Sausage With Tangy Caraway Cabbage

Ingredients

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

1 pound kielbasa, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 16-ounce bag coleslaw mix (or equivalent cabbage)

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

kosher salt and black pepper

3/4 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

bread and whole-grain mustard, for serving

Directions

• Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the kielbasa and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the coleslaw mix, caraway seeds, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, tossing frequently, 2 minutes more.
• Stir in the wine and vinegar. Nestle the kielbasa in the vegetables. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and wine has nearly evaporated, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Stir in the parsley. Serve with the bread and mustard, if desired.

NOTES:

• Everyone really liked this. I'll definitely make it again!
• I only used 1/2 cup of wine (but more would've been fine)
• I needed to buy caraway seeds and found a couple options at Cub: the little plastic jar, 0.9 ounces for $5.33 OR 2 ounces for $1.53 in the bulk spice packaging. Crazy!

Cheddar Chicken

Ingredients

• 16 buttery crackers (such as Ritz), crushed (about 3⁄4 cup)
• 6 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350° F. In a bowl, combine the crackers, cheese, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
2. Dip the chicken in the butter, then in the cracker mixture, pressing gently to help the crackers adhere. Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Sprinkle any remaining cracker mixture on the chicken and drizzle with any remaining butter. Bake until the chicken is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

From Real Simple

NOTES:

• I used powdered garlic (thought it would blend better).
• I won't add salt next time. There's enough in the cheddar and crackers.
• It was yummy and looked pretty much like the photo.

Pumpkin Mousse Cheescake

1 c gingersnap crumbs

3 tbls sugar

1/4 c butter, melted

FILLING:

3 - 8 ounce pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 c sugar

1 c canned pumpkin

3 tbls flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

4 eggs, lightly beaten

GLAZE:

1/2 c vanilla or white chips

1 tbls shortening

Combine crust ingredients. Press into a 9 inch springform pan and bake at 325 for 10 minutes. Cool a little. (NB, I always set my springform on a baking sheet in case it gets leaky.)

Beat filling ingredients until smooth. Pour into crust.

Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool and refrigerate.

For glaze, melt ingredients and spread over cooled cake top.

NOTES: The original recipe is from Taste of Home Baking (2007). My changes are more spice and gingersnaps instead of graham crackers.

I made this for two gatherings in a row - it was delish!

Zuppa Toscana

1 bunch Kale, cut into bite-sized pieces

12 whole Red Potatos, cubed

1 whole Onion, Chopped

1-1/2 pound Italian Sausage

1/2 pound diced bacon

1 tsp. garlic

1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)

2 cups Chicken Broth (1 15 ounce can)

2 cups Milk

4 cups Half-and-half

Fresh Or Dried Oregano

Black Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

• Prepare the kale and set it aside.
• In a medium pot. boil sliced potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and set aside.
• In a large pot, crumble and brown the Italian sausage with the bacon and onion. Drain as much as the fat as you can. Stir in the red pepper flakes, garlic, oregano, chicken broth, milk, and half-and-half. Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Give it a taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add the potatoes, a splash of heavy cream for richness, then stir in the kale. Simmer an additional 10-15 minutes, then serve.

We had this soup at Olive Garden and it was fantastic! This recipe is a combination of my memories of the event combined with these two recipes. (Mostly the Pioneer Woman version but with less kale, more bacon and garlic.)

I did thicken it a little with cornstarch before adding the potatoes, but that's probably just my preference.