Crockpot Italian Sausage and Peppers

For the most recent Easter party, I was looking for an easier way to make sausage and peppers, always a popular dish with my family. And I like putting the crockpot to work because that usually means less work for me. This version of sausage and peppers is so easy to make because everything is dumped into a crockpot for four hours. Pictured here is my Mom on Easter with her great-grandchildren: Lucas, Eva, and Andrew.

I always prefer using sweet Italian sausage rather than spicy. I usually use green bell peppers, but I had to use red and yellow bell peppers because that is all I had available. For the tomato sauce, I used Trader Joe's roasted garlic tomato sauce. All get combined together for an easy and delicious dish.

Crockpot Italian Sausage and Peppers

• 3 bell peppers, sliced
• 2-3 pounds Italian sausage
• 24 ounces tomato sauce

Add peppers, sausage, and tomato sauce to the crockpot. Cover. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours. Do not uncover during this time. If desired, remove sausage to cut into smaller pieces. Serve on bread or over pasta or on its own. Enjoy!

Barbecued Chicken on a Bun

This recipe makes an easy and delicious meal. I often make shredded chicken with store-bought barbecue sauce. This recipe involves making barbecue sauce using pantry staples. The sauce was delicious. It was sweet with just a little heat. This recipe goes well on a bun, but it could even be served on a salad or over rice or pasta.

The recipe calls for two cans of chicken that are five ounces each. I used two cans that are 12.5 ounces each because I wanted extra chicken in the meal. The dry mustard is not the most common pantry staple, but it is one that I keep on hand. Prepared mustard could be substituted.

Barbecued Chicken on a Bun 

• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 tsp. minced onion
• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• dash Tabasco sauce
• 2 cans chicken
• 1/4 cup olives, optional
• buns

Blend sugar, mustard, onion, catsup, vinegar, water, and Tabasco in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil; then simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken and olives. Continue to heat on low until chicken heated through. Serve on a bun. Enjoy!

Hamburger Picadillo

Picadillo is a common dish in Latin America that usually involves ground beef, tomatoes, and potatoes, along with other ingredients. The name derives from the Spanish verb picar, meaning to mince, as a reference to the ground beef. This recipe can be eaten on its own, served over rice or pasta, served with bread, or as a taco filling. It is a convenient one-dish meal.

When I made this dish, I did not have a green bell pepper, so I used a yellow bell pepper. Mom's recipe calls for a can of whole tomatoes; I used a can of diced tomatoes. The recipe calls for peeling the potato, but I left the peels on. This recipe makes for a delicious meal.

Hamburger Picadillo 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1 can (16 ounces) tomatoes
• 3 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tp. salt

In a skillet, brown ground beef, onion, pepper, and garlic. Drain excess fat. Add water, tomato, potato, chili powder, and salt; stir together breaking tomato into smaller pieces. Cover; cook over low heat. Stir occasionally for 25 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Enjoy!

German Burgers

Following on the previous post, this recipe is the other version from the same recipe card. This burger include grated potato and onion, along with Worcestershire sauce, which I suppose makes these German-style burgers. The flavors worked well with the ground beef and pork.

When I made this recipe, I used a combination of ground pork and ground beef. It was a good change that made a delicious burger. The recipe calls for pan frying the burgers, but I oven broiled the burgers because I find broiling burgers to be easier. 

German Burgers 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup shredded raw potato
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• oil for pan frying

Combine beef, potato, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Form into patties. Pan fry in oil or broil, flipping the burgers halfway through cooking. Enjoy! 

Oriental Burgers

MDS and I love burgers. Mom's recipe box contained this recipe for two variations of burgers. Up first is Oriental Burgers. I found the inclusion of water chestnuts to be especially intriguing. Instead of ketchup or barbecue sauce, I used Hoisin Sauce. It was a delicious combination.

When I made these burgers, rather than have four burgers, I made two jumbo burgers. Although the burgers were bigger than the buns, they were delicious. You could also make small slider-sized patties. I recommend pressing the patties as hard as possible to prevent them from falling apart when cooking. My jumbo patties did slightly fall apart, but were still delicious.

Oriental Burgers 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
• 2 Tbsp. sliced green onion
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
• 1/4 tsp. soy sauce

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Shape into patties. Broil for 5-10 minutes per side. Enjoy!

Almond Buffet Casserole

This casserole is a simple and tasty meal. The flavors blend together well, especially the use of almonds to add texture and flavor. It would be great for a make-ahead meal or a pot luck. Also, this casserole works as a main dish or a hearty side dish.

Mom's recipe calls for using dehydrated chicken noodle soup to cook the rice. Instead, I cooked the rice in chicken bone broth, and the recipe turned out just fine. Use the quantity of chicken broth instead of water as called for by the rice cooking directions. Instead of using whole blanched almonds, I used sliced almonds that I had on hand. The almonds add a nice crunch to this dish.

Almond Buffet Casserole 

• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups Chicken broth 
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 2/3 cup almonds

Cook the rice in the chicken broth, as directed. Fry the ground sausage until browned, pour any excess fat from pan. Add celery, onion, and green pepper and cook until vegetables are tender-crisp. Add 1/3 cup almonds and rice and blend together. Pour into a greased casserole. Sprinkle remaining almonds over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Sheet Pan Salmon and Veggies

We were recently in San Francisco for Super Bowl week. We were fortunate to catch up with our cousins Shea and Irene and Sheila and Don. Shea and Irene hosted us at their lovely home in Bernal Heights. Before dinner, we took a nice walk around the neighborhood, amazed by the views. Sheila and Don then joined us for this delicious salmon and veggie dinner. It was so nice to be able to catch up with cousins.

This recipe makes a delicious meal. When I made this dish, I used bell pepper and zucchini. Other vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, onion, or tomato could be used. For the seasoning, I used Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute. You could use any number of seasonings to give the meal different flavors. This recipe will now make it into our regular rotation. At some point in the future, I will have to make Shea's pecan pie made with maple syrup.

Sheet Pan Salmon and Veggies  

• 4 salmon fillets
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 medium zucchini
• Lemon
• Olive Oil
• seasoning

Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel and place skin down on the baking sheet. Cut the bell peppers and zucchini into small pieces. Toss the vegetables with olive oil. Spread the vegetables on the baking sheet. Cut the lemon and squeeze over the salmon and vegetables. Sprinkle the salmon and vegetables with seasoning. Bake for about 20 minutes until the salmon is done. Enjoy!