Beer Glazed Sausage, Apples, Cabbage and Beans

Beer Glazed Sausage, Apples, Cabbage and Green Beans

With fall in the air and the new October issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine to peruse,  inspiration was struck. The Cooking with Beer feature was just the thing to help use up some of the last cold hearty veggies from the garden, and of course enjoy some of my favorite beer. I did of course take some liberties with the recipe, omitting the crushed red pepper (didn’t have any) and adding more veggies (had a ton of those) . I think the results were both pretty on the plate and lovely for the palate as well. The kids thought I was crazy cooking with beer, but they actually enjoyed this dish quite a bit. (read more)

Cabbage, Sausage and Potato Soup

Cabbage-Potato-and-Sausage-Soup1The quest continues in this warming and hearty soup. I am not much for cooking dishes that take forever to make, since time is a precious commodity when you are the cook, gardener, driver and maid….not to mention working a full 40 hours and week and taking care of my girls too. Simple and quick are my friends!

Polenta Zucchini Eggplant Stacks with Basil

Polenta Zucchini Eggplant Stacks

The challenge continues with finding creative ideas for using the the fresh garden veggies. The kids really liked these, which is good since they both claim to hate eggplant and zucchini. Polenta for those who have never had it, is really just an Italian corn porridge that can be baked or fried. Here we choose to bake it with zucchini and eggplant. This is a quick and yummy.

I used Polenta that I cooked according to package directions, but there is a pre-made polenta you can get that comes in tubes that is even easier. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 box of quick cooking polenta (I found it in the Italian section at the supermarket)
  • Fresh Eggplant. I like mine with the skins peeled. You can leave the skins on if you prefer. Slice them into thick rounds
  • Fresh Zucchini sliced into thick rounds
  • Ma

Baked Hash Brown Nests

We are experimenting all summer with all the different recipes that we are able to make with what we grow in the garden. Some great successes, some that the little food critics said two forks down too.

Baked  Hash Brown Nests with Fresh Cherry Tomatoes and Basil