Italian Sausage in Rustic Ragu

Italian Sausage in Rustic Ragu

It's very rare that I don't have some kind of jarred or canned spaghetti sauce in my house. It's pretty much a staple in my cupboards.

That's why I was so shocked when I went to reach for a jar the other night and I had nothing. It's not as simple as running to the corner market for me. I live in a very rural area and the closest actual grocery store is about 20 - 25 minutes from my house.

Even though I was out of spaghetti sauce I still had these Italian sausages I needed to do something with. So this is what I did with what I had on hand to make a rustic ragu to cook these Italian sausages in.

Here is how I did it:

• Italian sausage links (I actually used turkey)
• 15 ounce can of stewed tomatoes
• 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 10 ounce can of pureed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon of dried sliced garlic (could use fresh clove if you like)
• 2 tablespoons of dried chopped onion (could use 1/2 chopped fresh one if you'd like)
• 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning

In a 2 1/2 - 3 quart crock pot add the 3 cans of tomato products, garlic, onion and Italian seasoning.

Mix to incorporate.

Now submerge the Italian sausages in the sauce.

Cover with lid and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or on high for 3 1/2 - 5 hours.

These were very delicious. It tasted just like an Italian granmother had slaved in the kitchen all day.

You could serve them over pasta (which is what we did the first night) or you could serve them in hoagie rolls and top with cheese.

Cranberry Braised Turkey Drumsticks

So that's exactly what I do.

These crock pot cranberry braised turkey drumsticks have just a hint of that beautiful sweet/ tart thing that cranberries have going on without having to slather your turkey in cranberry sauce (which I'm totally not opposed to... I just don't do it all the time). They also have that earthy sweetness from the garlic and onions. Mmmm Mmmm good!

Here is how I do it:

• 2 teaspoons of olive oil
• turkey drumsticks (I did 4, but use however many you need to feed your bunch)
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 medium onion, diced
• salt and pepper to season
• 4 - 6 cups of chicken broth (I couldn't find turkey, so I used chicken)
• 10 -12 oz can of jellied cranberry sauce
• 1/2 cup of craisins (you could substitute whole cranberry sauce in place of jellied and craisins if you want)

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Brown the turkey drumsticks on all sides.

In the meantime, add the cranberry sauce and 4 cups of the chicken stock to a 6 - 7 quart crock pot. Whisk these together until they are completely incorporated. Go ahead and turn the crock pot to low to be heating the liquid up. Add the craisins too.

Once the turkey drumsticks are browned, season them well with salt and pepper on all sides.

Place them into the crock pot.

At this point add chicken/ turkey broth if necessary to make sure the drumsticks are completely covered for proper braising.

Now you're going to add the garlic and onions to the same pan you browned the drumsticks in. Cook them until the onions are translucent and soft. Then add to the crock pot.

Put the lid on and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours. You want to make sure the turkey is cooked completely. You will see the meat start to pull away from the bone as they are getting completely done.

These were SO delicious. They are the perfect turkey dish to avoid all that "turkey leg fighting" that goes on in our house and a great alternative to a whole bird, especially for a small crowd like mine.

These cranberry braised crock pot turkey drumsticks went perfectly with the other Thanksgiving staples we had too. I definitely will be making these again..... and not just for Thanksgiving!

Crock Pot Meat and Potatoes Packet

Here is how I do it:

• 14" - 16" pieces of aluminum foil or parchment paper (how many will depend on how many people you are making.... one per person)
• One good cut of steak, pork chop or chicken breast (we usually use 3/4" - 1" ribeyes)
• One medium sized potato per person, quartered
• One cob of corn per person
• Onions, quartered (I put a total of half of onion per packet)
• Worcestershire sauce or A-1
• seasoned salt
• ground black pepper

Lay each piece of foil or parchment out flat. Center the chosen cut of meat on the foil or parchment. Season each piece of meat with a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce or A-1. Now place the potato quarters on top of the meat and lightly season with the seasoned salt and pepper. Place the cob of corn on top of the potatoes followed by the onion. Season the top of the pile with seasoned salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Now you are going ot make a packet out of each one by bringing up opposite sides of the foil or parchment to the middle, it should be centered over your pile when you bring them up. Roll the foil or parchment down to secure it well in the middle. Now fold each end up by folding it towards the middle. You just want to make sure that all sides are closed up on the packets so nothing will escape during cooking process.

Place something in the bottom of your crock pot (I use canning lid rings or make aluminum foil balls) that will not allow the packets to come in direct contact with the crock pot bottom. Place the packets of meat and veggies on top of that. Don't stack these packets too tightly. Steam will form inside the packets during cooking and will need a little room for expansion. I use a 6 quart crock pot and 4 of these packets fit perfectly.

Cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or on low for 6 - 8 hours.

I don't have any pictures to share, but I will as soon as I make these again.

These are perfect if everyone wants something different for dinner too. You could even do what my mama did and make these with the hamburger patties if that's what you wanted or if that's what your budget allows.

Crock Pot Smoked Venison Tacos

Here is how I did it:

• 2 pounds of smoke venison (any meat would work though)
• 1 green bell pepper seeded and cut into strips
• 1 medium sized onion, cut into strips
• (2) 14.5 ounce cans of stewed tomatoes
• 1.25 ounce packet of taco seasoning

Start by loosely shredding the smoked venison. I just used two forks. It doesn't have to be perfect in bite sized pieces because it will fall apart once it's cooked down.



Add the venison, peppers, onions, tomatoes and seasoning packet to a 5 or 6 quart crock pot.

Put the lid on and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or on low for 7 - 8 hours.

Once the onions and peppers have cooked down mix everything together.

Serve in taco shells with your favorite taco toppings.

I'm all about a "round 2 recipe" and not wasting any leftovers and this fit that bill perfectly. You could easily substitute any smoked meat in place of the venison too. We'll definitely be making this often through the hunting season.