Penne With Sausage, Peppers & Tomato Sauce

I made Penne with Sausage, Peppers & Tomato Sauce on Friday last week. It was one of the many recipes that I collected over the years from different magazines that I had yet to actually get into the kitchen to make. I am really glad that I decided to try this one.

I’m all about simplicity and this is the epitome of a simple Italian dish. I used Johnsonville Mild Italian sausage, the next time I may try the hot version. I only used two bell peppers, a yellow and a green. They added just the right texture. I may try using an orange pepper as well the next time I make it.

It saves well, though I haven’t tried to freeze it. I would imagine that the peppers would break down a bit too much and become really limp.

The recipe serves six (at least that is what they suggest) and I think this would make a wonderful meal to invite friends over for dinner. It really doesn’t take much time at all.

Nutella Rolls

2-3 slices of your favorite “soft” sandwich bread
Nutella

Remove the crust on the sandwich slices. Take a rolling pin and roll slices flat. Spread some Nutella on each slice then roll them into little logs. Enjoy.

Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers

The Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers is actually my own concoction. I was randomly throwing things together one evening trying to make something edible. (This was during my college days and food was rather random.)

Initially I just mixed the Rice-A-Roni with the meat and diced tomatoes and ate it like that. It was while I was eating that I had the idea to use it as a stuffing in bell peppers. I think it was the Rice-A-Roni that gave me the idea. Most stuffed peppers that I have had in the past were stuffed with some sort of rice mixture.

I don’t make it very often, I am not sure why, but it is a favorite at the dinner table. Since I am usually cooking them for two people there is usually a lot of stuffing left over. It reheats really well and can be eaten on its own.

Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf

On Sunday evening I extended an invitation to some friends to come over for dinner. I had two options for the meal. After a quick discussion it was decided that I would make Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf. This was a new recipe for me. I’ve tried several meatloaf recipes in the past and most of them didn’t turn out well.

I find it rather interesting that a dish a simple as meatloaf can go horribly wrong. Thankfully this was not the case with this recipe. I was afraid that it would turn out dry but it turned out really moist.

There were a few suggestions from my…test subjects. It was suggested that I chop the onions smaller as it seemed to be a bit much. I pointed out that I was short about a 1/4 pound of meat. So even though I did use a small onion it made a difference. The flavors worked well together though.

The dressing for the side salad was a little strong on the mustard, but it was passable.

Yeast Knödel*

*Family recipe handed down from Oma to Tante to Mom to me.

Schupfnudeln*

*This recipe was sent to me by my mother in late 2006. She found it in a magazine while working in Germany, thus the recipe is written in grams. It was rather interesting that the actual recipe listed the butter with the Tbsp measurement.

Bavarian Pork Roast

I made the Bavarian Pork Roast this week. I didn’t use the exact cut of pork that it called for, but it didn’t really seem to matter much. This has got to be one of the better recipes I have tried for a pork roast. It was amazingly moist and tender. It fell apart simply using a fork. I made mashed potatoes as a side dish to go with it.

The sour cream sauce was decent enough, though I have made better. I don’t think that I will make it the next time. Instead I will use one of the more traditional sauces that I know how to make.

I’m constantly looking for recipes to use my Crockpot with and this is definitely one that I am going to keep.

Kuby’s Metzgerei and Restaurant

Sunday I managed to convince my darling husband to take an expedition into Dallas and visit a local store that I had been told about many many many months ago when some one learned that I had a German background.

The name of the place is Kuby’s. I did some research and found that they had a website. As soon as I realized that it was a Metzgerei (butcher/deli), a store, and had a restaurant I wanted to make a trip there.

I was afraid that I would disappointed by what I found there considering that there are some significant differences between what you find at the deli counter here and and in Germany. I shouldn’t have been.

It was like walking into that one store that is perfect for you and you alone. The meat counter had all sorts of tubed meats that I hadn’t seen since my trip to Germany two years before getting married. Their dry goods had all the spices that I could think of needing or wanting once my stash that my mother gave me disappears. (I no longer have to worry about how often I make Roladen! Of course this also means that it will take me even longer to learn how to make the sauce for it from scratch.) And I don’t think I have to mention chocolate. Wait, I do. Because hello. It’s chocolate. They had all my typical favorites, Kinder Schokolade, Duplo, Hanuta, Milka. All of it. I could go broke in that store.

The restaurant only serves brunch on Sundays but that didn’t stop us from trying it. A person seats themselves when there is a spot open. It is a very communal eating arrangement which is typical in most Beer Gardens in Germany. I was quite pleased to see that I only needed to translate a few things for my husband. Since it was brunch, there were no menus to show us what they might serve during any other meal. (They serve breakfast and lunch every day and dinner on Fridays and Saturdays only.) And I didn’t get a chance to ask. The place was very busy.

The food was absolute wonderful and considering the restaurant’s location (near the SMU Law Library-essentially SMU Campus), the prices are really very reasonable. I am really looking forward to going there and trying the other menus.

If you happen to be in the Dallas area and like to travel a bit through food, do go visit Kuby’s. It’s too good to pass up.

Lamb Ragu with Mint

Lamb Ragu was the first dish I tried to make when I went on my lamb kick a few months ago that didn’t involve leftovers from Outback.

This was a surprisingly easy recipe to follow, and I always appreciate that. I didn’t use the mint as I am not a fan of the mint/lamb combination.
I was quite surprised to find that lamb is a relatively lean meat. It has a very distinct flavor and was very tasty in this dish.

I invited Carly and her husband over for dinner to be guinea pigs (meant kindly) and as far as I can tell the dish garnered enough approval to be added to my repertoire.

Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce

I’m not sure this is the case with every Kitchen Goddess, would-be or fully realized, but it seems to me that there are certain foods/recipes that simply make us feel at peace. Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce is one of those recipes for me.

I look forward to the prep work that is involved with anticipation the moment I decide that I am going to make it. From buying all the ingredients to the actual chopping. I’m not sure why this is. But it really does make me happy. My spirits rise and I usually end up bopping about the kitchen singing some random happy tune. And this is just during the prep stage which really only takes as long as chopping vegetables and the pancetta.

Then there is the smell that fills the kitchen when I actually start to cook. It’s absolutely heavenly. It comforts me. The moment I smell the combination of celery, carrots, onion and pancetta there can be no wrong in the world. Everything just seems right. It’s an amazing feeling.

I try to make this every other month or so. It makes so much that if I make it just for the two of us there will be enough leftovers to last at least three meals so I freeze a lot of it. Even if I just pull it out of the freezer and thaw it I am still filled with a sense of well being.

I can only hope that when others share this meal with me that they get the same sense of comfort that I do when I make it.