Over at the Sommer Designs blog, she has posted a 5 night Dinner Challenge! I’m going to take her up on it starting Friday night! I’ll be sure to post photos and recipes here.
Are you up for the challenge? If so, post here, and be sure to link us up (and on Sommer’s blog too!) when you do post your dinners! Photos are optional! Yum!
To start out, gather your ingredients. You'll need:
~4 apples
~1 Tbs olive oil (not pictured)
~1 pkg of kielbasa (or any similar type sausage - turkey kielbasa works great and is low fat)
~2 pkg of cornbread mix (we used Martha White this time, but have also loved the Jiffy Mixes and they are also SO cheap!!)
~1 cup milk (can substitute for water if needed)
The first thing you'll want to do is peel your apples. Be sure to keep your peels & your cores to make potpourri later (i'll post a pic & instructions at the end of this post!)
Once you have your apples peeled, you'll want to slice them into thin slices. Put them in a pot that has been drizzled with olive oil, over medium heat on the stovetop. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.
While your apples are simmering, slice your sausage into 1/4 inch slices, and preheat your oven to 400*F.
In a medium bowl, mix your cornbread mixes with the milk, stirring well. (note: 2 year olds think this is the best part)
Once your apples are done, you'll want to pour them (and their juices) in a 9x13" baking pan. Add in the sausage and distribute evenly throughout the pan. Pour the cornbread mixture over top, gently spreading around with a spatula or back of a spoon.
Place entire thing in the oven, and cook for 20 minutes (or until top is lightly golden) at 400*F.
Makes 6 hearty servings! (and always gets rave reviews around here!) :)
Now... to make the potpourri! Use your apple peels and cores (dont worry about seeds, etc, its all fine). Put them all into a pan, sprinkle with cloves (crushed or whole are both fine), and about 1/2 cup water. Put on simmer, and enjoy!
Mmm, that sounds like it would so hit the spot on a cold wintry night like tonight!
Posted by: ileana | January 25, 2008 at 07:37 PM
Maybe it's because I just finished an apple and didn't have a real dinner, but that looks HEAVENLY. And i LOVE that you let Anna help. You're such a good teacher!
Posted by: Robyn | January 25, 2008 at 11:08 PM
I can't stop thinking about kielbasa lately...I always keep some, because just a little added to a recipe makes for very yummy food. But lately I just want lots of it. ;) This recipe looks so good--I have to cook from scratch though, so can you tell me: If I mix up cornbread batter as usual, is that appropriate to dump on top of the apples/kielbasa? I don't really know how the mixes work, if there's something left out of the recipe (like eggs?) when you just mix the dry stuff with milk.
Posted by: Joni | January 26, 2008 at 08:19 AM
Thank you girls SO MUCH for your sweet comments!! :)
Joni - if you make your cornbread batter the way you normally do (and forgo the added milk in this recipe), it will work just perfectly :) Let us know how it comes out! :D
Posted by: Kristin | January 26, 2008 at 11:13 AM
Wow, love the potpourri idea! We eat several apples a day around here. I love "re-using" instead of just throwing away!
Posted by: Laura Bozeman | January 27, 2008 at 10:53 AM
i'm so glad you liked that! it works WONDERS! I also love doing that with orange peels (YUM!!!) :)
Posted by: Kristin | January 27, 2008 at 01:55 PM
I'll be trying the recipe for tomorrow night's sup-sup. FH said it sounded yummy and we happened to buy an extra thing of keilbasa last week. I'll be using Granny Smiths for the apples.
Posted by: Sarah | January 30, 2008 at 09:42 PM