Sausage and Peppers

Sausage and Peppers by Bakewell Junction

Last weekend we had a family get-together for my husband’s birthday and we had lots of food as usual with dishes like my Manicotti, this Sausage and Pepper recipe, Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana, homemade pizza and two Giant Fauxtess Cakes.  We weren’t sure who would be able to attend so we made sure we had plenty.

My mom used to cook sausage peppers on the stove which took a lot of time and attention.  What I’ve done is move the process into the oven to simplify it.  Now everything goes in the oven and no attention is really needed and it turns out so delicious that you would never know the difference.  You’ll notice that there’s no salt in the recipe and that’s because the sausages will provide plenty of salt to the peppers and onions.  How do you like to eat your sausage and peppers?

Enjoy.

Sausage and Peppers

Yield:  4 – 6 servings                Cook Time:  2 hours

Ingredients

• 1 package of your favorite sweet or hot Italian sausage (about 2 1/2 pounds), per your taste
• 3 large sliced onions
• 3 large red or green bell peppers cleaned and cubed (I use red peppers because they become so sweet)
• 1/4 cup water
• Fresh and crusty Italian bread

Directions:

Step 1:  Cut sausage links into thirds or quarters.  Place onions, peppers, sausage and water in a disposable aluminum half tray pan.  Cover with aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350 degree oven.

Step 2:  After about 1 1/2 hours, uncover the sausage and peppers.  The onions and peppers should have reduced in volume quite a bit.  Return the tray to the oven for another 1/2 hour to brown a bit.

Step 3:  Slice a hunk of Italian bread and then slice in the middle and spread apart.  Place a good portion of the sausage and peppers in the center of the sandwich, squeeze the ends together and take a big bite.

This recipe stores well in the refrigerator and tastes just as good as left-overs.

Enjoy!!!

Taco Beef Dip

Taco Beef Dip | Bakewell Junction

The big storm is over and I just finished shoveling snow for about four hours.  I’ve been trying to get this post written since the Super Bowl.  For Super Bowl, we planned to order pizza and not have a lot of work since there were only four and a half of us.  Now the story with the half person is that my friend and neighbor only stops in for a little while because her back doesn’t let her hang out and sit for long periods of time so she doesn’t eat very much.

I figured I would make a few things until we ordered pizza and some would be planned leftovers so I made my spinach dip, a double quacamole recipe, a few cut cheeses (pepper jack, cheddar and fontina), blue corn tortilla chips, pretzel sticks, pretzel crackers, two half trays of sausage and peppers, a double taco beef dip recipe, soft tortillas, my dried etna hot peppers (for the gutsy) and Venetians (recipe coming soon) for dessert.  As it turned out, we never ordered the pizza.  I know, it’s a lot of food but if I had planned to make a meal there would have been a lot more.

When I make this easy taco beef dip, I make it on the milder side and then those who want it spicy can make as spicy as they like.  Many years ago I used to get those recipe cards where they send you packets of a several every so often and I found this recipe on those cards.  I’ve been making this for many years and everyone loves it including me.  It works great in a sandwich or as a topping on chips.  So what did you make for Super Bowl?

Enjoy.

Taco Beef Dip

Ingredients

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder (I use mild chili powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• Hot pepper sauce, to taste
• 1 16 ounce can red kidney beans (I substitute a can of refried beens)
• Flour tortillas or tortilla chips

Garnish

• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, optional (I buy a block of cheddar and shred it myself for better taste)
• 1/2 cup stuffed green olives, chopped, optional (I skip this)
• 1/2 cup green onions, sliced, optional (I skip this)
• 1 tomato, diced, optional
• lettuce, chopped
• dried Etna peppers, optional

Directions:

Step 1:  Place chopped onions in the bottom of a large skillet and crumble beef on top.  Turn the heat to medium and cook until the beef begins to lose it’s color.  The onions will begin to soften.  Turn the meat so it cooks evenly.  Do not let beef become crisp.

Step 2:  Mix the ketchup, chili powder, salt and hot pepper sauce into the beef mixture.

Step 3:  Chop kidney beans and add to the beef mixture.  Alternatively add the refried beans to the beef mixture.  Continue heating until simmering for 10 minutes.

Step 4:  Serve in a heat safe bowl and top with garnishes as desired.  Supply additional garnishes for everyone to build their own tortillas or serve with tortilla chips.

This recipe stores well in the refrigerator and tastes just as good as left-overs.

Enjoy!!!

Recipe adapted from My Great Recipes.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Slow Cooker Beef Stew | Bakewell Junction

It’s been pretty cold here in the north east in the past few weeks.  One of the best and warming comfort foods to fight off the cold is beef stew.  I’m always looking for a way to make delicious dishes with a minimum of work.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and modified it to my liking.  A lot of slow cooker beef stew recipes have have steps that include browning the meat and then deglazing the pan.  If I’m using the slow cooker, I want the recipe to be as simple as possible and I want a one pot meal.

This beef stew recipe is hearty, filling and warming.  I love it and my husband does too.  Don’t you want some?

Enjoy.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 3 sliced onions
• 3 pounds cubed beef stew meat (beef round or chuck)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 4 large potatoes cubed
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (optional – I skipped this ingredient)
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 1 ounce package dry onion soup mix
• 1/4 warm water
• 2 tablespoons flour

Directions:

Step 1:  Add the sliced onions, cubed beef, salt, carrots, potatoes, parsley, butter, wine and pepper into a 6 quart slow cooker.  In a small bowl or four cup measure, combine boiling water and soup mix.  After mixing thoroughly, pour the soup mixture into the slow cooker.

Step 2:  Cover and cook on high setting for 30 minutes.  Change heat setting to low and cook for 7 hours or until meat, potatoes and carrots are fork tender.

Step 3:  In a cup, combine 1/4 warm water and 2 tablespoons flour.  After the flour is dissolved in the water, add the mixture to the stew and cook uncovered for 15 minutes or longer until the stew is thickened.  Serve warm.

This recipe stores well in the refrigerator and tastes just as good as left-overs.

Enjoy!!!

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.

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