Sausage is My Friend

I meant to post this a lot sooner, especially since I made this last Saturday and it is now already Wednesday. I've got to be completely honest with you though, you know, cause we're friends. Being in the first trimester sucks. I mean really sucks. I'm either battling nausea or heartburn. I'm exhausted no matter how many hours of sleep I get. I pass out on the couch at 6 and wake up again at 11 just to turn right around and crash into my bed at midnight. I have to use the bathroom every couple of hours (but it feels like evry 30 minutes), and my back is starting to hurt really badly.

So when I made this meal, I had one thing on my mind: comfort. You'd think that that would mean potatoes and cheese, lots of cheese, and normally you'd be right. But apparently, Aloysius likes sausage. In case you were wondering, that's pronounced al-oo-WISH-us, and I'm calling the baby that until we know the gender since I hate calling him/her an it. Plus, I really like that name and would never be able to get away with naming any of my children that without someone saying that I'm a horrible parent for it (it'll happen anyway I'm sure so let's not instigate it).

Anyway, I made this up as I went along and got rave reviews from the hubby and his friend. It's just italian sausage, tomatoes, red pepper, garlic, onion, and spaghetti. It's pretty quick to make too. Just some chopping to get it prepped and cooking the sausage before everything else so you can slice it up. Next time, I'll serve it with penne instead as I'm not really digging spaghtti lately. Enjoy!

Sauage and Tomato Pasta
Recipe by me

5 spicy sausage links (I use the Johnsonville spicy italian)
10 oz cherry tomatoes (this is really just based on taste, you can use more or less depending on how much of a sauce you want)
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 cup beef broth (or you can use warm water)
1 lb dried spaghetti

1. In a large pan, brown sausage on all sides, until cooked most of the way through. Remove from pan and allow to cool before slicing into small pieces.
2. Meanwhile, get some salted water started so that it will begin to boil when you start cooking the vegetables.
3. In the same pan that you cooked the sausage, add the onion and garlic. Cook until slightly translucent. Add tomatoes and red peppers. Cook until soft. Add the sausage back into the pan and the beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the tomatoes have broken down a little and begun to make a sauce (I smooshed mine with the back of my spoon).
4. Drain the spaghetti when it's done cooking and add the sausage and vegetable mixture. Toss to completely mix and serve with some parmesan cheese on top.

Gold at the End of the Rainbow

I'm a day early for St. Patrick's Day, but that's because we had Irish food last night and will be revisiting the cuisine of the Emerald Isle tomorrow night. I wanted to share this dish with you while I'm taking a break from prepping for tomorrow night's feast (hey, I told you the Irish blood lives strong in me). I've been baking a whiskey cake and getting things ready for tomorrow. My mom and college roommate will be joining the hubby and I for a feast fit for Brian Boru.

Dublin Coddle is one of those dishes that if you've never heard of it before, you're going to scratch your head trying to figure out the name. One of my coworkers asked what I was eating at lunch today, and when I told her she just stared at me like I was speaking Gaelic (and for all I know, coddle could be Gaelic). It's made with bangers and rashers, or suasage and bacon (but more like ham here in America) and also potatoes, onions, and sometimes parsely. I found the recipe in two of my Irish cookbooks and just went with the slightly simpler recipe (slicing instead of dicing, plus the other called for an apple which I didn't have), but I think the other cookbook is the more traditional version.

I wish I could have gotten better quality sausages, but what I had was still pretty good. I completely forgot the parsley and should have used more salt. This was really good though and even better the next day, especially with all my coworkers salivating and staring greedily at my lunch. On another note, these are the first pictures on my new camera. Still not the greatest pictures, but I am trying and hopefully after my class this summer it'll be much better.

Dublin Coddle
Recipe by Irish Food & Cooking

8 1/3-inch thick ham or dry-cured bacon slices (we had just some thick-cut deli ham that tasted excellent)
8 best-quality lean pork sausages
4 large onions, thinly sliced
2 lb potatoes, peeled and sliced (you know mine weren't peeled)
6 Tbl chopped parsley
Salt and ground black pepper

1. Cut the ham or bacon into large chunks and cook with the sausages in 5 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes (I just used enough water to cover the meat in a large stock pot). Drain, but reserve the cooking liquid.
2. Put the meat into a large stock pot with the onions, potatoes, and parsley. Season and add just enough fo the cooking liquid to cover. Cover with a tight-fitting lid; lay a piece of buttered foil or baking parchment on top before putting on the lid (I used all of the liquid plus a little, and I only used 3 small onions so you may need more if you follow this exactly).
3. Simmer gently over a low heat for about 1 hour, or until liquid is reduced by half and all the ingredients are cooked but not mushy. Serve hot with the vegetables on top.