The other day I made a large pot of sausage spaghetti sauce. We had alot leftover and I had to come up with a way to use it. I was out of spaghetti noodles and with Hurricane Irene quickly approaching I wasn't about to brave the commissary just for spaghetti noodles! So I got creative and turned it into a wonderful soup! It was a cross between pasta fagoli and minestrone. It was filling and delicious and a great way to use leftovers.
Slowcooker Sausage Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb Italian Sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 cup sliced mushroom
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 zuchinni chopped
1 cup red wine (optional)
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 can tomato sauce
3 Tblsp tomato paste
2 Tblsp balsamic vinegar
3 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
Brown sausage in a pan. Add it to the slowcooker and then add all the rest of the ingredients. Cook for 6 hours on low.
Serve over your favorite pasta.
Turning the Sauce into soup!
Put leftover sauce into the slowcooker. Add two cans of beef broth and one can kidney beans. Cook on low for four hours. About 45 minutes before you want to eat switch for high and add 1/2 a box of macaroni.
Enjoy!!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
It's Time Again....
....for another restaurant review!
From August 7th - 14th I had the privilege of spending the week with a bunch of my girlfriends in beautiful Emerald Isle, NC. It was a relaxing week full of laughs, sun, fun, and a little bit of wine every now and then!
Each night we cooked dinner, split into pairs it was kinda fun to see different people's taste's and cooking techniques and I picked up a few tips!
On Friday night we headed into Beaufort, NC for a night out. Our fearless leader led us to "The Spouter Inn Restaurant". Located right on the water, you couldn't ask for a better view for dinner.
We started out with a wonderful crab dip, paired with grilled pita bread. Being from Maryland, I was used to a baguette to enjoy my crab dip, but the pita had a wonderful smokiness from being grilled that enhanced the cream flavor and texture of the crab.
After the crab dip, I started my dinner with their house salad, which instead of the normal iceberg, was comprised of lovely dark leafy greens. I chose their citrus cilantro dressing. It was so refreshing! I am determined to figure out the ingredients and make it myself. Not only was it good on the salad, but it was wonderful to dip the homemade bread in. I contemplated buying a pint, but was afraid it wouldn't last the trip home.
I chose to have one of their appetizers for my entree. I chose to do that because they have a bakery attached, and I wanted to make sure I had room for dessert!
I chose their sesame seared tuna, with a soy glaze and wasabi aioli. The pickled ginger that accompanied it was artfully crafted into a rose.
It tasted as good as it looked. The wasabi was not overpowering at all. I could still taste the delicate flavor of the tuna. The sesame sear provided a lovely crunch before the tuna melted in your mouth.
Then came the desserts.....you can tell that they were baked fresh. I think between all of us at the table we ordered the entire dessert menu! I split the carrot cake and the chocolate silk pie with my friend. The carrot cake was the best I have ever tasted. The carrot cake was moist and delicious. The cream cheese frosting brought the sweet flavor of the carrot and the spices together seamlessly. The pie's crust was flakey and light. The chocolate was the proper mixture of bitter and sweet. The whipped cream on top was light, sweet and fluffy.
The whole dinner was made even more wonderful by the service. We were treated like we were the only guests there, and we were there on a busy Friday night. The servers were attentive, but not overbearing. Our glasses were never empty, and the servers were very knowlegeable about the menu, and even took the time to find out the answers to certain questions about the ingredients.
To further endear the restaurant to us, as we were leaving we saw a fisherman bring his catch, fresh off his boat into the restaurant to be used that evening. Can you
say fresh?!?!?!?
The dinner at Spouter Inn was a wonderful addition to a fun girls week!
All dressed up for girls night out!
From August 7th - 14th I had the privilege of spending the week with a bunch of my girlfriends in beautiful Emerald Isle, NC. It was a relaxing week full of laughs, sun, fun, and a little bit of wine every now and then!
Each night we cooked dinner, split into pairs it was kinda fun to see different people's taste's and cooking techniques and I picked up a few tips!
On Friday night we headed into Beaufort, NC for a night out. Our fearless leader led us to "The Spouter Inn Restaurant". Located right on the water, you couldn't ask for a better view for dinner.
We started out with a wonderful crab dip, paired with grilled pita bread. Being from Maryland, I was used to a baguette to enjoy my crab dip, but the pita had a wonderful smokiness from being grilled that enhanced the cream flavor and texture of the crab.
After the crab dip, I started my dinner with their house salad, which instead of the normal iceberg, was comprised of lovely dark leafy greens. I chose their citrus cilantro dressing. It was so refreshing! I am determined to figure out the ingredients and make it myself. Not only was it good on the salad, but it was wonderful to dip the homemade bread in. I contemplated buying a pint, but was afraid it wouldn't last the trip home.
I chose to have one of their appetizers for my entree. I chose to do that because they have a bakery attached, and I wanted to make sure I had room for dessert!
I chose their sesame seared tuna, with a soy glaze and wasabi aioli. The pickled ginger that accompanied it was artfully crafted into a rose.
It tasted as good as it looked. The wasabi was not overpowering at all. I could still taste the delicate flavor of the tuna. The sesame sear provided a lovely crunch before the tuna melted in your mouth.
The whole dinner was made even more wonderful by the service. We were treated like we were the only guests there, and we were there on a busy Friday night. The servers were attentive, but not overbearing. Our glasses were never empty, and the servers were very knowlegeable about the menu, and even took the time to find out the answers to certain questions about the ingredients.
To further endear the restaurant to us, as we were leaving we saw a fisherman bring his catch, fresh off his boat into the restaurant to be used that evening. Can you
say fresh?!?!?!?
The dinner at Spouter Inn was a wonderful addition to a fun girls week!
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