Brats in a Blanket

While flipping through magazines on the hunt for new ideas for my weekly meal plan, I stumbled onto an interesting concept- a chicken sausage pocket made with refrigerated bread dough. No mess, no condiments dripping out everywhere...It was brilliant! I began to think of what I could do with such a concept, and the "Brat in a Blanket" was born.

Brats in a Blanket
Serves 4

2 containers of Refrigerated French Bread Dough
4 Fully Cooked Bratwurst (I used smoked, but any kind is fine)
Saurkraut
Whole Grain Mustard
1 egg, lightly beaten
Parchment Paper

Preheat oven to 450. Remove bread dough from packaging and cut each loaf in half. On a floured surface, pound flat.

Roll the dough out until it's about 1/4" thick.

Spread 1 tsp mustard on the lower half of the dough, leaving a 1" border around it. Add the Bratwurst. 

Top with Saurkraut. 

Using a pastry brush, brush the entire border of the dough with the beaten egg. 

Fold the dough over the sausage and crimp edges with a fork to seal. 

Cut four 1" slits in the top of the pocket to vent. 

Repeat steps until you have four sandwiches. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush each one with remaining beaten egg. Bake on center rack of oven at 450 for 15-20 minutes or until golden. 

* Watch them carefully, as they can brown very quickly. Once they are golden brown, they are done. 

Once they are done, they should look like this: 

And here is the finished product! Enjoy! 

Simple Baked Ziti with Italian Salad

A few weeks before Christmas, we were visiting my husband's family and my mother in law asked me if I could make dinner for the company that she was expecting that night. I was thrilled, as I love cooking for crowds, but I had to think fast. I was going to be feeding about a dozen people, and needed something easy but delicious.

My go to dish for large groups of people is Baked Ziti. It satisfies most every palate, uses only four ingredients and tastes like you worked all day to make it.

Baked Ziti

(This recipe can be adjusted for the number of people you are feeding. Double it if you are feeding 12 or more.)

1 bag of Ziti Pasta
1 jar of  your favorite Spaghetti Sauce (I use Classico Organic)
1 lb of Italian Sausage, removed from casings (I use sweet, but any kind will do)
Shredded Mozzerella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions and drain. Toss with 1Tbsp extra virgin olive oil to prevent sticking.

2.  In a large skillet, brown sausage and drain. Add pasta sauce and stir. Cover and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Once sauce is done, toss with pasta and pour into the baking dish of your choice. Top with shredded mozerella and bake, covered with foil for 40 minutes.

4. Remove foil, turn oven up to 400 and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

I always like to do a salad with my pasta dishes, and this one is so good, you'll want to have lots on hand for seconds!


Italian Salad

1 bag of Iceberg Salad Mix
1 head of Romaine Lettuce, rinsed and chopped
3 Roma Tomatoes, sliced
1 Red Onion, sliced
1/2 jar Pepperoncini Peppers, drained
1/2 can Pitted Black Olives
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/2 bottle of Roasted Garlic Italian Dressing

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Add dressing and toss about 5 minutes before serving.

Who I am...

Growing up, I never left the South. I was content to stay where I was, never thinking for a moment that I would one day be living the adventure that I am on right now.

When I met my husband, I was so sure of my stable little life and what I wanted out of it- marriage, a house, a yard, a few kids, a dog...and happily for me, everything we did was textbook. We went to school, began our careers, bought a home and got engaged. Our lives seemed complete as we planned our happily ever after and then one day he came home with the words that would change our lives forever- "I'm joining the Coast Guard."

After picking myself up off of the floor, I made the decision to go with the flow and have since opened my stable little life up to a roller coaster ride I would gladly go on again and again.

We were married on the beach in Hawaii in October that year and then had a large ceremony for family and friends in November. Nine months after our wedding, we found out that we were pregnant with our little girl. We moved to California. Our daughter was born on 3-2-10, a countdown, which is very fitting for our family.  When she was six weeks old, we moved to Boston.

Between juggling our two dogs, dealing with my husband's deployments and putting on a brave face for my little girl even when I am about to lose it, life can get a bit chaotic at times. But even when things are absolutely crazy around here, I find joy in cooking. It's my therapy (along with wine) and my true happy place. My mission is to share my love of cooking with all of you and to show you that it can be fun- (and easy!)