-7 min.)

5. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the reserved sauce mixture to skillet and stir, scraping bottom to release any accumulated fond. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has reduced by half (around 5 minutes).

6. Add the butter to skillet and stir to combine into the sauce. Return the chicken to the skillet, turning to coat in the sauce. Cook for 2 minutes to reheat the chicken. Serve and enjoy!

Panang Curry with Mushrooms

Yet another from the drafts archive with no photos. So many recipes now that I'll have to revisit to get pix!

Very yummy recipe, will go 9.5/10 (I really like it, but can't rank it same as my fave curry!) Original recipe has asparagus in it...which I was going to use, but by the time I got around to trying this, the asparagus I'd bought was no longer good when I pulled it out of the fridge :( Thankfully, I'd bought extra mushrooms and subbed those instead, and will keep it that way for next time, too--so very good!  I don't think the asparagus would have improved it anyway.

Link to original recipe: https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/panang-curry-with-chicken-asparagus-and-mushrooms

Ingredients:

~2 T. peanut oil, divided

1 can (13.5-14 oz) coconut milk, stirred/shaken

1/4 c. Panang curry paste (yes, this is the correct amount; use less if you don't like it medium spicy)

1 c. homemade chicken stock

heaping 2 T. light brown sugar (or palm sugar)

2 tsp. fish sauce

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in bite-size pieces

1 tsp. fresh lime zest

6 oz. (package weight) oyster mushrooms, trimmed of bottoms and cut into large bite-size pieces

8 oz. thick sliced button mushrooms

6 fresh basil leaves (optional)

chopped peanuts for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook the chicken in the wok with 1 T of the peanut oil, set aside on a plate.

2. Add in rest of peanut oil, cook mushrooms. Add them to the chicken on plate (do not leave any oil in pot).

3. Add 1/2 c. of the coconut milk to the wok. Boil down for 2-3 min, then add rest of coconut milk, along with chicken stock, fish sauce, lime zest.  Stir and cook for 1 min.

4. Add the chicken mushroom mix back to wok, along with the basil leaves.  Cook for additional 2 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!