Andouille Sausage

We just love jambalaya around here! So andouille seemed like an ideal sausage to make… we were right! It made my homemade jambalaya just that much better!!! The recipe for the jambalaya is HERE.

If you are grinding your own pork, check out the sausage basics post HERE.

6 pounds ground pork

4 Tablespoons minced fresh garlic

2 Tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 Tablespoon smoked paprika

3 small bay leaves, ground

1/4 teaspoons dry sage, or 2 fresh leaves finely chopped

1 cup red wine

Mix seasonings in a small bowl. Add to ground pork and mix well until fully incorporated.

Chill immediately. Cook a small bit to check taste. Add more spices or more meat according to your taste. Know that they flavor will alter some after a few days.

Use within a day or two or freeze for longer storage.

Lemon Lavender Shortbread

I needed another dainty treat to eat while watching Downton Abbey, so I searched my memory banks for things I like to eat when we have tea parties… Lavender shortbread cookies are one of those special little treats that are just what I was hoping for!

I like lemon and lavender paired together, so hence that is what I put in this recipe. I hope you enjoy these with your afternoon tea as much as I do!

1 cup softened butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 Tablespoon dried lavender, rubbed in hand to break up large pieces and release oils

grated zest from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat until smooth and creamy.

2 1/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix in flour and salt until stiff dough forms.

Mold into rolls and wrap in waxed or parchment paper. Chill in fridge over night.

Remove from fridge for 10 minutes. Slice thin (1/4”).

Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes. Don’t let the edges brown!

Bacon Spinach Quiche

Ever since my pie crust lesson last week, I have been thinking about… pies! I adore quiche but have never made one due to my irrational fear of making pie crusts. But my friend Mary, my mother, my sisters all make it seem so easy; and I did make one crust by myself with supervision. I decided to give it a whirl!

I think that for my very first solo pie crust in 15 years, it turned out amazingly well! Flaky, tender, didn't rip or tear, rolled out to the perfect thickness...

Not bad, huh??? :o)

The bacon spinach quiche I made in it was super amazing!!!

1 – 9” unbaked pie crust

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

salt & pepper

1 cup crumbled bacon

1 cup shredded cheese

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

Beat eggs and milk together. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into unbaked pie crust.

Carefully place in oven preheated to 375. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until center is set.

After 30 minutes, cover loosely with piece of foil to keep crust from over-baking.

after 30 minutes

It was pretty puffy right out of the oven after 60 minutes…

Let quiche sit for about 5 minutes to settle before serving.I served it with a small side salad and a few slices of quick bread for a light and delicious dinner!

Easy Lefse

We haven’t had really good Norwegian lefse since leaving MN almost 8 years ago… Friends there seemed to make it perfectly and gave me this great easy shortcut recipe for traditional lefse that is super delicious! Unfortunately I am still getting the hang of making the stuff. It’s not very tender, not rolled quite thin enough and not even close to a circle shape. I call it “rustic”. ;o)  I’m sure my boys wish I would just get more practice so I’d get better at it. We’ll see, we’ll see…

Boil together:

5 cups water

1/2 cup lard or shortening

1 Tablespoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

When lard is melted, add 2 cups milk.

Pour over 8 cups potato flakes (instant mashed potatoes).

Let cool overnight in fridge.

Add 2 cups flour. Mix well and divide into 2 or 3 balls. Keep the dough you are not working with in fridge to keep cold.

Cut off small pieces and roll out on heavily floured cloth. Brush off excess flour.

Cook on griddle at 450 on both sides.

  Let cool on wire rack covered with a towel.

Serve warm with butter and cinnamon-sugar.

Peanut Butter & Nutella Pie

On Wednesday I went to a friend’s house in the attempt to overcome my pie crust phobia… While I made a crust while I was there under supervision, I still have yet to make one on my own. So I’m not sure if I’m cured yet??? I have a whole list of pies I want to make, so I am hopeful I am over it!

We were all sitting around talking about pie (of course!) and we came up with the peanut butter & Nutella idea. I knew exactly what pie I was going to make first!

1/2 cup Nutella

1 8oz box of cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup heavy cream

Spread the Nutella into the bottom of a pre-baked or crumb pie crust.

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and peanut butter with electric mixer until smooth.

Spread half of this peanut butter mixture into pie crust.

Beat heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks.

Fold whipped cream into the remaining peanut butter mixture. Spread onto top of pie.

Chill for several hours. Top with additional whipped cream, if desired. Serve in very small slices as this pie is very rich and delicious!

I love how you can see all three layers!

Cranberry Orange Cream Scones

Nothing is better than watching Downton Abbey with a friend than watching Downton Abbey with a friend while enjoying a cup of Bombay Breakfast and eating one of these jolly little scones!

2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

grated zest from 1 orange

Pulse in your food processor about 6-7 times.

 

5 Tablespoons cold butter cut into small pieces

Pulse 6 times.

Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Pulse 6-7 more times.

Pour flour mixture into a mixing bowl. Add 1 cup cold heavy cream.

Mix until combined. Turn onto cutting board and lightly knead 5-10 times.

Divide dough into half. Roll into 2 balls. Place on baking sheet covered with parchment. Pat into a circle about 1” thick. Cut each circle into 8 small wedges (I use a pizza cutter) and separate slightly.

Sprinkle liberally with course sugar.

Bake at 425 for about 15-20 minutes or until tops turn light golden brown.

Let cool on wire racks.

Easy Caramels

I LOVE caramels! A LOT!!! In fact, they may just be my favorite candy. Sorry chocolate! :o) This recipe is so easy to make and they are perfect, chewy but they don’t stick to your teeth (I hate that) and buttery smooth. PERFECT!!! My favorite way to have caramel is with chocolate or salted with kosher  or coarse sea salt. Sometimes I do both…

*This is by far my most requested recipe! Mainly because when people try them, they must have them! They are also my most requested party food or gift. People also demand them of my in return for favors I have requested of them. ;o)

I have perfected the recipe since I posted this almost two years ago.

1 cup butter or margarine ( I use margarine because I read that it makes a less sticky caramel)

2 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 can condensed milk

1 cup corn syrup

1 pinch salt ( I use about 1/4 tsp)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and salt.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Heat to 248-250 degrees F  Cook for 2 minutes at that temperature. This process takes about 30 minutes or so. When the caramel reaches 249 that can’t be immediately stirred down to a lower temperature, set the timer for 2 minutes. It just needs to stay around 249 for the 2 minutes. It can be a bit higher and a bit lower (towards the end of the time) and still be ok. Don’t let it go higher than 254 or lower than 244. Remove the pan off the heat if necessary. This is the trickiest part, but you’ll get the hang of it.

Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.

Meanwhile, butter a parchment-lined 9x13 inch baking pan. When the caramel is ready, pour into the buttered pan.

Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Remove from the pan and cut into squares using scissors or a sharp knife. The perfect caramel isn’t too hard when chilled and can hold its shape when at room temp.

If they are too soft wrap individual pieces in waxed paper or plastic wrap so they will hold their shape.

To make the chocolate dip just melt 1 cup of dark chocolate chips with 1 scant Tablespoon of shortening or vegetable oil. (This helps keep the chocolate from getting soft at room temp.) Dip the caramels into the chocolate on a fork, lift caramel out of the chocolate and tap off the extra on the side of the bowl. Carefully set on a piece of parchment or wax paper. Let set a couple of minutes before sprinkling with salt. Don’t let the chocolate set before putting the salt on top!

 

Place in fridge to speed up the setting of the chocolate and store in fridge. But these are best served at room temperature.

Enjoy and try not to eat them all at once! :o)

Garlic Black Pepper Sausage

This sausage has a very distinct and spicy black pepper flavor and isn’t for those who don’t like pepper very much. Our family LOVES cracked black pepper on everything, so this is one of our favs! This one makes awesome links!!!

 This was superb with sautéed cabbage, pierogi with sauteed onions & mushrooms and applesauce!

I suppose you could lessen the amount of black pepper and it would still be a pretty tasty sausage… ;o)

Follow sausage making directions, HERE.

5 pounds ground pork (do it yourself or store-bought)

10 cloves fresh minced garlic

5 Tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

5 teaspoons salt

5 Tablespoons smoked or sweet paprika

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1 cup red wine

1 Tablespoon dried minced onion

Add seasonings to ground pork. Use or freeze within 1-2 days.

Breakfast Sausage

This is the recipe for breakfast sausage. This recipe is pretty savory, but you can tone it down to your taste. You can use store-bought ground pork or grind your own using the directions HERE. The recipe can be adjusted for larger batches. We made about 15 pounds!

This sausage makes delicious biscuits & gravy, omelets or egg scrambles…

  our lefse burrito

2 pounds ground pork

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (we used 1/2 teaspoon dry)

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Mix seasonings in a small bowl. Add to ground pork and mix well until fully incorporated.

Chill immediately. Cook a small bit to check taste. Add more spices or more meat according to your taste. Know that they flavor will alter some after a few days.

Use within a day or two or freeze for longer storage.

Sausage Basics

It’s our family tradition to get together with our dear friends every year on New Year’s Day. This year school starts on the 2nd, so we got together to celebrate a bit early. This year’s theme was sausage!

We picked up 80 pounds of pork butt and made our own 7 varieties of homemade sausages! Wow!

Here are some basic steps to remember in making sausage:

*Keep everything VERY cold! The meat, the grinder, everything! If you are doing large quantities, wrap ice packs on the grinder between batches of meat. Be sure to put the meat immediately on ice or in the fridge after grinding.

It is amazing how much fat is in a slab of pork butt yet how lean the sausage is! It also makes you wonder just how much fat they put in grocery store sausage??? Ugh!

*Find a recipe and prepare your seasonings. If it calls for larger spices, it’s nice to put them in a grinder or use a mortar & pestle. It brings out the flavor of the spices.

 Spicy Italian seasonings

*Mix the seasonings in with the meat and place immediately back on ice or in fridge!

 this mixer could mix up to 20 pounds but your KitchenAid mixer works well for smaller batches

*Cook up a bit to see if you like the finished product and tweak the recipe as you need. Add more spice or more meat to make it milder or more spicy.

*Now if you’re going to stuff your sausages, you will need casings and the stuffer attachment on your grinder.

Learn how to prep your casings here at The Sausage Maker.

Make an agreement on the sausage stuffing jokes. Either you can make all you want or make none at all. I just couldn’t not make one tiny little joke. ;o)

*Be sure to leave space at either end of your casings for room to twist your sausages. Twist them in reverse directions to they don’t unwind themselves.

 

making link sausages (no jokes please!) LOL

*It’s also way more fun and way less work to do with good friends!

NO! We didn’t eat all 80 pounds for dinner! Our fridge is full of over 40 pounds of sausage and smells like a German deli… ;o)

It was a very fun evening! Now we just have to decide what kinds to make next time???