Yum Yum Gimme Some

Three Cheese Sausage Manicotti

1 lb Spicy Italian Sausage, bulk or casings removed (I can usually only find Premio)

3 tsp Olive Oil

18 Manicotti shells (I could only find Ronzoni brand - 1-1/2 boxes)

2 lbs Ricotta cheese, whole milk

3 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp fresh Italian Parsley, chopped

4 cups Tomato Sauce (I use Tuttorosso Tomato & Basil because it's cheap and Dave loves it - 1-1/2 jars)

Put large stockpot of salted water on to boil. Heat large, heavy pan over high heat. Add sausage in small chunks and brown, stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Brush large baking sheet with 1 tsp olive oil. Carefully place manicotti in boiling water, stir gently, and cook for 4-6 minutes, until they begin to soften but are still quite firm. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon, and spread out on baking sheet to cool.

While manicotti are cooling, combine ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, 3/4 cup Parmesan, parsley, and sausage in a large bowl. Brush 13" x 9" x 2" D baking pan with 2 tsp Olive Oil. Spread 2 cups tomato sauce on bottom of pan.

Carefully stuff manicotti shells with filling, and place them in the pan. Spread 2 cups tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.

If making ahead, cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Remove plastic wrap and foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling at the edges.

This was enough for 4 people, most of which were big eaters, with 3 manicotti leftover for lunch split between me and my boss the next day. I would probably be comfortable serving this to 6 people.

In the Morning, In the Evening...

It seems like we have Sausage and Peppers a lot over here! It's something that I know Dave loves, and it's always so easy to make. We've been so busy lately that it's been hard to make anything worthwhile for dinner.

Sausage, Peppers, and Potatoes

4 large Potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 Yellow Onion, halved and sliced
4 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips
1 Green Bell Pepper, cut into strips
1 lb Spicy Italian Sausage, sliced into 3/4" chunks
Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss potatoes, onion, olive oil, and salt & pepper together until well coated. Place in baking pan large enough for one layer without severe crowding. Cover tightly and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover, mix in peppers, sausage, and basil. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, stirring once, until sausage is well browned. (If using an instant read thermometer, internal temp must be at least 160 degrees.) Serve hot!

Do You Think We Can Pick Up...

Just got back from our annual trip to the DSM Shootout. Basically, hundreds of people that are all into a specific kind of car get together in northern Ohio for a weekend of racing, drinking, and overall misbehavior. Some of our regulars weren't able to make it this year due to work obligations, and one friend had to back out at the absolute last minute due to illness. We didn't manage to find a tow vehicle until 4 days before the event, and had to have it fitted with a tow hitch before it was usable. Plus, I had a soccer tournament the Saturday before, and played a game or practice every night after that. The week was chaotic, to say the least.

We arranged to meet at 7:30am near our house, to get started on the long drive at a reasonable hour. Dave, Ira, and I were at the parking lot at 7, loading the 4g63-powered Challenger onto a rented trailer. I texted the other guys at 7:25, just to make sure everyone was awake. At 7:45, Cory let me know that Derek had just woken up and was on his way. They finally met up with us around 8:30, and then we found out that they had all stopped for breakfast together on the way! We didn't let any of this phase us, just hopped in the trucks and got down to business. We only stopped once along the way, for gas and lunch, and managed to do the whole trip in 8-1/2 hours.

As soon as we arrived, Dave pulled the Challenger off the trailer, Ira stuck the trailer in a back parking lot, and I walked around collecting our money for rooms. Every year, the three hotels that all of the attendees stay at inflate their prices for the one weekend. Since we're still staying at an Econolodge, though, the prices end up still being pretty cheap per person. Our friends from previous years, primarily from Wisconsin, plus a bunch of new people that they'd brought with them, were already spread out on the neighboring lawn, drinking and grilling. We settled into our rooms, bringing out the fold up chairs and BMX bicycles that we always carry with us. Ira found a mailbox on a post in the bed of the borrowed truck, and managed to affix it to the drainpipe next to our rooms. We always make it easy to find us!

Everyone relaxed together like we had never left, comparing stories from the past 12 months as we watched more and more people arrive. Later on, we loaded in to the trucks and made a run up to Steak & Shake for some dinner, stopping on the way back for a lot of alcohol. While we were gone, the sun had gone down, and people had started to get a bit wild. Friday night is usually pretty calm, since most people don't arrive until Saturday, but not this year. All three of the hotels were packed, and the Econolodge seemed to be overflowing. As always, there were beer pong tables on the grass and foot races in the parking lot, with the occasional burnout thrown in. The last of our friends from Wisconsin showed up around 3am, and I went to bed not long after that.

At 6am, I was awakened by a loud banging on our door. Dave and Ira didn't move, so I got up to find out who it was. I checked the peep-hole, but couldn't see anyone there. So, stupidly, I opened the door...and found Matt! He had suddenly been able to take Saturday off, so had left immediately following work the night before, and had arrived not long after I went to sleep. Ira had posted a picture of the mailbox on Facebook, so Matt knew which room was ours immediately. He said that he had banged on our door a few different times, but nobody had answered. I'm not sure why he didn't just call one of our cell phones. I was so happy to see him; I gave him a big hug...and then went right back to bed, haha.

After another hour of sleep, Dave woke me up with a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant and orange juice from Burger King next door. Mmmm, the only time the whole year that we would ever eat fast food for breakfast! Dave and Ira were dressed long before Matt and I, so they headed over to the car show, and we followed a bit behind. The rest of the guys were still sleeping, as expected. The car show is about twenty minutes away in a teeny tiny, one-traffic light town called Wakeman, OH. The shop that puts on the event holds an open house, complete with car show, refreshment vendors, and a dyno competition. They actually shut down the main street in the town, and let us take over. It was incredibly hot and sunny, so after a quick lap around the grounds to look at anything interesting, I settled in next to the Challenger and relaxed. Between a chair in the sun, some grass in the shade, and a giant fresh lemonade, I was all set. Throughout the day, we ran into pretty much everyone that we knew, and made some new friends that we would meet up with at the hotel later on. Dave's friend Mike and his wife Krysti arrived from Cincinnati early in the afternoon. The remaining NY crew showed up from the hotel, but by then we were all dripping in sweat and ready to head back.

It felt late when we got to the hotel, but it was only around 2:30pm. Everybody crashed, most of us even taking naps. I didn't get any sleep, but it was nice to just lay around for a little while. I spent a few hours chatting with the Wisconsin guys, and ate some awesome Oreo ice cream with Cory. Around 7, everyone finally got up, and Cory, Krister, Scott, Derek, and I went to Cracker Barrel for dinner. According to Dave, things got pretty out of hand while we were gone, including Ira doing burnouts in our borrowed tow vehicle, and a silver Evo flying by on the main street doing over 100 mph, with two cops following much more slowly behind. From what we hear, the guy wasn't caught, and nobody seems to know who he was. The police then pulled over every single silver Evo they saw for the rest of the weekend, which was quite a few, given the event we were there for. The parking lot was completely packed when we came back from dinner, including the upaved areas behind the hotel, and the lots next door. We squeezed into a small empty area, and jumped right into the mayhem. Low points (or highlights, depending on your perspective) of the night included: a footrace that ended in roadrash, some scary guy bringing over a stripper, shooting everything (including people) with the pellet gun, somebody with a taser?!, drinking 2 bottles of Arbor Mist Sangria, and a guy with a penis on his shirt that looked like it was realistically sticking up out of his pants. I was exhausted and had to get up early for the track, and went to bed around 2am. At 2:30, Cory sent me a text message that they were putting someone's wave-runner in the swimming pool. I didn't get up, figuring there would be a video in the morning, and I was right.

We made it over to the track in the morning not long after the gates opened. Dave was able to get into the staging lanes quite early, did an incredible burnout, and then couldn't build any boost on the line. He drove the car out pretty slowly, and I thought I heard him hit the rev limiter between first and second gears. Back in the pits, it turns out that the car was breaking up past 6k rpms. After checking every possible option, including unmounting the MSD ignition system to check its setup, I discovered that the tach was actually incorrect. It was reading 6k when it was really at 8k, and the sound I heard before the shift really had been the rev limiter. Armed with this new information, he took the car out for another pass, only to find that he still couldn't rev past 3k rpms on the line, so couldn't build any boost. At this point, both passes were in the 13.50 range. Frustrated that the newly refurbished converter had a problem again (the same problem that kept the car out of the race last year), Dave decided to run the car in the slow bracket class just to keep running. He was probably the only 500+ hp car there running in the 13 second and slower class, haha. The first car he competed against broke out, so he made it past the first round, but lost on the second race. At least the day was salvaged by some fun, and the car was still running and driving fine, it just couldn't launch.

Sweaty, dirty, and tired, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up, and then on to Red Lobster for our traditional Sunday night-end of the trip-Dave's birthday dinner. As always, I ate more that night than I do at any other meal the entire year, since it's the only time we ever go to that restaurant. Some of the guys were getting rather cranky with each other, after a few long days spent together. Most people leave right after the event, so only a couple of small groups were at the hotel when we got back. Matt and Krister packed up and started driving home, since Matt had to be at work Monday morning. Ira went to bed right away, and was followed pretty quickly by Dave. The rest of the group sat around with the Wisconsin and New England guys, waiting for some waitresses from Red Lobster that meet up with us every year. Not long after they arrived and started playing drinking games, I headed to bed, too.

The drive home was pretty much uneventful, and we made it with about a half hour to spare returning the trailer. Then it was off to Mom & Dad's house for birthday cake and presents, and to pick up the dogs. As always, we had an absolute blast on the trip, and have tons of stories to tell, most of which no one else will understand! :-)

...When You Know Who You Are

Last night's dinner was similar to something I've made before (Things Can Get a Little...), but it was even better! I think it's even more spicy when reheated.

Sausage, Peppers, and Onions
Meets Mexican Rice

1 lb Spicy Italian Sausage, bulk or links with casings removed
1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 can Rotell
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
2 cups Chicken Broth
1 packet Goya Sazon
1 cup medium grain Rice

Tear the sausage into small pieces, place in large skillet with cover or chef's pan, and cook until brown. Remove with slotted spoon and reserve. Add onion to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add peppers and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in Rotell and tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and sazon and stir well. Stir in rice and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes without removing cover. Stir and cook 5 more minutes or until rice is ready.

Same Old Situation...

Monday night, I used up the last of a bulk pack of pork chops. I think it was 10 of them for $10, and I split them into pairs and froze them. These last two were over an inch thick, and I only had time to pan-sear them, so I was getting nervous that they were way too crunchy on the outside while waiting to get the centers cooked. They ended up being beautifully done and juicy! We hadn't had risotto in a while, and I try to force green beans on Dave at least once a month. He'll eat them, he just doesn't really like them.

Pan-Seared Pork Chops in Sweet Balsamic Glaze

Tomato-Red Onion Risotto

and Green Beans

2 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 tbsp Butter
1/2 Red Onion, diced
1 medium Tomato, cored and diced
1 cup Arborio rice
3 cups Chicken broth (I only use Swanson - 100% fat free, Low Sodium, No MSG)

Heat the olive oil and butter in a small saucepan until the butter melts. Add the onion and tomato, and stir together quickly. Allow to cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place 1 cup chicken broth in a small pan and heat to simmer. Add rice to the vegetables and stir together, allowing to cook for one minute. Make sure the rice doesn't brown! Stir in one cup of broth and keep at low boil until most broth is absorbed, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, place another 1 cup in small pan to simmer. Add the second cup of broth and stir, again keeping at low boil until most broth is absorbed, stirring occasionally. While this is happening, put last 1 cup broth in small pan to simmer. When ready, stir in final cup of broth. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until most liquid is absorbed. Risotto should be slightly firm, but creamy. Place in serving bowl and allow to stand 1 minute before serving.
Tip: Risotto retains a lot of heat. If it is finished before the rest of the meal, leave it covered in the serving bowl for 5 minutes or so, and it will still be piping hot when served.

2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 pork chops, trimmed
Salt & Pepper
1/4 Red Onion, small dice
1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar
3 tbsp Brown Sugar

Heat olive oil in frying pan. Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. Place pork chops in pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. (Mine took much longer because they were so thick.) Remove and keep warm. Add red onion to pan juices and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Carefully stir in vinegar and sugar, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over pork chops and serve immediately.
Tip: I drizzled some of the balsamic glaze on the green beans, and my husband actually ate more than his usual three pieces!

To make the green beans, trim fresh beans, or buy bagged pre-washed and trimmed beans. Boil water in a large pot. Add beans and cook at boiling for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to keep them a nice bright green. Serve!
Tip: Put the green beans water on to boil first, then start the risotto. Put the beans in to cook when you start the balsamic glaze.

Mmmmm...leftovers for lunch!