Zesty Italian Sausage, Pepper & Onion Grinders

If you’re looking for a great crowd-pleaser for the upcoming Labor Day weekend, here’s an easy grilling favorite. Mike and I recently relocated from New England; and one of the food favorites we miss the most is sausage, pepper & onion grinders. Whether at the old Boston Garden, or just attending the state and county fairs, that enticing aroma would reel us in each and every time. This is one of those occasional indulgences we so looked forward to (and still do). I put my own spin on this classic, by marinating the veggies in Zesty Italian dressing before “steaming” on the grill.  I wish I could put a “scratch & sniff” sticker under the photo above, so you can experience for yourself how wonderful this smells while cooking.

Obviously, you will need an assortment of bell peppers. I like to combine red, yellow and green bell peppers. The bright color combination just adds to the appeal. You’ll also need some onions; I prefer the sweeter taste of Vidalia onions. Please note: I "doubled" the recipe when I last made it, so my ingredients photo shows more than you will need. For the dressing, look for the zesty Italian dressing; it’s got more garlic and herbs and "wow" factor. And, last but not least, you’ll need sausages. Use hot, sweet, or a combination of both. (Oh, and don't forget the rolls for serving.)

Wash and seed the bell peppers and cut into strips.

Halve the onions and cut into strips.

I use a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag to marinate the veggies. Place all the pepper and onion strips in the bag. Pour the bottle of Italian dressing over all.

Seal bag, and refrigerate (by laying down flat) for at least an hour. The longer you marinate, the more the flavors will infuse....melding magic.

When ready to grill, remove vegetables from the refrigerator and pour entire contents of bag into a grill-proof baking pan. A 9x13” pan should be sufficient. Don’t panic when you look at my photo; again,I doubled the recipe in these photos. I’ve always cooked enough for an army. My motto always was, and still is:  nobody ever leaves my table hungry. You will only have half that amount. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil. Cook on preheated grill, with cover down, until vegetables are crisp-tender (or the texture you like them). This will probably take at least 30 to 40 minutes. Just keep checking. Be careful when checking; as you lift the foil, the steam will be intense. Doneness depends on your personal preference. 

Remove from grill and keep warm.

Meanwhile, add sausages to a large pot of boiling water and parboil for 10 to 15 minutes. Again, this is a personal preference. The sausages grill much faster when parboiled first. Then all you really need to worry about is browning them, without charring them to death in order to ensure they are thoroughly cooked through. After parboiling, transfer to plate and put aside until you are ready to grill them.

When ready, place sausages on grill. For best results, start cooking over indirect heat (to avoid flare-ups). Just before you are ready to serve, transfer to direct heat to get a nice brown color. Internal temperature of sausages should be 160° F. for perfect doneness.

(Photo Courtesy of:  Mike Vrobel @ www.dadcooksdinner.com)

Toast grinder rolls.

To serve, split grinder rolls, add sausages (whole or split) and top with peppers and onions.  A side of chips and beer, and it’s a wonderful life! It doesn’t take much to make me happy.

ZESTY ITALIAN SAUSAGE, PEPPERS & ONIONS
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com


INGREDIENTS:

• 6 bell peppers (2 red, 1 yellow, 3 green), seeded and cut into strips
• 2 Large Vidalia Onions
• 1 (8- ounce) bottle Zesty Italian salad dressing
• 2 (16-ounce) packages sausages (sweet, hot or combination of both)
• Grinder Rolls, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. In gallon-sized zippered plastic bag, add peppers and onions. Pour Italian dressing over all.
    Seal bag, and refrigerate to marinate at least one hour.
2. Meanwhile, add sausages to pot of boiling water and parboil for 10 to 15 minutes. Put on
    plate and set aside.
3. Remove vegetables from refrigerator and pour contents, including dressing, in a grill-proof
    Baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil and cook on pre-heated grill until fork tender. Remove
    from grill and keep warm.
4. Grill sausage. For best results, start cooking over indirect heat (to avoid flare-ups). When
    almost done, transfer to direct heat to brown. Internal temperature should be 160° F. Toast
    grinder rolls.
5. To serve, split grinder rolls, add sausages (whole or split), and top with peppers and onions.

Mexican Meat Loaf

As you will soon discover, I have a passion for spicy food. So when I found a recipe for meat loaf that has a little “kick” to it, I had to give it a try. I’ve renamed this recipe Mexican Meat Loaf, because the ingredients include chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper, giving it a nice Mexican flair. It is so packed with flavor. In addition to the Mexican spices, there’s also garlic, onion, red bell pepper and grated carrot. Although there’s an overwhelming variety of meat loaf recipes out there, this one has become my all-time favorite.


Here's all the ingredients you need for the meat loaf (glaze ingredients will follow):

First you will be making a seasoned bread crumb mixture, using the croutons and seasonings. In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder and thyme. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.

Now prepare the veggies: chop half of an onion, peel and grate 2 carrots, mince 3 garlic cloves and dice half of a red bell pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef with the chopped onion, grated carrots, minced garlic, red bell pepper, the bread crumb mixture, salt and egg. Now take off your rings and, using your hands, mix well to evenly distribute ingredients.

You now need to mold the shape of the meat loaf. The easiest way to do that is to mold it using a loaf pan. Spray the pan first with cooking spray (for easier removal). Transfer meat mixture to the loaf pan. Press and shape until it all holds together. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Turn the meat loaf out of the pan and onto the baking sheet. I used to always cook my meat loaves directly in the loaf pan, but it actually cooks much faster this way, which is a big plus if you are in a rush to get dinner on the table.

Put the meat loaf in a preheated 350° F. oven. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the catsup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and honey. Stir well to combine.

When the 10 minutes is up, take the meat loaf out of the oven and spread the glaze over the top. Return meat loaf to the oven and bake for an additional 35 to 50 minutes. (Mike has to have his beef well done, so I go with the longer time.)

Gone are the days of the dreaded boring meat loaf.

MEXICAN MEAT LOAF
Source: Good Eats (Alton Brown), Food Network
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

 
INGREDIENTS:

Meat Loaf:

• 6 ounces garlic-flavored croutons
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 onion, chopped fine
• 2 carrots, peeled and grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Dash Worcestershire sauce
• Dash hot pepper sauce
• 1 Tablespoon honey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350° F.
2. In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder and
    thyme. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place ground beef in large bowl. Add
    grated carrots, minced garlic, red bell pepper, bread crumb mixture, salt and egg. Combine
    well.
3. Spray a 10-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Pack the meat mixture into loaf pan to mold the
    shape of the meatloaf. Turn the meatloaf out of the pan and onto a foil-lined baking sheet.
4. Combine the catsup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and honey. After the
    meat loaf has been cooking for about 10 minutes, spread the glaze over the top.
5. Bake at 350° F. for 45 to 60 minutes (total cooking time).

Yield: 6 servings

Cinnamon Roll Swirl Cake

I just couldn’t wait to share this recipe. I found it online a couple of weeks ago (original source noted below) and it looked so good, I had to make it immediately. So glad I did. Wow! Easy, delicious and that heavenly scent of home-baked cinnamon buns will leave you anxious to take that first bite. I wish I would have taken more photographs while preparing this, but I was a little rushed for time that day. Please don’t let that stop you from trying this recipe. It is so worth it. 

Like I said, preparation is easy.  In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, sugar baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Slowly pour in melted butter. Pour into a greased 9x13” pan.

For topping, mix together butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. The cinnamon filling will be a little thick.  Using a spoon, drop evenly over the batter. Now for the fun part…….swirl it. Insert butter knife and swirl away. I usually swirl in different directions 2 or 3 times to get a nice even distribution.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Place on a cooling rack and let sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Pour glaze over warm cake; and try to resist the urge to not devour it immediately.

Food for thought: My initial impulse after baking this was to store it in an airtight container and leave it on the counter. Then I remembered that there was milk included in the glaze. Now what? So, I looked it up online. That's quite a controversial question. The responses I found were inconclusive. Some say that when powdered sugar and milk are combined, there is some kind of "melding magic" and refrigeration is not required. Most say they don't like the texture of cake after refrigeration, so they choose not to. Yet, others say: "if there's dairy in the glaze, you must refrigerate." So, what do you think? Would love to hear your thoughts.

CINNAMON ROLL SWIRL CAKE
Source: www.pamperedchef.biz/cherylsinspiration
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

 
INGREDIENTS:
Batter:

• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping:

• 1 cup butter, soft to the point of almost melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 Tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together except for the butter.
2. Once mixed ...slowly pour in the butter.
3. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.
4. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
5. Using a spoon, drop evenly over the batter. Swirl with a knife a couple of times.
6. Bake at 350 for 35-45 min.
7. Transfer to cooling rack. Let sit for 30 min.
8. Whisk together glaze ingredients. Pour glaze over warm cake.