New England Sausage and Dried Cranberry Stuffing

Now that Halloween is officially over, it's time to start getting our Thanksgiving menus together. We always have our traditional Thanksgiving Dressing on Turkey Day, but a few years ago when my we started having a December "Dickens Dinner" with my sister's family, I started making this New England Sausage and Dried Cranberry Stuffing. Since I don't eat pork, I substitute chicken or turkey sausage and even the pork-eaters love this stuffing. Whether you're looking for a new recipe for Thanksgiving or one of the many holiday dinners ahead of us, this recipe is worth trying!

New England Sausage and Dried Cranberry Stuffing

Serves 5 - 6 

Ingredients: 
6 cups white bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 pound sausage, casings removed (traditional, chicken, or turkey)
1/4 stick butter
3 cups onion
1/2 pound tart green apples (or your choice), peeled, cored, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 1/2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup chicken broth 

Directions:
1. Place bread cubes on a large baking sheet and bake until slightly dry, about 15 - 20 minutes. Cool completely. You can also leave the cubes out overnight to dry.

2. Sauté the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely with the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a large bowl. Pour off any drippings from the skillet.

3. Using the same skillet, melt the butter. Add the onions, apples, celery, and poultry seasoning to the skillet. Sauté until onions are softened, about 5 – 8 minutes.

4. Mix in dried cranberries. Add the mixture to the sausage, then mix in the bread, eggs, and parsley. Season stuffing to taste with salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth to moisten stuffing depending on how most you like it (can be prepared one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate).

5. Butter a baking dish (I used a 7 x 11-inch glass dish). Transfer stuffing to the dish, cover, and bake at 350F until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Source: Adapted from The Food Channel.com

Notes: I halved the original recipe, which serves 10. It calls for 4 teaspoons of chopped fresh rosemary (so that would be 2 teaspoons for the half batch) and the parsley to be fresh. Due to personal preference, I omitted the rosemary and substituted dried parsley.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Cauliflower Pizza Crust is all over Pinterest and has piqued my interest on multiple occasions. I actually made this over two years ago and found the image file when hunting through some old files. This crust turned out really well. I find making cauliflower rice and squeezing out the water to be bit labor intensive, but it actually isn't that bad. Make sure you immediately rinse the towel you use to squeeze the moisture out of the cauliflower. I set mine aside and forgot about it and it smelled awful the next morning! I topped my Cauliflower Pizza Crust with pizza sauce, mozzarella, turkey sausage, and Oven-Dried Tomatoes.  Delish!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
2 pounds cauliflower florets, riced
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch of salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F.

1. To make the cauliflower rice, pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, until a rice-like texture is achieved.

2. Fill a large pot with about an inch of water, and bring to a boil. Add the "rice" and cover; let cook for about about 4 - 5 minutes. Drain into a fine-mesh strainer.

3. This is the secret: Once you've strained the rice, transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel. Wrap up the steamed rice in the dishtowel, twist it up, then squeeze all the excess moisture out.

4. In a large bowl, mix up your strained rice, beaten egg, mozzarella cheese, and spices. It will not be the consistency of typical pizza dough.

5. Press the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (It's important that it's lined with parchment paper, or it will stick.) Keep the dough about 1/3-inch thick, and make the edges a little higher for the crust. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes. The crust should be firm and golden brown when finished.

6. Top crust as desired. Return the pizza to the oven, and bake an additional 5 - 10 minutes, until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Slice and serve immediately.

Time-Saving Tip: make a double-batch of cauliflower pizza crusts and save one for later. After baking the crusts, wrap up the extra pizza crust in foil, and freeze it for later use.  Simply add toppings and bake at 400F, until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

Source: Adapted from Detoxinista

Perfect Crispy Potatoes and Anytime Skillet

When Kerstin and I met for breakfast at Yolk, I got a "Skillet Your Way," which consists of diced red potatoes sauteed with 3 ingredients of your choice, sprinkled with cheddar cheese, and topped with two eggs cooked your way. My ingredients were turkey sausage, onion, and green pepper. I wanted to add tomato as well, but didn't want pay extra! My choice for the eggs was poached, with the idea that I could break the yolk over the rest of the skillet components. It was fantastic! I knew I had to recreate this one at home because it's such a simple concept. As the holidays approached, this fell to the bottom of my to do list, but thankfully was not forgotten.

My first order of business was to find a good potato recipe. My mom was raving about Melissa d'Arabian's Perfect Crispy Potatoes, and I decided those would be a great fit for the skillet. Once this recipe was chosen, the rest fell into place.

I served this as a dinner for Bob and I and we both LOVED it! First of all, Melissa's potatoes are, as their name suggests, PERFECT! So crispy and actually pretty quick. They are a great stand-alone side dish for any dinner - and the possibilities for seasoning are endless - add some chili powder, some Italian herbs, etc.. I definitely plan to make them again as a side dish and in skillet form.

I really just love this skillet. I think the combination of ingredients works so well together. I had intended to add shredded cheddar cheese on top but ended up forgetting and it was delicious regardless. I hesitate to call it a breakfast skillet because it's good for any meal, hence the "anytime skillet" title. One of my favorite parts is breaking the egg yolk and watching it run over the potatoes. If this is your type of thing, you'll love this recipe!

Anytime Skillet

Ingredients:

1 batch Perfect Crispy Potatoes (recipe below)

6 links turkey breakfast sausage, casing removed if desired (I used Jennie-O)

2 vine-ripened tomatoes

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

grated cheddar cheese, optional

salt and pepper to taste

1 - 2 eggs per person

Directions:

1. Prepare the Perfect Crispy Potatoes as directed below. While they are baking and using the same pan in which the potatoes were sauteed and steamed, heat onion and green pepper over medium-low heat until softened. Lightly season with salt and pepper. The residual butter and oil from the potatoes should be enough for the veggies; if not add a little more oil. Add tomatoes and stir. Cook for a few minutes until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Prepare poaching liquid: Fill a straight-sided pan with 2 inches of water and 1 Tablespoon white vinegar. The white vinegar helps keep the egg from spreading in the water. Heat to a boil and then reduce to simmer.

3. Meanwhile, cook the turkey sausage in a small skillet until cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. When cool, slice.

4. Poach the eggs: Break each egg individually into a small bowl. Swirl simmering water with a spoon to create a little whirlpool. Hold bowl containing raw egg close to the simmering water and, using a quick motion, dump each egg into the water. Cook approximately 3 1/2 minutes. Remove each egg from water using a slotted spoon and carefully place on a plate covered with paper towels to drain.

5. Assemble the skillet: Toss the crispy potatoes in the pan with the onion, peppers, and tomatoes. Add turkey sausage, and toss to combine. Add cheddar cheese, if desired, and allow to melt. Plate the mixture and top with the poached eggs.

Serves: 2 - 3

Source: Inspired by a skillet I created at Yolk

Perfect Crispy Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons vegetable/Canola oil

2 large russet potatoes, washed, peeled, and diced into equal 1/2-inch cubes

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 Tablespoons water

1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

1. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the potato cubes, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Saute, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

2. Turn the heat up to high. Add the water, stir, and cover pan with a lid. Steam the potatoes until the water evaporates, about 3 or 4 more minutes. Every 1 to 2 minutes, open the lid long enough to stir the potatoes so they don't stick.

3. Lower the heat to medium, and saute another 1 to 2 minutes until all traces of water are gone. (I did this without the lid). Toss in the butter and stir to coat the potatoes.

4. Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven until the potatoes are crisp and browned to your liking, about 15 to 25 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Melissa d'Arabian

Triple T Deluxe Pizza

Happy Friday!!! I am super excited today because I passed my final thesis defense exam yesterday, so aside from turning in some paper work and uploading my 245 page thesis to the graduate school website, I have finally earned my PhD! It feels good to say that after 5 years of hard work :)

I know I've posted several pizza recipes, but I just had to share this pizza because it was SOOOO good. Bob and I were really surprised how much we liked it - just as good as pizza we could order or get at a restaurant! I've called this pizza "Triple T" because it's made with Turkey pepperoni, Turkey bacon, and Turkey sausage. To make it a deluxe pizza, I added some green pepper and onion, which really put it over the top. You could always throw on some mushrooms or olives, if that's your thing. We absolutely love this crust recipe. I haven't found a pizza sauce recipe I like yet, so I tried jarred Ragu Pizza sauce and was surprised by how good it is, especially since I'm not a big fan of their spaghetti sauce. In the past I have bought canned pizza sauce but am never happy with the taste. As far as the turkey products go, I am pretty particular with which brands I buy, simply based on trial and error taste-wise.

I recommend Hormel turkey pepperoni:

Louis Rich ground turkey sausage (in a tube like regular pork sausage):

and Oscar Mayer turkey bacon:

I have used Jennie-O ground turkey sausage before (both hot and sweet), and it's fine, but for pizza I really prefer the Louis Rich. I completely urge you to try Oscar Mayer turkey bacon if you 1) have never tried turkey bacon, or 2) have tried other brands and don't like them. I really thought turkey bacon was pretty gross before finding Oscar Mayer. By the way, I am not a spokesperson for any of these brands, haha :)

Growing up, Friday nights were always pizza night. Anyone else have a Friday night dinner tradition???
Meghan's Triple T Deluxe Pizza

Ingredients:
1/2 batch pizza dough (enough for a large pizza)
~8 ounces of your favorite homemade or store-bought pizza sauce (Recommended: Ragu)
1/3 package ground turkey sausage, cooked and crumbled (~4 ounces - Recommended: Louis Rich)
Turkey pepperoni (Recommended: Hormel)
4 strips of turkey bacon, cooked but not too crisp, torn into small pieces (Recommended: Oscar Mayer)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced (sweet or regular)
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, grated
Pizza/Italian seasoning, to taste

Cornmeal, ~1/4 to 1/2 cup

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium/high heat. Add the green pepper and saute for 3 minutes, then and half of the onion (equivalent of 1/4 onion) and saute until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

2. Preheat oven (with pizza stone inside) to 500F for at least 30 minutes.

3. Generously apply cornmeal to a large surface (like a cutting board) and roll out dough into a large circle (~14 inches in diameter). Remember that using ample cornmeal is essential to eventually sliding the pizza onto the pizza stone.

4. Top pizza as desired; I did the following, in this order: pepperoni, bacon, sausage, the grilled onions and peppers, the raw onions, the mozzarella cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, then a sprinkle of Pizza/Italian seasoning.

5. Remove hot pizza stone from oven, apply extra cornmeal if needed, and slip pizza onto stone. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted as desired.

6. Remove pizza from oven, slide onto a large cutting board and slice. Enjoy!

Pizza Party: Homemade Pizza Crust

I've only tried making homemade pizza dough once, and it didn't turn out well. I used the wrong type of yeast, partly because I wasn't well versed in yeast, and partly because our store didn't sell instant yeast. (If you're new to yeast, check out this guide; I found it very helpful!) A lot of the pizza dough recipes out there call for a Kitchen Aid mixer to knead the dough, or knead by hand ((shudder)), but this one from Cook's Illustrated can be made in a food processor! I have an awesome Kitchen Aid food processor and was excited to try this out. We invited my BFF Kathleen over for a pizza party and movie night at the beginning of April (you may notice my posts are never in order!) The recipe makes 3 medium pizzas or 2 large pizzas. I just divided the dough into 3 portions, and each of us shaped and 'decorated' our own little pizzas. We had plenty leftover - this makes a lot of dough. But as Chelle suggested, you can freeze half of it for another time.

I am so happy with this recipe, and it really couldn't be simpler. Although Cook's Illustrated says it must be made in a food processor that holds 11 cups or more, it worked just fine in my 9-cup one. Apparently the bread flour is the key to this dough's crispy crust - although you may sub all-purpose for a less crisp crust. The dough is so nice and smooth and easy to press out. It bakes up crispy yet chewy and didn't stick to the pan. I highly recommend this recipe!

For our pizza party, we used browned sweet Italian turkey sausage, turkey pepperoni, chopped onions, 2% mozzarella cheese, and pizza seasoning. Yum!

Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water (~110F)
1 envelope (~2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast (AKA Rapid Rise)
1 1/4 cups water, room temperature
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cups (22 ounces) bread flour, plus more for dusting work surface and hands
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
olive oil or nonstick cooking spray for greasing bowl
corn meal, for dusting pan

Directions:
Make the dough:
1. Fill a 2-cup liquid measuring cup with warm water and sprinkle yeast on top. Allow to sit until yeast dissolves and swells - ~5 minutes. Meanwhile, add flour and salt to food processor and pulse a few times to combine.

2. Add room temperature water and oil to the yeast/water mixture, and stir to combine. While pulsing flour mixture, pour the liquid through the feed tube, reserving a few tablespoons. If the dough has not formed a ball, add the rest of the liquid and pulse. Process for ~30 seconds until the dough is smooth and elastic.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand a few turns, shaping the dough into a smooth, round ball.

4. Place the dough ball into a deep, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Bake the crust:
Note: The original recipes calls for a pizza stone that is preheated to 500F for 30 minutes, and the pizza is then cooked at this temperature for 8-12 minutes. I don't have a pizza stone, so I had to wing this part. Here's what I did:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a sheet pan with olive oil, dust with corn meal.

2. Press the dough to deflate it. Divide dough into desired portions, and place them back in the bowl, covered with a damp cloth to allow dough to rest for at least 10 but no more than 30 minutes.

3. Press dough out into desired shape. Brush lightly with extra virgin olive oil. Prebake crust for ~5-7 minutes.

4. Remove crust and top pizza as desired. Bake pizza for 5 minutes, then raise oven temperature to 500F for 3-5 minutes, or until crust is golden.

Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from Cook's Illustrated

Creamy Tomato Basil and Italian Turkey Sausage Soup

One of my favorite soups from the hospital cafeteria across from my lab is Tomato Florentine. It's a basic tomato soup with spinach and pasta shells. I was reminded of this soup when I saw Jenny's recipe for Creamy Tomato Basil and Italian Sausage Soup. I loved that this recipe comes together in just 10 minutes! Of course my version takes a bit longer since I had to complicate it by adding some pasta and spinach, but it's still a super quick recipe, and it's delicious!
Creamy Tomato Basil and Italian Turkey Sausage Soup

Ingredients:
3 sweet Italian turkey links, casing removed
10 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (or 1-2 teaspoons purchased basil puree)
1 26-ounce jar of pasta sauce
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups fat-free half-and-half
1 cup small whole wheat pasta (such as macaroni)
6 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, if desired

Directions:
1. Boil a small pot of water. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat a medium-sized dutch oven over medium heat. Brown sausage, breaking it into bite-sized pieces, or smaller. Drain grease (or use paper towels to squeeze out grease), if desired.

3. Stir in pasta sauce, basil leaves or puree, water, and half-and-half. Cook until warm then reduce heat to low.

4. Add cooked pasta and season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Toss in the fresh spinach and simmer until wilted. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Source: Adapted from Picky Palate

Rigatoni with Sausage, Pepper, and Onions

I first found this recipe on Food Network, and when I got Everyday Pasta, I realized it's part of the "Hearty Pastas" section. Again, Giada does not disappoint. The Marsala wine really adds a wonderful flavor. And the best part, Giada calls for turkey sausages, so I didn't have to change the recipe! I do, however, remove them from their casing, because I don't even like to think about the source of that casing (although I know what it is). I've made this many times, and it's never failed. It is SO good - probably one of our favorite dinners. I do have to space out my recipes that call for red pepper though - Bob gets heartburn! He's only 26, so I can't imagine how he'll be when he's older!

This recipe serves 4 to 6, so when I make it for just Bob and I, I halve the recipe, and there's *sometimes* some left over :)

Rigatoni with Sausage, Peppers, and Onions

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausages (optional: remove from casing)

2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced

2 yellow onions, sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (or 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons dried)

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup Marsala wine

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice*

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 pound rigatoni pasta

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

*I use petite cut diced tomatoes

Ingredients:

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pan. I find that I don't even need oil since I remove the sausage from the casing, so I might just add a bit before the next step.

2. Keeping the pan over medium heat, add the bell peppers, onions, salt, and pepper and cook until golden, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and basil and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir until incorporated, then add the Marsala, tomatoes with their juice, and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Bring to a simmer.

3. Cut the sausages into 4 to 6 pieces each. Return the sausages to the pan. Simmer uncovered until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. *Note: I never let it simmer this long. I usually just do 5-7 minutes. We like it to have a little more sauce! Because of this, I start the water boiling during step 1 and cook the pasta while I make the sauce.

4. While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and add to the thickened sauce; toss to combine. Spoon into individual bowls and sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

Source: Adapted from Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis

Five-Veggie, Four-Cheese Lasagna

My mom gave me the "Favorite Family Dinners" cookbook for Christmas.  The Five-Veggie, Four-Cheese Lasagna looked so delicious, I had to try it.  This recipe is actually from Jamie and Bobby Deen's (Paula son's!) cookbook "Y'All Come Eat."  Usually anything with spinach and artichokes is right up my ally.  This was really good the first night we had it.  Then I ate it for lunch . . . everyday . . . for 4 days.  By Friday I was so sick of this lasagna I couldn't even look at it anymore, and we ended up tossing out the rest.  I hate to waste food - I think from now on I will be making a half pan!  If you like lasagna and these vegetables, I think you'll enjoy this recipe!  The roasted red onions were especially good.  I omitted the mushrooms, so I guess my lasagna was really Four-Veggie, Four-Cheese, and I also added turkey sausage to the sauce, but whatev.

Five-Veggie, Four-Cheese Lasagna

Ingredients:

9 uncooked lasagna noodles

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling

6 ounces portobello mushrooms, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick pieces (I omitted these)

1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips

1 red onion, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rings

Freshly ground black pepper

1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (I used frozen from Trader Joe's because they are cheaper, thawed)

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, all excess water squeezed out (I used roughly chopped fresh spinach, a 6-ounce bag I think)

1 26-ounce jar spaghetti sauce

1 package turkey sausage (hot or sweet), casing removed 

8 ounces ricotta cheese*

4 ounces provolone cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

4 ounces Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (about 1 cup) (I used shredded Parmesan)

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced (about 2 cups) (I used sliced deli-style Mozzarella)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook according to package directions until al dente; drain well.  Arrange noodles in a single layer on a dish towel-lined baking sheet.  Drizzle lightly with oil oil (I did not use the olive oil and had no problems); set aside.

2. Spread the mushrooms on a baking sheet.  On a separate baking sheet, spread the zucchini and onion in a layer.  Drizzle 1 1/2 Tablespoons oil over each; season with salt and pepper. Roast until golden and caramelized (25 minutes for the mushrooms and 35 minutes for the zucchini and onion); cool. In a bowl, combine the vegetables with the artichoke hearts and spinach. (I wilted the chopped spinach in a small saucepan before adding it to the vegetable mixture).

3. In a small saucepan, heat the sauce over medium heat for 5 minutes.  I browned the turkey sausage in a skillet, drained off the grease (well since turkey sausage doesn't produce much grease, I usually use paper towels to wipe out the pan and squeeze out some grease from the meat), then added the sauce to the meat and simmered for about 5 to 10 minutes. 

4. Spread one-fourth of the sauce over the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Top with a single layer of lasagna noodles (3 noodles), one-third of the ricotta, and an additional one-fourth of the sauce. Spread half the vegetable mixture on top of the sauce, then layer one-third of the provolone, Parmesan, and mozzarella on top of the vegetables.  Layer another 3 noodles, another one-fourth of the sauce, the remaining vegetable mixture, and another one-third of all the cheeses. Top with remaining pasta, sauce, and cheeses.** 

5. Cover the lasagna loosely with foil. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbling and golden. Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 450F, and continue baking about 10 minutes more or until the cheese is brown around the edges. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.

*Instead of just ricotta, I used a version of the ricotta layer in my mom's lasagna. I combined 8 ounces of ricotta with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and 1 egg.

**I realize this is an overly complicated step, but that's how it's written in the recipe. I'm not sure the best way to write it, so I'll just leave it as is for now.

Source:  Adapted from the Favorite Family Dinners cookbook