Hearty Sausage and Rice Skillet

It seems as though any dish I make using the Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage is one we're sure to love.  This hearty dish is one we decided we loved from the first bite.

I recently received my February/March 2013 issue of Simple and Delicious magazine and this was the first recipe I tried.  I've made it twice now, the second time I changed it slightly to make it even more healthy.  This recipe got all 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

I began by removing the casings from the sausage and cooked it in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up as the meat browned.

Then, I added the oregano, chili powder and garlic salt.  My first cooking teacher in Jr. High taught me to add the dry seasonings directly to the meat, as it gets seared to the meat with the heat of the pan.

Once the seasonings were fully incorporated, I added the sliced mushrooms, yellow bell pepper and diced onion.

The seasonings will turn the mushrooms and onions a pretty orange color.

Next I added the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes with green chilies.

The rough chopped fresh spinach went into the pan next.  The original recipe called for 2 cups, but I doubled it the second time I made this dish to add more nutrients to it.  When the spinach cooks down, it seems to go into nothing, so an additional 2 cups was not too much.  In fact, I think it was just right!

It's hard to tell from the photo above, but it was taken just after I added the water.  I then let it come to a boil and cooked the dish for 2 minutes.

The last ingredient was the instant rice.  The first time I made this I used the normal Minute Rice, but when telling a friend about this amazing new dish I tried, she asked if I had used the brown rice made by Minute Rice.  I admitted I didn't know it even existed.  I figured their rice was so processed to make it cook faster that there was no way they would sell brown rice.  Alas, they do and I tried it the next time I made this dish, figuring the brown rice should be healthier.  The only difference was that it didn't seem to soak up the liquid as well as the traditional Minute Rice.

This is what it looks like when everything is mixed together.  It's pretty colorful and smells terrific at this point.

After adding the rice, I covered the pan for about 7 minutes to let the rice cook.

Once the rice was cooked, there was still a little liquid around the sides, but after stirring it in, the dish was ready to serve.

This healthy dish is quite hearty as well as delicious!  Enjoy!

Hearty Sausage and Rice Skillet

1 pound hot Italian turkey sausage links

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon garlic salt

½ pound sliced fresh mushrooms

1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained

4 cups fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups water

2 cups uncooked instant brown rice

Remove casings from sausage and cook in a Dutch oven over medium heat until no longer pink.  Add the oregano, chili powder and salt; stir to combine.  Add mushrooms, yellow pepper and onion; cook until vegetables are tender.  Stir in the tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Add spinach and stir to combine.  Stir in water.  Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.  Add rice, making sure it is covered by the liquid; remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 5 – 7 minutes or until the rice is tender.  Stir before serving.

Beef and Bean Casserole

This is a dish that anyone would love, even kids.  Not only that, but it's got to be one of the most simple casseroles to prepare!

This is a well-loved recipe that my mom made for our family from the time I was a little girl.  We would request that she make this meal often.  This is one of many recipes she gave to me when I got married and my family loves it too!  This dish gets all 9's on the Melnarik rating scale!

I begin by placing the ground beef in a large saucepan and cooking it over high heat.  I break up the meat as it cooks until it is no longer pink, then I drain off the fat.

To the beef, I add the salt, beans, brown sugar, and onion.  When I open the can of beans, there is that little cube of mostly fat (it's the pork part of the pork and beans) on the top.  I always remove it, so I'm not adding extra fat, before adding the beans to the dish.  I stir these ingredients to combine them thoroughly.

Then I stir in the barbecue sauce and heat until bubbly.  I aways use K.C. Masterpiece brand barbecue sauce.

I transfer the hot mixture to a 2 quart baking dish.  After removing the biscuits from the can, I cut them in half and arrange them in an eye appealing pattern on top of the beef mixture.  I then put the dish in the oven to bake at 375°F for 25 minutes.

I then remove the dish from the oven, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the biscuits and return it to the oven for an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

It doesn't get much simpler than that!  This recipe serves four people, so if you have hearty eaters or more than four to feed, I suggest doubling the recipe as my mom did and bake it in a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.  Every time I make this casserole, it takes me back to when I was a little girl!  Enjoy!

Beef and Bean Casserole

1 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

1 (15 oz.) pork & beans

¾ cup barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon instant minced onion

1 can (7.5 oz.) biscuits

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375°F.  In a skillet, cook ground beef until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in salt, beans, barbeque sauce, brown sugar, and onion; heat till bubbly.  Transfer to a 2 qt. baking dish.  Remove biscuits from can and cut in half to form half circles.  Place on top of beef mixture.  Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.  Sprinkle cheese on top of biscuits; return to oven for an additional 5 minutes to melt cheese.

Yield:  4 servings

Italian Stew

Cold days make me want something hot and satisfying for dinner, like a tasty stew.  This one is packed full of flavor and so simple to make.

I found this recipe in the September/October 1999 issue of my Quick Cooking magazine and I've been making it for years.  It's a hearty stew that I put in the "comfort food" category.  My guys give this recipe 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

I begin by placing the Italian sausage in my Dutch oven, breaking it up as it cooks over medium-high heat.  When the meat is no longer pink, I drain it to remove any excess fat.

While the sausage was cooking, I chopped the onions and sliced the celery and carrots.  After draining the sausage, I added these vegetables to it, stirring to combine and reduced the heat to medium.

In a very small bowl, I combined the Italian seasoning, basil, salt and pepper.

I added the seasonings to the sausage and vegetable mixture and cooked it for 5 minutes until the vegetables were crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.

Then I added the tomatoes, stirring to combine.

To that, I added the tomato soup, again stirring to combine.

Whenever a recipe calls for adding water as well as canned goods, I always add a little bit of the water to each can to capture anything left in the can and add it to the dish.  My mom always did that, saying she didn't want to waste any of the flavor that could be left in the can.  Once all of the water is added, I bring the pot to a boil.  Then I reduce the heat, cover the pot and let it simmer for 30 minutes.  Then I stir in the rice, cover the pot and cook for another 10 minutes.  I just realized I must not have taken a picture after adding the water, as the one above has the rice added already, sorry!

 

This hearty stew is bursting with flavor and will warm you to the core on a cold day!  Enjoy!

Italian Stew

1 pound bulk Italian sausage

1medium onion, chopped

½ cup chopped celery

2 medium carrots, sliced 1/8 inch thick

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

¼ teaspoon dried basil

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian stewed tomatoes

1 can (10 ¾ oz.) condensed tomato soup, undilitued

2 cups water

¾ cup uncooked instant rice

In a Dutch oven, cook the sausage until no loner pink; drain.  Add the onion, celery, carrots, Italian seasoning, basil, salt and pepper.  Cook and sir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender.  Stir in the tomatoes, soup and water; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Stir in the rice, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until tender.


Yield:  4 servings

Green Enchiladas

About seven years ago, following knee surgery, many friends blessed us with dinner while I was recuperating.  Living in Southern California, we'd had many enchiladas with the traditional red sauce, but we had never had them made with a green sauce.  My husband, in particular, thought they were the best enchiladas he had ever tasted!

Our pastor's wife and my friend, Rhonda Boone introduced us to these fabulous enchiladas and was quite happy to share her recipe with me.  I have made this dish many times because it is a family favorite.  My guys give these enchiladas 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

I begin by adding the onion to a saucepan heated with a little oil over medium heat and cook until they are translucent and soft.

This is one of the recipes I like to use the rotisserie chicken in.  I usually buy it at Costco, let it cool for a while, then pick all the meat off the bones.  I transfer it to a freezer zip-lock bag and put it in the freezer until ready to use.  After defrosting the chicken and chopping it into smaller that bite-size pieces, I place it in a medium bowl and add the onions and 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce.

The mixture should be moist, but not wet.  If it needs a little more sauce to get it to the consistency in the picture above, I add a little more.  Then I set it aside until the rest of the ingredients are ready for assembly.

The corn tortillas will break if I try to assemble the enchiladas at this point, so I follow the advice of my Mexican friends and fry them in oil for a few seconds to make them supple.  This also ensures that the enchiladas won't stick to the baking dish.  In a small frying pan, I heat  about 1/2 inch of oil over medium-high heat.  The oil should be hot, but not smoking.  Then I add one tortilla just until their are bubbles in the oil all around the edge (about 3 seconds).  Then, using tongs, I flip it over to the other side.

Immediately, it will begin to puff up with bubbles all around the edge of the tortilla.  Another 3 seconds and it should be removed from the pan.  Before beginning, I've arranged at least 4 layers of paper towels on the counter next to the stove.  As each tortilla comes out of the pan, I place it on the paper towels to soak up the excess oil.  All of the tortillas are prepared in the same way, one at a time. The idea is to soften the tortilla, not to leave it in the hot oil so long that it becomes a tortilla chip!

Now I'm ready to assemble the enchiladas.  After blotting a tortilla with a fresh paper towel, I place it on my work surface.  Across the middle, I add a couple of tablespoons or so of the Mexican blend cheese.

On top of that, I add some of the chicken mixture.  The idea is to not have so much filling that it's too full to roll.

I then begin rolling up the tortilla, tucking in the edge that had been closest to me under the filling as I continue to roll.

I then place each enchilada in my baking dish, seam side down.  If I'm making this dish for more than just my family, I use a 9- x 13-inch baking dish, but in this case, I use smaller baking dishes so I'll have one for dinner for that evening and one I can either use later in the week, or freeze for later in the month.  As I add each one, I push it right up against the previous one, trying to add as many as possible to the dish.

Once the baking dishes are filled, I add the remaining enchilada sauce, making sure all of the enchiladas are covered in the sauce.  The enchiladas can be frozen at this point to be baked at a later date.

The sauce gets topped with a generous amount of cheese.  My Mexican friends say you can't have too much sauce or too much cheese!  Into the oven the baking dishes go for 30 minutes at 350°F.

When they come out of the oven, the cheese has melted and they are piping hot and ready to serve.

I like to serve these enchiladas with refried beans and a Mexican rice.  When I made this dish recently, I also made a small dish of enchiladas using the red sauce, and when my husband and oldest son compared the two, they both declared the green enchiladas as superior in flavor!  Enjoy!

Green Enchiladas

1 chicken, cooked and deboned

1 large onion, chopped

1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 (28 oz.) can green chili enchilada sauce (I use La Victoria brand)

26 – 30 corn tortillas

½ cup vegetable or canola oil for heating tortillas

5 – 6 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese (Monterey Jack & Cheddar)

Chop chicken into small pieces (smaller than bile-size) and place in a medium bowl.  In a small saucepan, sauté onion in olive oil until soft and translucent.  Add onion and about ½ cup enchilada sauce to the chicken.  Mix, adding just enough enchilada sauce to make the mixture moist.  Put vegetable or canola oil in small skillet and heat until hot, but not smoking.  Heat tortillas one at a time in the oil for about 3 seconds on each side; stack on paper towels to drain.  Fill each tortilla with some cheese and chicken mixture, making sure it’s not too full to roll.  Place seam side down in a 9- x 13- inch baking dish.  Continue until pan is full and all of the chicken mixture has been used.  Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the rolled enchiladas, sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

These also freeze very well, so if you aren’t cooking for many people, you may want to fill several small dishes, freezing some after adding the enchilada sauce to the top of the enchiladas.  Defrost fully before baking. 

Shredded Beef Nachos (Crock Pot)

This is a great dish to serve a bunch of hungry teenagers; I know from experience.  It's also great for those times when I know I'll be gone all day and won't have much time to prepare a meal, plus everyone seems to be eating at different times.  I usually serve it as a meal and the leftovers are used by my boys as a snack later in the week.

I think boys like almost anything that can be eaten with their fingers!  That and the crunch of the chips makes this a winner with my guys.  I found this recipe in slow cooker recipe book at the check out counter in the market and I love that there is so little work involved in preparing this dish.  That made it a perfect choice during the busy holidays!  My guys give this recipe 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

After trimming the chuck roast of any extra fat around the outside, I place it in a cool crock pot.  Tip:  Only hot foods should be placed in a heated crock pot, cold or room temperature foods should be placed in a cool crock pot before cooking.

I added the minced garlic to the top of the roast and distributed it as evenly as possible.

In a small bowl, I combined the taco seasoning mix and brown sugar.  I always use dark brown sugar unless a recipe specifies otherwise.

This mixture was then sprinkled over the beef.  I covered the crock pot and cooked it on low for 8 hours.  If time is an issue, it can also be cooked on high for 4 - 5 hours.

Once fully cooked, the roast had shrunk a bit and there was a flavorful sauce at the bottom of the pot.

The meat was so tender, I had to remove it from the crock pot in sections.  I placed it on a cutting board and shredded it using 2 forks, discarding any fat.

The shredded beef was returned to the crock pot and mixed in with the juices.  That's all it took and it was ready to serve.  This is how we assemble our nachos:

We place tortilla chips on a microwave safe plate and, using a slotted spoon, top them with some of the shredded beef (left).

We top the beef with a pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend -Monterey Jack and cheddar (right).

We put the plate in the microwave for 1 minute on high to melt the cheese (left).


Then we add any desired toppings such as salsa, sour cream, cilantro,
green onions, and/or fresh tomatoes (right).

These nachos can be served as a snack or as a meal.  Any way you serve them, they're sure to be a hit!  Enjoy!

Shredded Beef Nachos

Nachos

1 (3 lb.) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Tortilla chips

Suggested Toppings:

Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Sour cream

Salsa

Green onion

Olives

Cilantro

Diced tomatoes

Place beef roast in a 3 ½ or 4 quart slow cooker.   Distribute garlic evenly over beef.  In a small bowl, mix together taco seasoning and brown sugar; sprinkle over roast.  Cover and cook on low 8 – 9 hours.

Before serving, place topping ingredients in individual serving dishes.  Remove beef from slow cooker; place on a large plate or cutting board.  Shred beef with 2 forks; return to slow cooker and mix well.

To serve, have guests place chips on serving plates; using tongs or a slotted spoon top chips with shredded beef.  Top the beef with cheese and any other desired toppings.

Beef mixture can be held on low setting for up to 2 hours.