Italian Sausage-Pepper Skillet

Yesterday we harvested the first of our bell peppers. It was fun to see my daughter hold the pepper, warm from the sunshine, against her cheek as she carried it inside. Of course, fresh peppers from the garden are a perfect opportunity to cook this easy, satisfying meal. I serve it over our favorite pasta, angel hair.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. mild Italian sausages (5 or 6 servings)
1 green bell pepper
1/4 Bermuda onion
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups prepared marinara sauce (store bought or homemade are okay)

About an hour before you plan to eat, fill large skillet with 1/2 inch of water. Place sausages in cold pan, cover, and cook over high heat until water boils. Keep pan covered and turn heat down to simmer. Peel garlic cloves, leave whole and place in pan with sausages. Wash, seed, and slice pepper into thin strips. Cut onion into rings. Place onion and pepper slices into skillet and cook 15 minutes. Add marinara sauce, stir all ingredients to coat. Keep skillet covered and over lowest heat. In the time it takes to prepare the pasta (optional), the sausages will be cooked -- and your kitchen will smell delicious!

Enjoy!

Julia's Sausage and Egg Casserole

Almost everyone I know has a recipe for this casserole. NanaJane cooks it in a deep bowl or souffle, so the inside remains quite soft. Grandma cooks it in a 9x13 glass baking dish, serving it in squares, and the texture is quite firm. I like to think mine is a happy medium, cooked in a loaf pan, turned out onto a platter, and sliced. But any way you serve it up, the best thing about this dish is that it offers up a lot of flavor... (but, shhh! it doesn't take a lot of work!) You can even make it the night before, which makes it a winner for special occasions.

Ingredients:

6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 lb. pork sausage (We use "Old Folks" brand, but choose your favorite.)

3-4 slices white bread, cut in 1 inch cubes

1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, salt, and mustard, mix thoroughly and set aside. In large frying pan, brown sausage and drain. Set aside. In ungreased standard-size loaf pan, layer bread cubes. Top with sausage, and pour egg mixture over all. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake at 35o degrees for 40-50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and turn out onto platter. Slice to serve.

Enjoy!