Weekend Rest and Recipes...

Good Morning!

This picture sums up my weekend pretty well. I was under the weather for most of Saturday, so I had a hot date with my couch and Christine! She is the best person to bring for a couch date-all she wants to do is sleep...

And sleep, and sleep, and sleep...

Which kind of got me thinking: What if I had two Bassets to nap with when I'm sick, instead of just one? Which then lead to looking up Basset Hound puppies, which ultimately lead to me seriously considering adding another little girl to my crew! We'll see...

via

During this day of puppy-contemplating and sickness, I remembered that I DVR'd Country Strong, so I decided to watch. Let me just say, I wasn't expecting it to be so dang depressing! Someone should have warned me! I wanted to smack Gwyneth Paltrow's character, then Hug Tim McGraw and tell him everything's going to be okay! Of course, I'm sure in real life he the happiest guy on earth-who wouldn't be if they were married to Faith Hill...

Anyways, I had to debrief after that one by watching Pioneer Woman, which then got me in the mood to cook her Chicken Fried Steak...

Needless to say, her pictures are much prettier (and her gravy is a whole lot smoother!), but it tasted delicious! The Boyfriend had never heard of such a Southern dish, and I highly recommend this recipe for any first timer's! 

Last night, I made Sausage and Peppers with Rice Pilaf. They're both tasty dishes that work well together and aren't to difficult to make...

For the Sausage and Peppers, you'll need:

• 5 uncooked Italian Sausages-I like mine super spicy!
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 1 large Sweet Yellow Onion, sliced
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 red peppers, sliced thin
• 2 green peppers, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup dry white wine-I just used some pinot grigio I had in the fridge
• Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

First, brown the sausages on all sides in a skillet over medium heat, then remove and let them cool. Melt the butter in the same skillet, then cook the onion slices until they are translucent-usually takes 3 minutes. Add the garlic and let it cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Toss in your peppers and wine and stir until the peppers become tender. Season everything with salt and pepper.

By this time, the sausage should have cooled enough to slice, so slice it up, then put it back in the skillet. Reduce the heat to low, cover your skillet, and let everything simmer until the sausage is fully heated through-usually 10-15 minutes. 

Serve it with this Easy Rice Pilaf...

You'll need:

• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 1/2 cup Orzo pasta, uncooked
• 3/4 cup onion, diced
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup white rice, uncooked
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, then cook the pasta until it starts to turn brown. Add the diced onion and cook until it's translucent with salt and pepper, then add the garlic and cook it for about a minute. Add the chicken broth and rice, then bring the entire skillet to a boil. 

Reduce the heat back to low, cover the skillet, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all of the broth had been absorbed. Fluff it with a fork and you're ready for dinner!

The rest of my weekend included a lot of Dateline, a long Sunday bike ride, a little bit of work, and some gardening. Now I have to go get that Christmas tree back in its box. Times up on Holiday decorations!

Happy Monday!

C