Beer Sausage Stuffed Zucchini

We got zucchinis from my boyfriend's mom's garden and I was trying to think of what to do with it all. This is what I came up with. It was delicious! I hope you will enjoy it just as much.

You will need:

1 large zucchini cut in quarters or 2 small ones cut in half
2 tbs oil
2 beer bratwurst sausages (not the precooked!)
1/4 of a red onion minced
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 small red potato shredded
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 tbs of  oats
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

I apologize ahead of time not all the prep steps have pictures, I prepped everything really fast and forgot to pause and take pictures on some of them lol This recipe is not hard to follow though!

Step 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2. Cut your if using 2 small zucchini in half and then spoon out the center leaving about a 1/4 inch of flesh, (I havent perfected the boat making process myself so it is ok if they are not perfect).
Step 3. Drizzle the oil into a baking pan, rub the oil onto the zucchini as well.

P.S. If you are using one large zucchini cut into quarters and then scoop the middle out. I had one large zucchini this time so here is an example below.  :-)

Step 4. Chop the scooped out zucchini into small pieces, mince the onion, shred the red potato (using a cheese grater), and shred the cheese.
Step 5. Remove the lining from the sausage links, this is easily done with a small sharp knife just put it under one edge of the lining and cut down to the other edge, the lining will peel right off the meat.
Step 6. Brown the sausage meat in frying pan on med-med/hi.
Step 7. Add the onions, shredded potato, chopped zucchini, garlic powder, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent and potatoes are tender. Then drain and empty into small bowl.

Step 8. Add oatmeal to sausage mixture and combine well.
Step 9. Stuff the zucchini boats with stuffing mixture and top with cheese

Step 10. Bake for 30 mins or until zucchini is tender but not mushy and cheese is melted and slightly brown.

That's it :-) 10 easy steps to get delicious stuffed zucchini!

Incredible Breakfast Casserole

I think this is one of the most delicious breakfast dishes I have ever made. Like most of my recipes it came out of looking through the fridge and cupboards wondering what to make and a hint of previous recipe knowledge but turned Jen style. I love doing breakfast for dinner it is simple and fun. I hope you enjoy this as much as my boyfriend and I did! It was great the next day too.

P.S.  Don't mind the crummy cell phone picture, I had to use a friend's phone and my camera was dead lol

I made a small version but I am going to post the full size version here. 

small amount of butter or butter spray

8 slices of a hearty sliced bread with the crusts removed (I used Udi's gluten free white bread)

4 smoked sausages diced (you can also use browned breakfast sausage)

1/4 cup of green onion diced

3 cloves of garlic minced (I love garlic you can use less)

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

8 eggs

2 cups of milk

seasoned salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking pan then lay the crust-less slices of bread in the bottom. If the entire bottom is not covered use small pieces of bread until it is. Evenly sprinkle the sausage, green onions, and garlic over the bread slices. Cover this with the shredded cheese. Beat the 8 eggs, milk, seasoned salt and pepper together. Pour carefully over the cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and eggs are fully cooked. Slice into squares and serve. It is good even at room temperature but make sure to refrigerate left overs if you have them!

Honey Dijon Potato Salad w/ Smoked Sausage

I should give some credit to my ex husband for this recipe, he was my inspiration in a way! We were talking about what I should make for our son's Boy Scout BBQ and he suggested potato salad. I declined the idea because that's the first thing everyone makes for BBQ potlucks. Am I right?

Well a couple hours later I was hungry and it was a really hot day. All of the sudden I was craving potato salad, but I didn't want the same old mayonnaise or vinegar based salad. I wanted something different. I also wanted to turn it into a meal. The recipe below is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy it!

6 small red potatoes quartered

2-3 smoked sausages sliced diagonally into 1/2 in pieces

2 garlic cloves minced

2 1/2 tbs of olive oil

2 tbs of honey Dijon mustard

1 tbs apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup green onions diced small

Scrub and quarter the potatoes. Boil until just tender about 15 mins. Drain and set aside in a large bowl. Drizzle frying pan with 1 tbs of olive oil, heat pan to med-hi and brown sausage slices. Add garlic stirring frequently cooking for 1 min. Add the sausage and garlic to the potatoes. In a small dish mix together the mustard and vinegar, slowly stir in the left over olive oil to make a dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the dressing over the potato/sausage mixture and toss until thoroughly coated. Sprinkle with green onions and give another light toss. Can be served warm or cold. 

This serves 2-3 people depending on appetite!