Using Stocked Red (Tomato) Sauce: Chili con Carne

Heres's one way to turn your stocked Italian red (tomato) sauce into a hearty & warming, Tex-Mex style chili. Can be served by itself with some tortilla chips or bread. You can also use it for tacos, Chili Nachos, or filling for quesadilla. Great stocking food during cold winter.

Chili con Carne

• 1lb ground meat
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chpped
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups red (tomato) sauce
• 1 can kidney beans, drained 
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1 cup beef broth (or chicken broth, or water)

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makes about 6 servings

1.  In a saucepan or Dutch oven (I use Le Creuset pot), cook garlic and onion till they turn golden and fragrant, add jalapeño and bell pepper, continue over medium heat-high heat. Once they are soft, add ground meat.
2. Add all of dried ingredients (chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, cumin, cocoa powder, and bay leaves), stir occasionally and brown the meat.
3. Stir in Tomato (red) sauce, bring to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 30 min, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in beans. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until desired thickness.

Note: Adjust the amount of broth or water, depending on the thickness of your tomato (red) sauce.

Pasta with Italian Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

A simple supper that's ready in 30 minutes.  Refreshing sun-dried tomato and green herbs works great with the rich flavor of Italian sausages.

 Fusilli Corti Bucati with Italian Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2/3 box of pasta of your choice ( I used Fusilli Corti Bucati this time, farfalle will work well, too. )
4 or 5 links of sweet Italian sausage or broccoli rabe sausage
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
6-7 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
a handful of chopped basil or Italian parsley
crushed red petter
white wine or sake
truffle oil
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makes about 3 servings

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  While you wait for the water to boil, chop all vegetables. Take sausage meat out of casings, heat a pan or thick bottomed pot (I use le creuset pot). Once hot, oil the surface, cook garlic in low/medium heat until fragrant, add sausage and brown them. Add onion and sauté them together. Throw in crushed red pepper and sun-dried tomato, drizzle some white wine or sake, cook them covered for a while.
Once pasta is ready, drain the pasta, toss them with sausages, drizzle some truffle oil, add basil, mix together.  Serve. Sprinkle generous amount of parmesan cheese.

Bratwurst dinner

This is my nice n easy, weekday-night German style supper. Sip a beer while you cook, dip a sausageinto a mustard of your choice.

Brown the surface of bratwurst crispy in Le Creuset pot, take them out, then throw in chopped garlic, onion, shiitake mushroom.  Saute until they smell nicely.  Add washed and drained sauerkraut, shredded apple. Season with bay leaves, cayenne pepper, and caraway seeds.  Add chicken broth, bring them to simmer. Add browned sausage back in, cook for about 30 minutes.

Make the potato salad while you wait.

Highlights:  Definitely the sauerkraut.  Tasty and healthy. You can get creative on this. Make a batch, and you're set for a week. Great with beer.