Sausage & Sage Biscuits and Gravy

This recipe is definitely not low-cal, but it is one of our favorite dinners! I never had biscuits and gravy until I married Ry, but it is soo good! I know it might sound weird, but we have to eat it with corn :)
I usually use bisquick when I make the biscuits, but the other day I was feeling lazy and bought the pre made refrigerated biscuits. So much easier to just pop the can open and throw them in the oven!

INGREDIENTS

• 1T oil plus 1T butter
• 1 pound bulk sausage (you can use pork or turkey)
• 1/2 C. flour
• 4 C whole milk, brought to a simmer
• pinch of dried sage
• salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat milk over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Make sure to keep an eye on the milk, don't let it boil.


2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat the oil and butter over med high heat until melted, then add sausage. Crumble and cook the sausage until well-browned and no longer pink.


3. Sprinkle flour over the sausage and cook, stirring for a minute or two.


4. Add warm milk all at once and cook, stirring until thickened and bubbly (this takes some time, 10 mins or so.)


5. Turn heat all the way down, add sage (if desired) and season well with S&P, stirring and tasting frequently until the flavor is to your liking. Turn off the heat. Gravy will thicken as it cools.


6. Serve over warm biscuits (Bisquick is great, and so are the pop can kind!)

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches

This recipe and pic came from thegirlwhoateeverything, it was really good! It really makes a huge difference cooking the pork in root beer all day...yumo!

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds pork tenderloin

Root Beer

Favorite BBQ sauce

Directions:

Cook pork in root beer all day (low 6-8 hrs). Drain root beer and shred, then add bbq sauce (as much as you want).

Serve on your favorite buns, enjoy!

Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Shells

Sausage, Spinach, Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells Recipe
Ingredients
1 12-ounce package jumbo pasta shells
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed or chicken sausage
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 large egg
16-ounces ricotta cheese
6-ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, chopped further (or 10 ounces chopped fresh spinach)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cans spaghetti sauce
2 9x13 shallow baking dishes
Method
1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 teaspoon salt per quart of water). Cook the pasta shells according to the instructions on the package. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.
2 Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking up the sausage into smaller bits. Cook sausage until cooked through, and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute more. Remove pan from heat.
3 Beat the egg lightly in a large bowl. Mix in the ricotta, chopped spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, basil, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and sausage mixture. Fill each cooked pasta shell with some of the ricotta, spinach, sausage mixture.
4 Spread 1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes over the bottom of each of the baking dishes. Arrange the stuffed pasta shells in the dishes. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells.
At this point you can make ahead, to freeze (up to four months) or refrigerate before cooking. (If freezing, cover with foil, then wrap with plastic wrap.)
5 Heat oven to 375°F. Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese, bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.
Serves 8.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup

1 lb. spicy Italian sausage – crumbled
1/2 lb. smoked bacon – chopped
1 qt. water
(2) 14.5 oz. cans (about 3 2/3 cups) chicken broth
2 lg. russet potatoes – scrubbed clean, cubed
2 garlic cloves – peeled, crushed
1 med. onion – peeled, chopped
2 cups chopped kale OR Swiss chard
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper – to taste

Directions
Brown sausage in a pan over medium to medium-high heat, breaking up into small pieces as it cooks.
Drain sausage and set to the side.
Brown bacan in a pan over medium-high heat. Be careful not to cook crispy.
Drain bacon and set to the side.
Place broth, water, garlic, potatoes, and onion in a pot.
Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender.
Add sausage and bacon to the soup.
Simmer for 10 minutes.
Add kale and cream to pot.
Season with salt and pepper.
Heat thoroughly.

Lasagna

1 pound sweet Italian sausage (Can use turkey or chicken)
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Green Chile Burros

Green Chile Burros
3 pounds pork roast or beef roast, fat removed as much as possible (*If using a roast any larger than 3 lbs, I always double the remaining ingredients)
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 10oz can green enchilada sauce
1 4oz can diced green chilis
1 14oz can diced tomatoes with chilis
2 chicken bouillon cubes
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp pepper

The original recipe says to brown the roast with the onions before putting in the crock pot. I haven't tried that yet, but I'm sure its yummy. I just put it all in the crock pot and let it cook for a good 8 hours or so. I shredded it last time, but cubed would be just as good. Serve in a tortilla with cheese, sour cream and el pato. ( And whatever else is on hand).