#3372 - Hot Sausage Dip

(by Shirley McNevich)

1lb. hot sausage
1 - 10oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
tortilla chips OR crackers

If hot sausage is in casings, remove the casings and crumble the sausage. In a skillet over medium heat add the crumbled sausage--cook/stir over medium heat until sausage is browned, then drain off the grease. Drain the can of diced tomatoes/green chiles but reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid. In a bowl add drained sausage pieces, diced tomatoes/green chiles, the 1/4 cup reserved juice and the softened cream cheese--stir until well mixed. Spread the mixture into a small baking dish. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbling hot. Serve with tortilla chips or good quality crackers.

#2988 - Brown Rice and Sausage

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 - 3.5oz bags Uncle Ben's quick-cooking brown rice (boiling bags)
1 cup chicken broth (more if necessary)
1 onion (chopped)
1/2 of a green bell pepper (chopped)
1/2 of a red bell pepper (chopped)
1lb. good quality smoked sausage OR hot sausage

Boil both bags of brown rice in water according to box directions. While the rice is cooking, cut the sausage into coin shaped pieces. In a skillet over medium heat add the sausage pieces--cook/stir until sausage is browned. Cover a plate with paper towels and remove the sausage pieces one at a time and place them on the paper towels to drain. Reserve any sausage drippings in the skillet. In the same skillet add red bell peppers, green bell peppers, chopped onions and a little bit of the reserved sausage drippings--cook/stir over medium heat until tender. Add the chicken broth to the onion mixture--cook/stir until boiling. When rice is done cooking, open the bags and add the rice to the chicken broth mixture--stir. Add the drained sausage pieces, salt and pepper to the chicken broth mixture--cook/stir until hot. If you want more sausage flavor in the rice, add more of the sausage drippings.

#960 - Hot Sausage Sandwiches

(by Shirley McNevich)

long sandwich rolls
hot sausage OR kilelbasa OR bratwurst
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 large onion
olive oil

Wash, slice and remove seeds from all of the bell peppers--cut all peppers into slices, then cut each slice in half. Wash and slice onions, then slice into pieces the same size as the sliced peppers. Place sliced peppers and sliced onions in a large bowl--pour some olive oil over them (your choice of amount) and toss until they are mixed and coated. Tear off a large piece of aluminum foil and spray it with Pam. Dump the coated peppers in the center of the foil and fold up the sides of the foil and close the top (if you're making alot of peppers and onions, you may have to use an extra sheet of foil on the top). Place the entire pack on the grill near the flame and cook until the peppers are tender. As peppers and onions are cooking, start cooking hot sausage (or kielbasa, bratwurst) on the top shelf of your grill according to package directions. When hot sausage is well heated, place one hot sausage on each long sandwich roll and top with heaping amounts of grilled peppers and onions. You can adapt this recipe for indoors by placing the foil pack of peppers and onions in a large baking dish--bake at 350 degrees until peppers and onions are tender. Prepare hot sausage (or kielbasa, bratwurst) according to package directions.