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Florentine Sausage & Stuffing Skillet

May 24, 2009 By Kate 1 Comment

I created this recipe as my entry for the BlogHer/Stove-Top competition. Although it didn’t make the final cut, we all thought it was delicious. So I thought maybe someone else would find it delicious too.

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Florentine Sausage & Stuffing Skillet

  • 1 lb. bulk pork sausage, sage or plain
  • 1/4 c. onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 c. frozen spinach
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1/2 t. nutmeg
  • 1 pkg. Stove-Top chicken stuffing
  • 1 1/2 c. water
  • 1/4 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 1 pear, diced (optional)
  • 2 c. Italian blend or mozzarella shredded cheese

1. In a large skillet, cook the sausage for 5 minutes. Stir in the onions and garlic and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach, pepper and nutmeg. Cook 5 minutes more.

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2. Stir in the stuffing package and water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until water is fully absorbed.

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3. Stir in the optional walnuts and diced pears. Add shredded cheese on top, cover and let sit until cheese is almost completely melted.

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BLT Panzanella

May 17, 2009 By Kate 6 Comments

Did you know that May is National Salad Month? Well, it is, and so this week we will be celebrating salads! I have at least three salad recipes that I plan to share throughout this week.

This first one I’m sharing is for BLT Panzanella. (Apparently in addition to it being National Salad Month, it’s also bacon month around our house.) I have been wanting to make panzanella, or bread salad, for a long time. I’m not sure why I haven’t gotten around to it yet. As much as we love bread in this house, it was sure to be a hit.

And this definitely was! We all love BLTs, so I thought this would be a good introduction for us to the panzanella. I contemplated on a few different dressing ideas, but finally settled on a vinaigrette. We really liked it with the vinaigrette, though I might try one of my other options next time. The two others I have in mind are a simple aioli or a hot bacon dressing. I think the aioli would give the salad more of an authentic BLT taste, but I’ve never met a salad dressed with hot bacon dressing that I didn’t like. It will definitely be fun to experiment with this.

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BLT Panzanella

  • 1/3 c. olive oil
  • 2 T. red wine or balsamic vinegar
  • 2 t. Italian seasoning
  • 1 t. sugar
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 lb. cherry or Roma tomatoes, quartered or halved
  • 3 T. olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 1 lb. Italian or other crusty bread, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 lb bacon, cut into small pieces, cooked, drained and cooled
  • 4 c. torn lettuce (or 1/2 bag salad blend)
  • 1/4 c. sliced green onions

1. In a small glass or plastic bowl, whisk together 1/3 c. olive oil, vinegar, Italian seasoning, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in tomatoes and refrigerate. This tastes best if made a few hours ahead of time although that is certainly not necessary.

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2. In a large skillet, heat 3 T. olive oil over medium heat. Stir in bread cubes and drizzle with a little additional oil. Cook and stir until bread is lightly browned and crisp, adding more oil as needed. Let cool.

3. In a salad bowl, toss together the cooled bread cubes, cooled bacon and lettuce. You can prepare this ahead of time too and just cover and refrigerate at this point.

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4. Just before serving, toss the salad with the vinaigrette and tomatoes. Enjoy!

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Stop by A Southern Fairytale for more Mouthwatering Monday, 5 Minutes For Mom for more Tackle It Tuesday and $5 Dinners for the $5 Dinner Challenge.

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Ginger Pork with Pineapple-Mango Sauce

May 3, 2009 By Kate Leave a Comment

We don’t have pork very often, but when we do we really enjoy it. It seems like we never have it the same way twice. Probably because I’m always excited to try something new.

This dinner was so delicious. The pork stayed nice and tender. The ginger and garlic flavor definitely infused throughout the whole thing. The tangy, sweet pineapple-mango sauce was a perfect accompaniement to tie all the flavors together.

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Ginger Pork with Pineapple-Mango Sauce

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 T. grated fresh ginger (or 1 t. ginger powder)
  • 1/4 t. allspice
  • 1 – 2 lb. pork tenderloin
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8 oz. can pineapple tidbits
  • 1 c. chicken stock
  • 1 T. cornstarch
  • 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 mango, cubed
  • 1/4 c. sliced green onions

1. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, ginger and allspice. Place pork tenderloin on a baking tray and cut 5 to 6 slits in the top of it. Fill the pockets in the pork with the ginger blend. Generously sprinkle salt and pepper over the pork. Place in a 325 degree oven and bake 1 – 1 1/2 hours, until meat is fully cooked.

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2. While meat cooks, drain the juice from the pineapple into a saucepan. Add the chicken stock, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes. Whisk together and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Continue to simmer until sauce is thickened. Add reserved pineapple, mango and green onions. Cook just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. p5035155

3. Once pork is fully cooked, remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Slice cooked pork and spoon sauce over the top. Sauce can be served warm or at room temperature.

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