unlikely creation

​Another recipe that my son-in-law recently forwarded to me was for Sausage and Grits Lasagna. The recipe was found on the website for Country Living Magazine and was described as a hearty casserole. It sounded like a meal that would be heavy on the stomach, but quite truthfully it was totally delicious and light!
 
For the recipe you’ll need stone-ground grits (I prefer Geechie Boy from South Carolina), parsley, salt and pepper, sweet Italian sausage, olive oil, yellow onion, red bell pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, dry white wine, petite diced tomatoes, 6-ounches provolone, fresh basil and fennel seed. The recipe takes approximately one hour and 25 minutes from start to finish. The first thing you’ll need to make is the grits as they take approximately 25 minutes to cook. Once you have the grits going, it’s on to sautéing the sausage. To make them easier to cook, I removed the sausage from its casing. After the sausage has browned, it’s removed from the pan and kept warm. 

​Once the grits and tomato sauce are made, it’s assembly time! I used a 13-inchx9-inchx-2-inch Pyrex dish. It gave the casserole plenty of room for baking. I also lightly buttered the casserole dish before starting (I save butter wrappers in my freezer for this purpose.) The first layer are grits, followed by the tomato sauce and a cup of shredded provolone cheese. Top with the rest of the grits and the remaining cheese. If serving once prepared, you need to bake for 12 to 15 minutes to heat everything through. Lastly, the casserole goes under the broiler to brown the cheese.
 
My husband and I loved this dish! As I said before, it was light, flavorful and had a nice kick with the little bit of red pepper flakes. This is a great weeknight meal.
 
Another terrific meal we had is one that my daughter found on the website www.halfbakedharvest.com for Sheet Pan Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken and Crispy Brussel Sprouts. She said the thing that took the longest was pulling all the ingredients for the sauce. This recipe has a prep time of 15 minutes and a cook time of 20 minutes.
 
For the recipe you’ll need boneless chicken breasts, an egg, flour, salt and pepper, Brussels sprouts, extra virgin olive oil, low sodium soy sauce, pomegranate juice (can substitute apple cider or orange juice), honey, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, molasses or pomegranate molasses (pomegranate molasses can be found at Wegmans), creamy peanut butter, garlic, fresh ginger, red pepper flakes, rice, sesame and green onions for serving.
 
What a great sheet pan meal. Once I had the sauce made, it was on to preparing the chicken. The chicken is added to a bowl with a beaten egg and a pinch of salt. Next, it’s dredged in flour. The chicken is placed on half of the sheet along with the halved Brussels sprouts on the other side. The chicken and sprouts cook in a 475° oven for 15 minutes. Toss the sprouts, turn the chicken over and lower oven temperature to 400°. A tablespoon of olive oil goes over the sprouts and some of sauce gets poured over the chicken for another 3 minutes of baking.
 
I served the chicken and Brussel sprouts over basmati rice. The chicken was succulent.  The sauce made the chicken caramelized and the sprouts were tender and browned to perfection. A great one pan, one pot meal! My late mother-in-law would approve. If a recipe took more than three pots, she didn’t make it!

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Sausage & Grits Lasagna
Country Living Magazine
By Taylor Murray
June 10, 2010
 
Yield: 6-8 servings
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
 
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 c. stone-ground grits
1/3 c. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
6 oz. provolone, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
Fresh basil leaves and side salad, for serving
1 tsp. fennel seed, crushed
 
DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Slowly whisk in grits. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often (grits will bubble in spots), until liquid has absorbed and grits are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Season with salt.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up into small pieces, until browned and slightly crispy, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; reserve skillet.
3. Return reserved skillet to medium heat. Add oil, onion, and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes. Cook, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add wine and simmer until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cooked sausage to skillet; toss to combine.
4. Spread half the grits (about 2 1/2 cups) in the bottom of a broiler-safe, 2 1/2-quart casserole dish. Top with sausage mixture and sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Top with remaining grits and cheese. Bake until heated through, 12 to 15 minutes. Switch oven to broil. Broil, 6 inches from heat, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve topped with basil and a salad alongside.

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​Sheet Pan Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken and Crispy Brussels Sprouts
By Tieghan Gerard
From her website www.halfbakedharvest.com
September 16, 2020
 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Times: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 407 kcal
 
INGREDIENTS
 
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose or gluten free all-purpose flour
kosher salt and black pepper
¾-pound brussels sprouts, halved
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil
2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup pomegranate juice (equal amounts of apple cider or orange juice are great substitutes)
1/4 cups honey
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses or pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1-inch fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, use more or less to taste
rice, sesame seeds, and green onions, for serving
 
INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with oil.
2. Add the chicken, egg, and a pinch of pepper to a bowl. Toss to combine. Add the flour to another bowl. Dredge the chicken in batches through the flour, tossing to coat. Place the chicken on one side of the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Add the brussels sprouts to the other side of the pan and toss with 2 tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange cut side down. Bake for 12 minutes. Toss the sprouts, flip the chicken and return to the oven another 3-5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Reduce the oven temp to 400 degrees F.
3. 3. Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, pomegranate juice, honey, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, molasses, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan. Set over medium-high heat and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil 5-8 minutes, until the sauce thickens and reduces by about 1/3. Remove from the heat.
4. 4. Pour half the sauce over the chicken, tossing to combine. Toss the sprouts with 1 tablespoon oil. Return everything to the oven for 3 minutes, until the sauce coats the chicken, watch close the sauce can burn.
5. 5. Serve the chicken and sauce over bowls of rice topped with additional green onions, pomegranate arils, and sesame seeds. Serve the brussels sprouts on the side.

 

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