Italian Sausage and Cabbage Stew

Before we start, and before you whine about it being ANOTHER soup...it's not a soup...it's a stew.

So there.

And before we even GET to the recipe...I just wanted to share how much I LOVE cooking with my husband. He has Mondays and Tuesdays off, and that often means we get to cook dinner together. He usually does most of the work, being that he's so much more adept in the kitchen. But I always step in to do the stuff he doesn't like to do...like chop onions and prepare garnishes...you know...the prep work.

But cooking together highlights the many differences we have. For example, I obsess over missing an item from a recipe and will run to the store...whereas he will just simply substitute it for something else.

We also speak a different language. Or the same language, for which we assign different words. I don't know...

...but the point is that like all men and women...our communication skills leave a little something to be desired. It's not that we don't talk...it's that we don't LISTEN. And then we THINK that we know what the other person is saying because it's what we would be saying if we were them...not taking into account that we are NOT them and therefore would NOT be saying whatever it was we think they would've said.

Confused, yet?

Here...let me give you an example...

Jason and I were making a new recipe, called Italian Sausage and Cabbage Stew. I had to go and pick up kids, so he offered to stay home and get it started. I said: "Grab a couple pounds of sausage from the freezer and thaw it, break the links from their casings and brown it up, and by then I should be home."

When I got home, I smelled something wonderful cooking...something spicy and mouth-watering...but something that was definitely NOT Sweet Italian Sausage. Sure enough, I went into the kitchen, and Jason is faithfully browning 2 pounds of....chorizo.

"Hey," I said, as I picked up the recipe that was placed strategically next to the stove, "That's not Italian Sausage".

"You didn't say Italian sausage...you said sausage, and I saw this and thought it was what you meant."

"No...I didn't say Italian sausage, but the recipe is called 'Italian Sausage and Cabbage Stew'...see?" I pointed purposefully at the paper.

"Well," he sighed, rather exasperated, "I thought this is what you meant. Want me to stop?"

I checked the menu. I hadn't been planning on using that chorizo for another two weeks...it's at the END of my menu. But it was already 3/4 browned.

"Can you finish cooking it, and then I can freeze it?" I asked.

"Yeah," he answered, "Go get the right stuff and I'll fry that up next."

So...on the bright side...I have my chorizo all cooked for when I make enchiladas in a couple weeks.

All cooked up and ready for...

Upon further discussion and banter, Jason admitted that he had opened the freezer, and the chorizo was the first thing he saw, so he assumed that's what I wanted. The packages of Italian sausage were right below that, but he didn't actually look around.

It reminds me of a book a friend of mine has called Pat the Husband...a satire based around the premise of the children's book Pat the Bunny. Just like the children's book, it has flaps to lift and things to touch...and it supposedly "teaches" adults the differences between women and men. My favorite page is when the husband is looking for big gallon of milk, but it is behind the little jar of ketchup, so he can't "find" it. So you have to pull the tab over so the ketchup slides out of the way and viola! He sees the milk!!

Cooking with Jason also reminds me that I have to be very specific when I speak, and not be so vague. After all...chorizo IS a type of sausage...in fact...it's Jasons FAVORITE type...so OF COURSE he was instantly drawn to it.

And I can't get mad even if I was specific because that doesn't mean my speaking mixed magically with his listening. We are different people...programmed different ways, and have different methods of understanding. It's something I'm sure we'll work on all our lives...and still never get perfect.

But this is why I love cooking with Jason. It gives us a chance to talk, listen, learn...communicate...no matter how imperfectly. And I love that time...

This is a simple stew.The broth is rich and flavorful. Changes I'd make next time include chopping the cabbage into smaller bits...

No need to double (although I did...just for fun, and because I wanted leftovers)...

Yumminess...

Italian Sausage and Cabbage Stew

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 pound SWEET Italian sausage, bulk, or removed from casings
• 1 large yellow onion, half sliced and half minced
• 2 garlic cloves. minced
• 1-1/2 cups white wine
• 1 15-ounce can of cannellini beans
• 1 quart vegetable or chicken stock 
• 1 quart water
• 1 tsp salt, more to taste
• 1 2-pound savoy cabbage, quartered, then sliced into 1/4-inch slices (I would then cut those slices in HALF width wise)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup chopped Italian parsley, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup to a cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

1. Heat the olive oil on medium high heat in a large (8-quart), thick bottomed stock pot. Add the sausage, breaking it up into pieces as you put it into the pot in a single layer. When the sausage has nicely browned, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Add the minced onion (save the sliced onion for later) and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Once the onions give up some of their water, use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

3. Add the white wine and the beans and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. If you want, for a thicker base, use a blender to blend some (or all) of the beans and onions. (note: I did this...and honestly, I couldn't tell much of a difference in the soup's consistency. So it's entirely up to you.)

Baby...can you pour me a glass of wine?

 4. Add the water, stock, salt, cabbage, sliced onion half, bay leaves and browned sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking until the cabbage is tender, about 10-20 minutes.

Bubbly...

 5. To serve, sprinkle on chopped parsley and grated cheese.

Serves 8-10 people

courtesy Simply Recipes

Stuffed and Baked Acorn Squash

This recipe has been adapted from several others and made my own. I claim it. It is one of my favorite things to eat in the fall...I literally cannot get enough...and I want to share it with the masses because I am feeling uncharacteristically generous today...

On a side note: This is NOT my hubbys favorite dish. He calls it "chick food". So that means more for me...and the kids...

On a sider note: This can be a side dish OR an entree...it depends on how you serve it. Tonight it was our entree, served with a spinach salad and a hearty shepherds bread. But I've served it both ways...

Stuffed and Baked Acorn Squash

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2 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded

4 large baking apples, peeled, cored, and diced (I use Granny Smiths)

1 ripe pear, peeled, cored, and diced

1 pound sausage (preferably Italian sweet or chorizo)

4 TBS dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

4 TBS butter

1/4 cup apple cider

1 TBS dark rum (optional)

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1. Preheat oven to 325. Butter a baking pan. Place acorn squash in baking dish CUT SIDE DOWN. Add 1/4 inch hot water to pan. Bake for 45 minutes.

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2. Meanwhile, brown and drain sausage. Set aside.

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3. In a large bowl, mix apples, pear, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a large skillet, melt 4 TBS butter. Add apple mixture and cook until fruit is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in cider and rum. Simmer, stirring often, until the fruit is tender, about 8 minutes. Add sausage and heat through, being careful not to overcook the sausage.

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4. Remove squash from oven; pour off water from pan and turn squash cut side up. Fill squash with apple/sausage mixture. Bake until squash is tender, about 15 minutes more.

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Viola!

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courtesy me!!!

Grilled Italian Sausage and Peppers

After a long day of grocery shopping and errands, this is the perfect no-fuss dinner. I like it best 'cause I don't cook it. My hubby is the Grill Master in our home...and there is nothing more manly than a man and his grill. Just standing next to the grill is intimidating for a girl like me...there is WAY too much testosterone emanating from it. But my man is right at home....

We made a couple changes to this recipe that were born out of our location. It's kinda hard to find those hard brat rolls here in sunny South Florida. So we improvised, getting big, soft Bolillo Rolls and slicing them halfway through for our sausages. I LOVED the soft, chewy texture. It was WAY better than Brat Rolls. My only complaint was that we bought the smaller Hot Links Italian sausages, as we noticed that our kids had trouble eating a big 'ol LumberJack Smoked Italian Sausage last time, and there was a lot of waste.

I don't like food waste. It's a pet peeve of Jasons', too - being that he runs a multi-million dollar restaurant and all.

The problem with waste is not only that I feel like it's money AND food wasted, but that I feel I have to make up for it by finishing my kids food for them. Jason helps. And while his metabolism can handle it, mine can not. Hence my beach ball figure.

Anyway - back to the sausage complaint...Bolillo Rolls are BIG...bigger and fluffier than Brat Rolls. So they actually would've cradled a LumberJack Smoked Italian Sausage perfectly. But the smaller Hot Links we purchased got kinda lost in the bread. At least it was really good bread, and no one complained. And my kids were able to polish a whole one off. Kate even had two.

Sides should stick with the whole grillin' theme - we had corn-on-the-cob and baked beans. Our new favorite baked beans are the Bush's Grillin Beans , Bourbon and Brown Sugar Flavor. YUM.

(And yes - I know how to make baked beans from "scratch", but I get the same results {almost} with Bush's, and it saves so much time that I am totally cool with the substitute.)

Double for bigger families or extra-hungry people...

Grilled Italian Sausage and Grilled Peppers

2 medium bell peppers (red, green, yellow or orange), cut into strips

1 med. onion, sliced

1/4 cup Italian dressing

4 Italian Smoked Sausages...big LumberJack ones, or smaller Johnsonville ones, or if you're really healthy, try those Boca Meatless Italian Sausages

4 Brat Rolls, or, in my case, Bolillo Rolls

1. Preheat grill to medium heat. Make a foil pouch out of heavy duty aluminum foil, and place peppers, onions, and dressing inside. Close pouch tightly. (You can also buy ready-made foil pouches for grilling...but I usually just use what I have).

2. Grill 15 minutes or until veggies are soft and juicy, turning bag at least once to get all sides. Meanwhile, grill sausage as directed on package.

3. Fill sliced buns/rolls with sausage and peppers. Add other condiments as desired, like shredded cheddar and the usual relish.

Viola! It's dinner!!

adapted from http://www.kraftfoods.com/