Sausage Swirls

Fall has arrived here at the Cozy Kitchen. The leaves are falling. I love how these last few leaves are holding this sweet nest in place.

It's Blue Monday over at Smiling Sally's!

I have learned that the simplest pleasures bring the greatest joy. I've learned that it's nearly impossible for anyone to wake up in a bad mood on Sunday morning when they lazily wake up to the smell of Miss Paula Deen's sausage swirls wafting into their bedroom. Every time I passed one of my children in the house yesterday, I heard..."I love you mom".
These itty bitty bites make my family swoon.

{ this was one of two platters that I served. Both platters were gone in six minutes. I need to double this the next time! }


Mr. B even mentioned them several hours later as I was folding laundry.
I just smiled and my heart felt soooooo happy. I'm ready for fall, and cozy meals in the upcoming months. I like to serve these Christmas Eve morning, since they are so easy. You can even prepare them the night before, and pop them in the oven the next morning.

Sausage Swirls by Paula Deen
Two 8 oz cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 pound ground sausage ( I like Jimmy Dean Sage )

Separate 1 can of dough and form into 4 rectangles.

Firmly press perforations to seal.
Take the uncooked sausage and cut into 8 chunks.
Using 4 chunks of the sausage, spread thin layer on each rectangle.
Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly into a cylinder. Repeat with other can of dough and sausage.
Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Cut each roll into 4 slices.
Preheat oven to 375.
Place sausage swirls 1/2 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake 18-20 minutes.

*We love to dip them in mustard! Yum!

5 Bean Chili

Breakfast. Uh-huh. My breakfast. This was soooooooo good that when I came home from dropping the kids off at school, I was eating this by 8am. Really. I couldn't wait for lunch. No way.
So, now that I got that off my chest... the night I was making this, I called my sister and told her I was nervous about serving this to my husband, for he is a CHILI CRITIC. He loves to make chili here at the Cozy Kitchen, and well... I was really worried about what he would think.
I was almost certain he wouldn't like it. But not only did he like it....... he RAVED about it through out dinner, and so did my boys. {It was too spicy for my 5 year old daughter though.}
They all said it's a KEEPER and I'm so glad, because they don't even know it yet...but leftovers are even better !! Thanks Emeril !

Oh ! And another thing... My husband taught me to eat chili with saltine crackers, topped with margarine and then topped with a spoonful of chili. Oh my word. YUM!! I wish I knew about that when I was growing up. All those years I ate chili alone...how sad. If you haven't tried it, you should. I've never been able to eat chili without saltines again.

5 Bean Chili - Emeril Lagasse

1 pound ground chuck
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced green bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons Mexican style chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, broken up with your hands
3 cups beef stock or canned low-sodium beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups cooked and drained great Northern beans
1 1/2 cups cooked and drained pinto beans
1 1/2 cups cooked and drained kidney beans
1 1/2 cups cooked and drained black beans
1 1/2 cups cooked and drained navy beans

In a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, cook the meat until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, salt, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, coriander, and cinnamon, and cook until vegetables are soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock, and bay leaves; bring the mixture to a simmer, partially cover, and cook for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beans, stir to combine, and continue to cook another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the flavors have come together and the chili has a nice, thick consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

*I topped mine with a dollop of sour cream & shredded cheddar. Yum!*

It's Foodie Friday over at Designs by Golllum !

It's Outdoor Wednesday over at A Southern Daydreamer , Watery Wednesday, & Waterside Wednesday !

hide -to obstruct the view of.




tran⋅quil - free from commotion or tumult; peaceful; quiet; calm:





har⋅mo⋅ni⋅ous- forming a pleasingly consistent whole



lone- being alone; without company or accompaniment; solitary; unaccompanied:

It's Blue Monday over at Smiling Sally's !

The True Tale of the PUMPKIN CHIP MUFFIN

"OH MY GOSH !" squealed Queen B.

Teenage son #1 comes running in the kitchen.
"What happened mom?!"

Queen B can't talk. Her mouth is full. She just hands her son a muffin using hand signals to indicate that he should try one.

"mmmmm" said son #1.

Son #2 enters the kitchen....... grabs a muffin and takes a bite.
"When are you going to make these again ? " He said, staring at 20 muffins still left on the platter.

Son # 2 finds son #3 and hands him one..."Mmmmmmm" he said.

Daughter is sitting next to Queen B and said hers was 'yumma-licious'.

This was an ACTUAL EVENT that took place last night ! Really... I never get too excited over my cooking, but HELLO ! BEST MUFFIN I EVER ATE. Yep. I'm not kidding. Cindy Middleton of Champion, Alberta was awarded the grand prize in Taste of Home's muffin bake off.

Pumpkin Chip Muffins - Taste of Home prize winning recipes, 2005.


4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1-1/2 cups canola oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips ( I used milk-chocolate chips)

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil until smooth.

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.

Bake at 400° for 15 -18minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. ( mine only took 15 min ). Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Yield: about 2 dozen muffins.

And don't forget, it's DIY Day over at a soft place to land !

Participating at the krazy kitchen.

Kalua Pork

When I lived in Hawaii, I loved the Kalua Pork they served at all the luau's we went to. I learned how to make it while I was living there, and this is truly, one of my favorite recipes, ever. It's so simple to make and everyone loves it. It feeds my large family for 2 nights and lunches in between ! When I serve this for company, it's almost embarrassing how many compliments I get !

You can serve this so many ways. On a plate, with Carolina BBQ sauce to dip in, or on a bun, or my personal favorite, served in corn tortillas that I grill on my stove top !



Here's what you need:

1 5-6 lb. Boston Butt Pork Roast * (I got this on sale for 6.99)
2 TBS. Hawaiian Sea Salt (or Kosher Salt)
2 TBS. Liquid Smoke
1 1/2 C. water

Rub the pork roast with salt.
Place in deep roasting pan.

Mix the water and liquid smoke, and pour in the roasting pan.

Seal pan tightly with foil.

Bake at 350 for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Test the pork - it will shred easily and pull away from the bone.
Let the meat cool down for 1/2 hour at room temp.
Take the meat out of the liquid (reserve the liquid!) and shred with 2 forks.
Remove any visable fat.
Pour enough of the reserved liquid back in the meat to moisten.
This pork can be cooked a day ahead and reheated in a low oven.

Serve with Carolina BBQ Sauce

1 C. apple cider vinegar

1 C. ketchup

2 TBS. brown sugar (packed)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

Stir all ing. in bowl until sugar and salt dissolve. Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

{Participating in Tasty Tuesday, & Foodie Friday !}

Outdoor Wednesday

I had the chance to tour a battleship that was commissioned in April of 1941 this weekend.
I was surprised that I was so emotional during the tour ...imagining what it would have been like aboard that ship during war.

My own husband was a Marine, deployed on a ship when I gave birth our to first child. I remember calling the Red Cross so that they could notify him that he was a father.

He remembered the knock on his door, with the news that his wife had given birth to his son.

I remembered the endless prayers... "Please God, bring him home safely so he can meet his son."

I remembered all of those we have known and lost. Too many. Just far too many... I thought of the children who have daddy's that won't be coming home....

It was a moving day for both of us.

{Participating in Blue Monday over at Smiling Sally's.}




It's Outdoor Wednesday over at a Southern Daydreamer !

Simple Butter and Tomato Sauce

{Pasta Bowl by Lenox (Butterfly pattern in 'Cloud', $4.99... at TJ Maxx right now!}

My favorite food is Italian. Authentic Italian. I could eat pasta 7 days a week.

I consider Marcella Hazan, the "authority" of Italian cooking. Quite a few years ago, her son, Giuliano Hazan came out with a cookbook called "How to Cook Italian".

Giuliano says, "This sauce has been a favorite since my mother made it when I was a little boy. Now it is a favorite of my 5-year-old daughter, Gabriella. Nothing could be simpler, or more delicious. When flavorful ripe fresh tomatoes are in season, by all means use them. If it is winter and only mediocre tomatoes are available, a good quality canned tomato is best. When tossing pasta with it, mix in some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese."

The minute he said it was a favorite of his since he was a boy, I flew to my pantry to make this. It had to be good. And that's what I want.... I want my children to remember me cooking in the kitchen. I want the house to smell of 'comfort' the minute they walk in the door from school.

This sauce is the PERFECT sauce when you have NO TIME to simmer marinara on the stove all afternoon like I do all the time. This is the ONLY sauce I use during soccer season, and on days that I'm running errands. As Christmas approaches, I can assure you, we will eat this once a week. Trust me, I've been making this for 6 years ! I never thought a simple sauce could really change your life, but it did ! I ALWAYS have these ingredients in the house, so at any given time, I can make this.

It's 100% comfort. With 4 ingredients, it's economical. Feeds my large family. But MOST importantly, it's seriously one of the most amazing, delicious sauces that I make.

I adore Giuliano for sharing this with us !! I love the entire cookbook ! {platter- Iroquois China ,Syracuse, New York - Thrift store, 70 cents.

pumpkin head scarecrow, TJ Maxx, $7.99 }

Simple Butter and Tomato Sauce (Sugo al Burro e Pomodoro)
HOW TO COOK ITALIAN by Giuliano Hazan

Makes enough for 1 pound dried pasta

1 large can, whole tomatoes, purred or 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
6 tablespoons butter (REAL BUTTER PLEASE!)
Salt
1 medium yellow onion

1. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and put them in a sauce pot.** I use my immersion blender right in the can. (carefully! ) then pour in sauce pan.
Place over medium heat, add the butter, and season with salt. (don't skip the salt!)

2. Peel the onion, trim away the root end, cut it in half, and add it to the pot.

When the tomatoes begin to bubble, lower the heat to low and simmer until the tomatoes are no longer watery and the sauce has reduced, 30-45 minutes, depending on the size and shape of the pot. The sauce will cook faster in a larger, wider pot. When the sauce is done you should not see any more liquid in the pan.

{I remove the onion and I like to serve it on the side with toasted baguette bread. The onion caramelizes and becomes very sweet ! Yummy !!}
Toss with your choice of 1 lb. pasta !

Note: Once cool, the sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or you can freeze it for up to two months.

You can't get much simpler than this !

It's DIY Day over at a soft place to land. Thanks Kimba !

Also Participating in Foodie Friday , & Friday's Family Recipe & Hooked on Houses.!

wind: air in natural motion, as that moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth's surface:

con⋅tem⋅plate: to consider thoroughly; think fully or deeply about

doze: to fall into a light sleep unintentionally

a⋅maze: to overwhelm with surprise or sudden wonder; astonish greatly.

It's Outdoor Wednesday at a southern daydreamer, WATERY Wednesday, and Waterside Wednesday hosted by the wonderful Barbara Jacksier & Wordful Wednesday ! !