Cabbage Soup

14 oz. Polish sausage, sliced
garlic powder

Cabbage Soup

basil
thyme
black pepper
onion powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, diced
1 head of cabbage, chopped
2 c. milk
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. cream
1 1/2 tsp. cornflour
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
coriander
dry mustard

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the Polish sausage. Add garlic powder, basil, thyme, black pepper, and onion powder to taste. Cook until just starting to brown on both sides. Set aside.

In a large pot, add the minced garlic and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients. Also add in more of the previous seasonings used on the sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes, then add in the cooked sausage. Simmer another 15 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally. Serve hot.

I was inspired by a recipe from daringgourmet.com.

Meat and Potato Skillet with Green Chiles

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Meat, potatoes, etc.

1 very large baker potato, diced
1 onion, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
coriander, cumin, basil, to taste
9 oz. Polish sausage, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
4 oz. can roasted green chiles
1/2 c. canned black beans

Add the olive oil and diced potato to a large skillet over medium high heat. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring once. Add in the onion, cook for 2-3 minutes uncovered. Season the potato and onion with the salt, pepper and other seasonings. Stir, then cover and cook 5-8 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add in the Polish sausage and garlic. Cover and cook about 4-6 minutes. Check to make sure the potatoes are soft. If not, cook a little longer.

Dinner!

Add the corn, green chiles, and black beans to the skillet. Cook until heated through. Serve hot.

Here's a link to the recipe I adapted: http://barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/05/Garlicky-Potato-Kielbasa-Green-Chile-Skillet-Recipe.html

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 1/2 lbs. chicken, cut into large chunks
2 c. onion, chopped

Jambalaya!

2 c. green bell peppers, chopped
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
2 lbs. cooked andouille sausage, cut into slices
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
3 c. long grain white rice, uncooked
6 c. chicken broth
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add chicken in batches, and cook until brown; about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to a plate. Reduce heat to medium, then add onion and bell peppers. Saute until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 more minute. Add sausage, bay leaves, and all the spices. Saute about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir to coat.

Pour broth over rice mixture in pot. Add chicken; press to submerge in liquid. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, then cover and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 30-35 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Recipe courtesy of John Guy

Creamy Pasta with Sausage

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Sausage and onion

1 whole onion, diced
1 lb. Polish sausage
thyme, basil, pepper, oregano, coriander
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. chicken broth
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 oz. can green chiles, mild (or whatever you want, I suppose)
1/2 c. heavy cream
8-10 oz. pasta (if you use more, make sure you increase the chicken broth amount)
1-2 Tbsp. cilantro
1 c. Trader Joe's Creamy Toscano Cheese (or Parmesan or Asiago)

Everything in one skillet

Add the oil to a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage and onion; cook until browned, about 5 minutes. While the onion and sausage are cooking, add a little bit of each spice listed above. Add the garlic; cook about 30 seconds.

Mmmmm, ready to eat!

To the skillet, add the chicken broth, tomatoes, chiles, cream, pasta, and cilantro. Stir it all together. Add more of the same spices here. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.

Remove from heat. Stir in the cheese. Serve hot. It is delicious.

Here's a link to the recipe I adapted: http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/spicy-sausage-pasta.html

Scotch Eggs

4 hard boiled eggs, room temperature
8 oz. sausage (Jimmy Dean is always good!), divided into 4 equal parts (about 2 oz. each)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Uncooked

3/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
pepper (lots!)
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 1/2 c. cornflakes, crushed
oil, for deep frying

Wrap each sausage section around each hard boiled egg. Make sure the egg is completely covered with the sausage.

Add the lightly beaten egg to a shallow bowl. Add the flour, salt, pepper, and dry mustard to another shallow bowl. Add the crushed cornflakes to a third shallow bowl.

Cookin' up the Scotch Eggs

In a deep skillet, add enough oil to coat the bottom and a little up the sides. Turn heat to medium-high.

Take your sausage wrapped eggs, and one at a time dip first in the beaten egg, then coat in the flour mixture, then back in the raw egg, then roll in the cornflakes. Then put each ball into the oil. Make sure the whole ball gets cooked. Just roll to a different side every minute or so until each ball is a golden brown color. Don't burn them! Serve hot.

Zuppa Toscana Soup

1 lb. Italian sausage (If you don't have Italian sausage, just add fennel, oregano, and garlic powder to the sausage while it cooks)

potatoes, onion, garlic

5-7 slices of bacon
5-6 red potatoes
1 onion
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 qt water
6 c. chicken broth
2 c. kale, chopped
1 c. heavy cream or half and half
1 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Cook the sausage (with the seasonings if needed) until cooked through. Set aside. Cook bacon until crispy. Crumble, set aside.

sausage and bacon

Slice the potatoes between 1/8 - 1/4". Make sure they are all similar in size so they cook evenly. Dice the onion. Put potatoes, onion, garlic, water, and chicken broth into a large pot over medium heat. Cook until potatoes are cooked through (about 15 minutes).

Add the sausage, bacon, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Soup's on!

Turn to low heat, add the kale and cream. Let the soup heat through. Serve with a bit of Parmesan cheese on top.

Here's the link to the recipe I adapted. Hopefully it tastes a little like the Olive Garden's soup. Chris said ours tasted better.  =) http://www.momontimeout.com/2011/11/olive-garden-zuppa-toscana-soup.html

Lentil and Sausage Soup

Oil
1/2 c. onion, chopped
28 oz. chicken broth
1 1/4 c. water
1 c. brown lentils
1 c. carrots, sliced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. coriander
6 oz. Polish sausage, cooked and sliced

In a large saucepan,  cook the onion in a small amount of oil for about 5 minutes or until soft. Combine chicken broth, water, lentils, carrots, thyme, red pepper, and garlic, basil, and coriander in the saucepan with the onion. Bring to the boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes or until vegetables and lentils are tender. Stir in sausage. Heat through. Enjoy. This soup is delightful.

Sausage and Sauerkraut Soup

Kielbasa and onion

1 lb. kielbasa sausage
6 Tbsp. chopped onion
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed thyme
3 c. milk
1 c. half and half
8 oz. sauerkraut with juice*
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice, optional

Chop sausage coarsely by hand. Saute onion and sausage over medium heat in deep pan about 8 minutes until sausage is lightly browned. Combine flour, thyme, and pepper, and add to sausage and brown all together until mixture bubbles up (about 5 minutes). Add milk and half and half all at once and cook, stirring, until mixture again bubbles (about 5 minutes). Add sauerkraut and bring to a boil; the mixture will continue to thicken. Taste for tartness and add lemon juice if desired. Serve at once.

Ready to eat!

*I add a lot more sauerkraut, like 24 oz. for this recipe, but just not all the juice.

Also, this is a soup you must serve immediately. It is one of the only soups I've found that does not reheat well, so I make sure to make just enough. But it is delicious and one of my favorites!

Recipe courtesy of Mama Hess