Category Archives: Sausage

Egg, Sausage, and Veggies

I wish I had a cutesy name for this dish but I don’t. You may recall me sharing Eggs and Zucchini before and it is still a favorite, but sometimes I want a little more pizazz from my breakfast, so here is what I came up with.

I finely diced a medium zucchini and put it into a frying pan with a little bit of oil.

Zucchini Hash ~ Lifeofjoy.me(It wasn’t quite this much but this picture gives you an idea, since I failed to take step by step pictures the other day. ;) )

I added some finely diced onion and diced mushrooms too. Seasoned with salt and pepper.

When it was nearly as done as I like them, I added about 2 ounces of bulk pork sausage, pinched off in smallish bits.

Then cooked it until it was nicely browned. :)

I scooted it all to the side and added a little more oil (or butter) to the pan and fried one egg.

When the veggies and sausage were done I put them on a plate, added a bit of nutritional yeast, and then topped it all with my fried egg (over easy).

Since I had the sausage, I only had one egg because I’m in that stage of my life when I need to be cautious about how much protein I should be eating to lose weight.

Egg, Sausage, and Veggies

Ingredients

  • medium zucchini
  • slice of onion
  • 2-3 mushroom
  • about 2 ounces sausage
  • egg
  • butter or oil

Instructions

  1. Dice the veggies and add to a skillet with about a teaspoon or so of oil or butter.
  2. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.
  3. Add sausage to the veggies.
  4. When nearly done, clear way to fry the egg.
  5. Serve with the cooked egg on top of the cooked veggies and sausage.
  6. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, if desired.
https://lifeofjoy.me/egg-sausage-and-veggies/

I hope you enjoy this yummy way to eat some veggies for breakfast.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Cajun Sausage, Rice, and Beans

I have made this recipe from Briana Thomas’ newest cookbook, Convenient Foods, several times. The first couple of times I made it we enjoyed it but the last several times we have loved it. :)

Start by water sauteing a chopped onion in your skillet or dutch oven. :)

I like my onions very soft and starting to brown before I add the next group of ingredients: cooked brown rice, drained canned kidney beans, 6.5 ounces of sliced turkey kielbasi, 1/4 cup water, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne.

It is very important to stir this all together, cover it, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Then add the optional 1/2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1/8 teaspoon THM Super Sweet. Cover and simmer 5 more minutes. This too is very important. It just really gives it a great flavor.

A couple times when I made this, I was out of smoked paprika but had plenty of plain paprika. So I added 1/2 tablespoon of paprika and then added a splash of liquid smoke. :) Yum!!!

Oh My! This is sooo good. It is making my mouth water and I’m full from eating my meal. :D

I also love her Hearty Barbecue Soup recipe. And I just saw that she has a birthday cake ice cream recipe. Birthday cake flavored ice cream is a new favorite flavor around here, so we’re going to have to give it a try.

Cajun Sausage, Rice, and Beans

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • 3 cups cooked brown rice
  • 15 ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
  • 6.5 ounce smoked lean turkey sausage (kielbasi), sliced
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 Tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • dash cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (optional)
  • 1/8 teaspoon THM Super Sweet Blend (optional)

Instructions

  1. Saute chopped onion in couple tablespoons of water until desired tenderness/color obtained, adding more water as needed.
  2. Add cooked brown rice, drained beans, sausage, water, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. (Add more water if it begins sticking.)
  3. Add vinegar and sweetener, stir, cover, and simmer another 5 minutes.
  4. Devour! 🙂
https://lifeofjoy.me/cajun-sausage-rice-and-beans/

If you haven’t gotten Briana’s cookbook, you really should. She has some great recipes in it. :) I make this one every couple of weeks. It is inexpensive and delicious. (The package of kielbasi from Aldi makes two batches. So I freeze half the sausage for use later in the month.)

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

THM Sausage Sandwich ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Sausage Sandwich (low carb version)

All the cheesy deliciousness of the full carb version sandwich. :)

One meal I really enjoyed before Trim Healthy Mama and keto was Sausage Sandwich which is a creamy, cheesy sausage meat filling on sub roll.

The picture I have here is not a very good one so I will try to get another next time I make this and upload it. ;)

I used turkey sausage this time but you can use any kind of bulk sausage you like. I’ve done it with both pork and turkey.

Start by browning the sausage.

Brown sausage ~ Lifeofjoy.meI cook my veggies in a separate pan because of picky eaters. ;) So I just used 1/2 and onion, about 1/3 green bell pepper, and about 4 ounces of mushrooms, all diced. I cook them with a little bit of coconut oil.

Cooked veggies ~ LIfeofjoy.meI started with the onions and mushrooms and had completely forgotten the green bell peppers, so I just pushed them to the side and added the peppers in. Saute until desired doneness.

Unfortunately, I forgot to get pictures after this point. :(  But when the sausage is browned, add the cream cheese and spices. I add onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to season the meat up for those picky eaters. ;) Also add in the Parmesan cheese.

I decided to use THM 15 minute focaccia bread in my largest glass baking dish. Next time I’ll make it in a cookie sheet, making it thinner.

Spread the meat mixture on top of the bread. Then top with cheese; I used mild cheddar this time but have used colby jack or mozzarella cheeses before enjoyably.

Put in the oven and melt the cheese. I prefer this as an open-face sandwich but you could just put the sausage filling on half of the bread and put the other half of the bread on top. :)

Sausage Sandwich (low carb version)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
  • 1 medium onion, chopped Or some onion powder
  • ½ cup chopped green pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or some garlic powder
  • 8 oz. package cream cheese (neufchatel works great)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh mushrooms
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 batch of low carb bread (I used THM 15 minute focaccia bread)
  • 6 oz. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Brown the sausage and drain the fat.
  2. Either saute the onions, peppers, and mushrooms in with the sausage or in a separate pan.
  3. If not using the veggies or sauteing separately, add about 4 or 5 shakes of onion powder, about 2 or 3 shakes of garlic powder, and oregano to the meat and stir.
  4. Now add in the cream cheese and shredded Parmesan cheese, melt and stir until combined.
  5. Then place 1/2 of your bread on the foil lined baking sheet.If you prefer your crust crisper, just put it on the cookie sheet.
  6. Sprinkle half the shredded cheese across the bread.
  7. Spread the cheesy meat filling on top of the cheese across the bottom of the loaf.
  8. Place the rest of the cheese on top of the sausage mixture.
  9. Place the remaining half of the focaccia on top of the meat and cheese.
  10. If using foil, wrap the foil up over the sandwich.
  11. Place in the oven.
  12. Bake on 375º for about 15 minutes to melt the cheese.
https://lifeofjoy.me/sausage-sandwich-low-carb-version/

I hope you enjoy this recipe makeover.

Until next time, God bless,

 Michele ºÜº

Breakfast Burrito ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Sausage Veggie Breakfast Burrito

Nice mix of veggies, sausage, and egg without any one ingredient being overbearing.

Last week I was hungry for a breakfast burrito and was so glad that I still had a Joseph’s Lavash left in the refrigerator. Half of one lavash is allowable once in a while on Trim Healthy Mama in an S meal. So I cut a lavash in half and Tiffany got half and I got half.

Cut a Joseph's Lavash ~ Lifeofjoy.meI put two to four ounces of sausage in my skillet and began to brown it.

Bulk Sausage in Pan ~ Lifeofjoy.meThen I grated a small to medium zucchini into the pan.

Grating in Zucchini ~ Lifeofjoy.meNext dice up a mini pepper or about a quarter of a medium bell pepper. I used a yellow one this time but any color will do.

Yellow Pepper ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdd it to the pan and saute.

Cooking vegetables and sausage ~ Lifeofjoy.meDice up one large mushroom and either one some tomato and add them as well. Season with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast, if desired. (The salt helps to draw out the moisture and cook the veggies.)

Breakfast burrito ~ Lifeofjoy.meYou can either add a bit of oil, like coconut oil, or just a bit of water, if things start sticking to your pan.

Slightly beat two to four eggs. The first time I made this I only used two eggs because we didn’t want egg to over power the taste but even though I wrote looked at what I’d written down previously, I did four eggs before I realized it. 😯 Not to worry though, we were still on plan, the egg did not over power the taste, and we had a lighter lunch.

Beat eggs ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdd these to the pan and mix in.

Eggs added to Burrito filling ~ Lifeofjoy.me (I was dealing with a very overcast morning, so some of the pictures did not turn out very good.)

When the egg is nearly cooked through, add two wedges of light laughing cow cheese. You could use the pepperjack version if you want it spicy.

Breakfast Burritos ~ Lifeofjoy.mePlace half of the filling on a lavash half, roll and enjoy. :) Tiffany puts hers on he length of the lavash.

Skinnier Burritos ~ Lifeofjoy.me

And I put mine down the width. Hers are skinnier than mine.Sausage Breakfast Burrito ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Sausage Veggie Breakfast Burrito

Ingredients

  • 2-4 ounces sausage
  • 1 Roma tomato, about 7 grape tomatoes, or a couple of slices of larger tomato
  • 1 mini pepper
  • 1 small to medium zucchini, shredded
  • 1 large mushroom, diced or sliced
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 wedges of Light Laughing Cow Cheese
  • 1 Joseph's Lavash cut in half
  • salt and pepper, as desired
  • Nutritional yeast, as desired (optional)

Instructions

  1. Brown the sausage and add the vegetables and cook to desired doneness.
  2. Season with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast (optional)
  3. Add beaten eggs and stir as they cook.
  4. Add the cheese wedges and blend with cooked sausage, veggies, and eggs.
  5. Place half the filling in a lavash half, roll up, and eat.
  6. (If you put the filling in the lavash over the length of the lavash, you may need to cut it in half to eat it properly. 😉 )
https://lifeofjoy.me/sausage-veggie-breakfast-burrito/

I hope you enjoy this yummy breakfast with hidden veggies. :)

Until next time, God bless,

 Michele ºÜº

Sausage egg and cheese biscuit ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit

This is so simple, it is hardly a recipe but maybe a menu idea instead. The delicious combination of sausage, egg, and cheese on a light biscuit.

I have recently been making this wonderful breakfast sandwich using Belle’s Biscuits, which a recipe in Kristie Sullivan’s new Keto Cookbook and on her youtube channel here. It is an easy mixer recipe, that whips up rather quickly. I have also made this with Mug Bread, which I shared here.

So here is how to do this simple breakfast. Start with a biscuit or mug bread, sausage, an egg, and some cheese; I used some mild cheddar.

Sausage, Egg, cheese, biscuit ~ lifeofjoy.meCut the biscuit in half and toast it or just heat it up.

Cut Biscuit ~ Lifeofjoy.meForm a patty out of some bulk sausage and cook. Cook an egg. Tiffany doesn’t like egg whites, so we scramble up her egg for this sandwich.

Sausage and Egg ~ Lifeofjoy.meI like to add butter or mayo to my biscuit/sandwich.

Butter the Biscuit ~ Lifeofjoy.meFlip the sausage and egg and cook to desired doneness.

Sausage egg and cheese biscuit ~ Lifeofjoy.mePlace the egg on the bottom half of the biscuit. (I overcooked my egg today but it was still delicious.)

Sausage egg and cheese biscuit ~ Lifeofjoy.meNext comes the sausage.

Sausage egg and cheese biscuit ~ Lifeofjoy.meAnd now add some cheese.

Sausage egg and cheese biscuit ~ Lifeofjoy.meAnd then put the top half of the biscuit or bread on top.

Sausage egg and cheese biscuit ~ Lifeofjoy.meIt really doesn’t matter that there is some overhang of delicious food. I just eat those bites first or with just a little nibble of the bottom part of the ‘bread’.

Sausage egg and cheese biscuit ~ Lifeofjoy.meSausage egg and cheese biscuit ~ Lifeofjoy.meThis is definitely one of my favorite breakfasts! :)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Chicken Sausage Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Chicken Sausage Mushroom Casserole

The combination of chicken, turkey sausage, mushroom, cauliflower and cheeses is like chicken and dressing without those carbs.

This is yet another wonderful recipe from Linda’s Low Carb Menus and Recipes. I don’t know why I don’t make this more often. We really like it and it is tasty. It tastes almost like chicken and dressing, at least when I make it with turkey sausage; I don’t think I’ve ever made it with pork sausage.

It is another of the recipes that I found when I did the hCg diet and was on phase 3. However when I was watching calories, I tried making it with less cheese and it just wasn’t creamy enough. But when you include all sixteen ounces of cheese and your cauliflower is nicely cooked, it is just delicious! :)

So let’s get to it.

Dice the celery and onion. I do it finely, because we do not like chunky crunchy veggies in our casseroles.

Chicken Sausage Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me Chicken Sausage Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meI start by sautéing them in a little coconut oil; I use refined coconut oil so there is no coconut flavor. Tiffany went a little overboard on the onion this day. ;) It was still delicious.

Add in the diced mushrooms. We don’t use the entire package, only about four ounces worth because Sean does not care for them. This is also why they are diced into small pieces rather than simply sliced. :)

Chicken Sausage Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meI like to lightly salt these because salt helps them release water and thus, speeds the cooking process.

When these veggies are well on their way to losing their crunch, I add the sausage to brown.

Chicken Sausage Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meWhile that is browning, I steam my cauliflower, unless of course, I have forgotten about it and need it quickly. In which case, I steam it in the microwave. Then give it a course chop. It’s already cooked and has lost it crunch so I don’t have to chop this too finely.

After the sausage is browned, add in the softened cream cheese and blend it in well. Add in the cooked chicken, cheddar, salt, and pepper. Spread into a greased 9×13 baking dish.

Chicken Sausage Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meBake at 350º for about 40 minutes, until the top is nicely browned. We accidentally left ours in a little longer this time. (I have no idea why this picture has a green hue.)

Chicken Sausage Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Chicken Sausage Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meThis is a hearty dish and there will be leftovers, even when I serve it to four hungry adults with no side dishes.

Chicken Sausage Mushroom Casserole

Ingredients

  • 3-4 cups cooked chicken, chopped (1-1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or the meat from a small-3½ pound-rotisserie chicken)
  • 1 pound sausage
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 tablespoon onion, diced
  • ¼-½ pound mushrooms, diced
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 16 ounces cauliflower, steamed
  • 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions

  1. Sauté onions, celery, and mushrooms, lightly salted
  2. Add sausage and brown.
  3. Stir in softened cream cheese, until well blended
  4. Add coarsely chopped cooked cauliflower and the rest of the ingredients.
  5. Spread into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
  6. Bake at 350º about 40 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and top slightly browned.
https://lifeofjoy.me/chicken-sausage-mushroom-casserole/

I hope you enjoy this.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Meaty Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Meaty Casserole

Very meaty bowls of deliciousness with lots of cheese!

This is a recipe I found years ago, shortly after I’d started my first low-carb diet. I copied it out of a book from the library but have been tempted to call it pizza bowls because it has all the things I love on pizza. It’s just that it doesn’t have enough sauce to really be a pizza bowl and of course, there’s nothing replacing the dough/crust. In the end, I opted to just leave it as meaty casserole.

So this is pretty simple and doesn’t take very long to accomplish either. It is made in individual serving bowls, so can be made to order. :) Thus, the kids and I use ground beef and Michael gets ground turkey.

So begin by browning the ground meat.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meSeason it with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me(This pan already had some grease from cooking some bacon or steakumms on it earlier. I didn’t bother to get rid of it but probably should’ve since my meat is a fatty one. ;) )

Add diced tomatoes, which I choose to puree with a stick blender.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me(I add a tiny bit of baking soda so that there is less chance of heartburn later.)

Meanwhile, make sixteen meatballs out of the Sweet Italian Sausage links. I don’t know how large the links are generally but these are rather large. I ended up only using one and a half.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me I think I’ll make twice as many but half as big, next time, since it is difficult to cut them when eating them. Smaller would definitely be better. Who knows, maybe there are only supposed to be four that size. ;)

Next add additional ‘toppings’. I add canned mushrooms and diced green pepper to Michael’s and mine. Sean and Tiffany do not care for those items. Next comes pepperoni, which I cut into quarters, so it’s more bite-sized.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me Top with the ground meat, after the tomatoes have thickened. (About 5-8 minutes)

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meI like to put some pepperoni before and some after the ground meat.

Then top with cheese.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meI like to put them all on a rimmed baking sheet so that it is easier to move them.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Bake at 400º for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Meat Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me

It’s supposed to have the shredded parmesan cheese added before baking but I always forget until just about the time I go to put it in the oven and then I’m in too big of a hurry, and decide to just wait until later. ;)

Meaty Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound ground meat
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 4 ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained
  • 1 teaspoon oregano or Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic or a sprinkling of garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion salt or a bit less onion powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 6 ounces pepperoni slices
  • 2 links Italian sausage
  • 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 2 cups shredded cheese of choice
  • 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400º.
  2. Brown ground beef over medium heat, drain, if desired. 😉
  3. Add tomatoes, which I purée first.
  4. Add 1/8 teaspoon or less of baking soda along with the other spices, salt and pepper.
  5. Cook until sauce thickens, about 5-8 minutes.
  6. Remove casing from Italian sausage and form into 16 small balls.
  7. Divide sausage, pepperoni, green pepper, and mushrooms between individual dishes.
  8. Add beef mixture to each.
  9. Top with 1/2 cup shredded cheese and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.
  10. Bake 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
https://lifeofjoy.me/meaty-casserole/

I hope you enjoy these. We have. :)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Pizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Pizza Topping Casserole

Craving the taste of pizza but shouldn’t have all that bread? Then this is your answer

Pizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meYears ago I did the HcG diet and the Atkins diet. Both are low carb diets; well, the HcG diet is low carb on one of its phases. Anyway, I found this wonderful recipe back then. On low carb, you cannot have bread and that leaves pizza out of my diet, which just does not work for me long term. I love pizza! So this helps fill that void.

The original recipe calls for one pound of bulk Italian sausage. Well, today I didn’t have that but I had some Italian link sausages filled with peppers and mozzarella cheese. So, that is what I used.

I like my veggies well done. Consequently I start by dicing and sauteing those first. Then I add the meat, to brown. Sometimes I have to add a bit of coconut oil to keep it from sticking to my pan (since my cast iron skillets are a bit abused ;) )

Pizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meWhile the meat is cooking, combine the heavy whipping cream, eggs, tomato sauce, and seasonings.

Pizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meWhen the meat is browned, add pepperoni and cubed cheese.

Pizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePour egg mixture over veggies, meat, and cheese.

Pizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.meBake at 350º for 45-55 minutes until nicely browned and knife inserted in the center comes out nearly clean.

Pizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.mePizza Topping Casserole ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Pizza Topping Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 4-8 ounces fresh mushrooms, diced
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup pizza sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano (or basil or Italian seasoning)
  • 3 1/2 ounces pepperoni, chopped (I used turkey pepperoni)
  • 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped (2 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced (1 ounce)
  • 8 ounces cheese (I used mild cheddar)

Instructions

  1. Saute veggies
  2. Add sausage and brown.
  3. Combine cream, eggs, tomato sauce, and seasonings
  4. Add chopped pepperoni and cheese to pan
  5. Pour egg mixture over veggies, meat, and cheese
  6. Bake at 350º for 45-55 minutes
https://lifeofjoy.me/pizza-topping-casserole/

Enjoy!

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Breakfast Burrito Bake

Breakfast Burrito Bake ~ LifeOfJoy.me
Bubble Bread and Breakfast Burrito Bake

For many years, for our Christmas Eve breakfast I have made Overnight Custard French Toast. I thought all the kids liked it but found out only this December that Tiffany doesn’t really care for it. I never knew!

A couple of years ago I decided to try an overnight crockpot breakfast casserole. I did not like it because it was too dry for my liking. So last year I went back to my old faithful standby. I found out that Lauren did not care for the overnight French toast, so I decided to try something else this year.

I have made Breakfast Burrito Bake several times in the past and thought this would be a good candidate for our Christmas Eve morning breakfast. The first time I made this I made it with the suggested can of enchilada sauce but we did not care for it that way. The place I got the recipe from suggested that a cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup could be substituted. This is the way we prefer it.

Unfortunately this has not been tested as an overnight recipe and I did not want to risk messing it up, so I had to make it fresh Christmas eve morning. Of course, as an insurance that everyone would have something they liked for breakfast, we decided to have Bubble Bread or Monkey Bread as well. This too has not been tested as an overnight dish and thus needed to be made fresh that morning. Fortunately my kids are helpful. Tiffany and Lauren weren’t feeling up to par but the boys were fine, so they made the Bubble Bread. We decided to make it in muffin cups instead of a bundt pan so that it got done faster.

Unfortunately I’m still a newb at all this blogging stuff and keep failing to take pictures as we are preparing food and before we make a mess of it all. ;)

Nearly gone Breakfast Burrito Bake ~ LifeOfJoy.me

I precooked the sausage with onion powder the night before to try and speed up the process in the morning. I also shredded the cheese and had it in the refrigerator ready to go the next morning.

In the morning I simply combined the sausage and hashbrowns and then added in the beaten eggs.

I sprayed the 9×13 pan with oil spray and put down a layer of tortillas, followed by half the sausage/hashbrown mixture, and then a cup of shredded cheese. Then repeated the layers. Afterwards another layer of tortillas.

Next I combined a can of cream of chicken soup with 3/4 cup of milk. Poured it on top of the tortillas and finally the last cup of cheese.

Then bake at 350º for about 30 minutes.

Everyone loved it. :) I can only hope that as our family grows (by my other kids getting married and then grandchildren coming along) that they will love it too because this is our new Christmas Eve morning tradition.

Until next time, God bless,

 Michele ºÜº

Breakfast Burrito Bake ~ LifeOfJoy.me
Bubble Bread and Breakfast Burrito Bake
Breakfast Burrito Bake

Ingredients

  • 16 oz bag frozen hashbrowns
  • 3 eggs, beaten slightly
  • 1 onion, diced (or onion powder)
  • 1# bulk sausage (I used chicken sausage)
  • 3 cups (12 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • flour tortillas

Instructions

  1. Brown sausage in a skillet with onion or onion powder, breaking the sausage up as it cooks.
  2. Combine hashbrowns, sausage and beaten eggs.
  3. Spray 9x13 pan with oil spray.
  4. Put down a layer of tortillas, then half the sausage mixture, then 1 cup shredded cheese.
  5. Repeat once
  6. Place another layer of tortillas on top of the cheese.
  7. Combine milk and soup and pour over the tortillas.
  8. Finish with the final cup of shredded cheese.
  9. Bake at 350º for about 30 minutes until cheese is completely melted and ingredients are headed through.
https://lifeofjoy.me/breakfast-burrito-bake/

Sausage Rice Dish

As I mentioned yesterday, we had a really busy (and fun) weekend. It was 11:30 before we were ready to go to bed Saturday night. I wonder if other people need the same “wind down” time we do when they get home around the time they usually go to bed — we need to chill for about an hour before going to bed.

Any way, Sunday morning was church and we were up early. Thankfully I had already gathered the stuff I would need for the day. We went to church and then went directly to the church my parents, sister and her family attend, as this is where the Christmas Blessing was being held for H.A.N.D.S. (the ministry of my brother-in-law and sister). We arrived around 12:15 and began preparing the food.

I messed up the rice. I put all ten pounds in a pan with the required water. I think it probably goes without saying that I have never made that much rice at once before. :\ Anyway, I put it on the burner to boil and went about prepping the other ingredients. A while later, my brother-in-law Mike (Yes, my sister and I both married Mikes; it has made our lives interesting. ;) ) smelled something burning a few minutes before I did. Turns out the rice was scorching before ever getting to a simmer. He was very gracious about it and dumped it and we started again. Thankfully their church is very near lots of stores. :) We then proceeded with the method that he was familiar with — put the rice in a large pan and twice as much water, cover with foil and bake on 350º for 45 minutes, check the rice for proper texture; add more water if necessary and bake for a few more minutes until it is the desired texture.

My parents and kids are a HUGE help!!!! At one point, my dad, Tiffany, Lauren, and Brian were all peeling potatoes. Some started dicing and my Mike started peeling. There were fourty pounds, so it took a bit to complete. My mom began dicing onions. As she was cutting the first one, she commented on how strong it was. Tiffany told her that she’d read that if you chew gum while cutting onions you won’t cry. Dad went out to their van and got her a piece from his stash. :) She diced about nine medium-large onions and did not shed one tear. Amazing!

By this time we’d gotten all the potatoes diced and in pots, beginning to heat up, on low. Potato dicers had moved on to mushrooms, which even my eight and six year old nieces helped with (using plastic knives). My dad moved on to slicing carrots on my mandolin, which eventually wore out his arms – yes both of them as he is ambidextrous in many things. I wish he would have said something, because I just didn’t think about it – we would have had someone take over for him, by the time I noticed, he only had a couple carrots left and would not let it conquer him. ;)

I began sauteing the onions, mushrooms, and carrots in olive oil with some salt and pepper. Mom finished dicing the onions and began browning the ten pounds of sausage. Lauren was watching pots of potatoes making sure that they did not go the way of the rice. ;) We had 3 large stock pots on a regular size stove. What I mean by this is that normal household stoves do not accommodate putting large pans on more than one burner. The stoves in this kitchen are the flat surface type but there is a little raised lip on the edge, which kept one of the pots from sitting completely on the heated surface.

By this time the potatoes started getting done. With the help of Mike (my brother-in-law), Mike (my husband), Brian, and Sean, we got the first pot of potatoes drained and in a large container for me to mash them. The idea was to make them a bit ‘runny’ or ‘loose’ so that they could sit in the foil roasting pan, covered with foil, in a warming oven for a couple of hours. The first batch worked great. The second batch had a few lumps and Brian used something and began mashing them by hand and they turned out fine. But that third pot of potatoes were not cooked as done. I did not catch it until I had started to mash them. You can just tell, as the mixer goes over those chunks of potato, if they are done right or not. This batch was not and I had already put the evaporated milk, butter, and salt in with them so there was no putting them back in the pot of water and boiling some more. We have now reached crisis number two. The decision was to add a bit of water, cover with foil, and put it in the oven in hopes that they will get softened up enough to mash.

Meanwhile, my Mike continually washes dishes and keeps things from getting out of control mess wise. You see, I’m a messy cook. Plain and simple. He saves me from myself and keeps things straighter than if I’m left to my own devices. :D

For a Crowd

With two pans of mashed potatoes in the warmer and the other in the oven, I began to work on the sausage rice dish. It is very much like the filling for the Breakfast Burrito without the cheese and two added ingredients: thinly sliced carrots and rice. Add a bit of oil to the skillet; I prefer olive oil. Now add in the onions, mushrooms, and carrots. To feed a crowd, we used roughly six pounds of onions, five pounds of mushrooms, and one and a half pounds of carrots with ten pounds of rice, ten pounds of sausage, and a ?24 ounce? bottle of olive oil.

Side Dish for 2-3 or Entree for 1

Sausage Rice Casserole ~ LifeOfJoy.me

As a side dish for two or three people you need:

  • about 1/3 cup of finely dice onion
  •  3 mushrooms diced
  • about an inch and a half of a carrot sliced very thin (either on the lowest setting on a mandolin or using a potato peeler)
  • about 1/2 tablespoon oil
  • 2-3 ounces of sausage, browned and drained (or cook in veggies later on)
  • about 1 cup of rice, cooked

As with the breakfast burrito filling, heat your pan with the olive oil. Add onions, seasoning lightly with salt to draw out the water quicker. Once those get a head start and are just softening a little bit, add the mushrooms with a little more salt. After about a minute, add the carrots. Turn down the heat so you don’t burn it, if you had it on high, like me. ;)

If I’m using turkey sausage, it is at this point that I add 2-3 ounces raw, to the veggies. Turkey sausage is leaner than pork sausage and what fat is released as it cooks flavors the veggies nicely. If using pork sausage you should probably brown it separately so it doesn’t drown the rest of the dish with grease. ;)

When the sausage is browned, add about 1 cup of cooked rice. I usually do this with leftover rice, so I don’t usually need any extra oil but if your rice is clumping together, add a tiny bit of oil – 1/2 teaspoon or less even – and some salt and pepper. You really need the pepper to make it taste good, but just a few twists of the pepper mill or shakes of the shaker. If the rice begins sticking to the skillet and you don’t want to add any more oil, move the ingredients away from where it is sticking and add in a little water. Now stir, scraping the browned bits off the bottom and mixing it in with the other ingredients.

When I made this Sunday I used freshly made rice. We browned the sausage, drained it and set it to the side. We sauteed the veggies and added them with the sausage. When everything was pre-cooked, we put some oil in our very large skillets, added several scoops of rice, and then several scoops of sausage veggie mix. Stirred it around breaking up the clumps of rice and making sure it was thoroughly combined, seasoning it with salt and pepper. At times the rice was too clumpy and I would add a tablespoon or so of olive oil to the top of the rice and mix it through.

I wish I had pictures of this but alas I don’t. I will take some the next time I make this here, which may not be for a while because with each skillet I mixed, I had to taste for proper seasoning. So, I’m really quite done with it now. ;)

Oh, as for that last batch of potatoes, they took forever to soften. We turned the heat up to 350º and added more water. They finally softened up enough that I could mash them without too many lumps. [I guess I should state here that we have always called them mashed but years ago I was introduced to a new term “whipped potatoes” and have realized that what we call mashed potatoes is really whipped potatoes because we use a mixer and want all of the lumps out.]

I hope you are having a fun and yummy holiday season! Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº