Creamy Mushroom Sausage Baked Pasta

I've made a bunch of different kinds of baked pasta and this is one of my favorites. The sausage really adds a nice flavor to the dish. You could, of course, use beef instead, but I like the sausage.


Ingredients

• 1 pound of pasta (I like rotini for this, but elbows or penne will work too)
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced (or a different color if you prefer)
• 1 14.5oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 16oz marinara sauce
• 1 4oz can of diced mushrooms (fresh mushrooms are ok too)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbls minced garlic
• 1 Tbls vegetable oil
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


Cook the pasta to al dente according to the directions. The pasta will cook more in the oven so it's ok to make the pasta a little bit under done.


Using a large skillet, saute the onion and red bell pepper with the vegetable oil. When the onions turn translucent, add the ground sausage. Brown the sausage while breaking up the pieces as much as possible. Once the sausage is fully cooked, add the minced garlic and diced mushrooms. Mix in the cream of mushroom soup and marinara sauce. Heat the sauce until it starts to bubble.


Combine the sauce with the pasta and pour the mixture into a greased 9x13 baking pan or casserole dish. Cover the pasta evenly with the shredded cheddar cheese. Bake 30 minutes.

Leftovers heat up really nicely and make great lunches.

Steak Seasoning

Sure, you can go to your local grocery store and buy a shaker of steak seasoning, but by making your own you adjust the seasoning mix and get a really customized flavor. Use this recipe as a starting point and then you can adjust from here.


Ingredients

• 2 Tbls paprika
• 2 Tbls ground black pepper
• 2 Tbls kosher salt
• 1 Tbls garlic powder
• 1 Tbls onion powder
• 1 Tbls cumin
• 1 Tbls cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. If you don't like spicy foods then you should skip the cayenne pepper. Pretty easy, right?

This seasoning goes great on steaks and burgers, but you can try it on whatever foods you would like.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Beef stew is easy and delicious. There a plenty of ways to make it, so this is how I did it:


Ingredients

• 3 lbs beef roast, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 medium potato, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup beef stock (or beef broth)
• 1 4 oz can diced mushrooms (fresh mushrooms are good too)
• 1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Cut the beef roast into 1 inch chunks and toss it in the crock pot. Dice the potato and onion and add them to the crock pot too. Now add everything else. I found it helpful to mix the cream of mushroom soup and beef stock into a separate bowl before adding to the crock pot. Mix well.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Stir and serve.

This has a nice beef flavor to it and everything was tender and delicious.

Marinated Mushrooms

Marinated mushrooms are a great appetizer, snack, or party food. These are also easy and quick to make.


Ingredients

• 8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 Tbls olive oil
• 2 Tbls apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 Tbls Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• pinch of kosher salt

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil heats up, add the mushrooms. Sprinkle the kosher salt over the mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to brown. Don't fully cook the mushrooms, you only want to get some of the water out of them. As soon as the mushrooms start to get some color, add the vinegar, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes.

Remove the pan drom the stove and pour the entire contents into a separate container. Now let the mushrooms cool. As the mushrooms sit, they will marinate in the oil, vinegar, and seasonings. The longer they sit, the more flavor they will absorb and the better they will taste.

You can store them covered in the refrigerator. They will keep for a few days.

Eggs Marshall

Eggs Marshall, a.k.a. eggs with Italian seasonings, a.k.a eggs with Italian salad dressing. The idea for this recipe came from season 2 episodes 21 of the TV show How I Met Your Mother. It's incredibly simple and really delicious.


Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1.5 Tbls Italian dressing

Directions

Beat the eggs in a bowl. Heat the Italian dressing in an 8 inch skillet over medium heat. When the dressing heats up and begins to bubble, add the beaten eggs. Cook until the eggs reach your desired level of doneness.

Feel free to use more or less dressing to make the Italian flavor more or less assertive. The flavor will also probably vary depending on which brand/style of dressing you use.

Crock Pot Citrus Pork Carnitas

Carnitas is a Mexican pork dish that is slow roasted or braised. There are a bunch of different ways to make carnitas with different seasonings.


Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs pork shoulder
• 1 large orange, juiced (approx. 1/4 - 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 Tbls cumin
• 1 Tbls minced garlic
• 1/2 cup beef stock (or beef broth)
• 1 onion, sliced

Directions

Plop the pork shoulder into your crock pot. Sprinkle the cumin and garlic evenly over the pork. Cover the pork with the onion slices and pour the orange juice, lime juice, and beef stock over the contents of the crock pot.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. The pork should shred easily when it's done. If there's more liquid than you'd like, turn the heat up to high and remove the lid until some of the liquid evaporates.

The pork is tender with a subtle smokey citrus flavor. It's not spicy, but you can make it that way by adding some cayenne pepper before cooking.

I used this to make tacos using corn tortillas, diced raw onion and tomatos, and fresh cilantro.

I also used this pork to make great sandwiches with some sliced cheddar and mustard.

Blackberry Barbecue Sauce

If you like barbecue sauce (who doesn't?) and you're looking for something that's a little bit different, this recipe is great and really easy.


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup blackberry preserves (seedless is best)
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 2 Tbls brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp mustard (optional)
• 2 Tbls balsamic vinegar

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer for about 15 minutes.


Makes about 2 cups.


I usually make this with pork chops.