Tag: menu planning

Cajun Sausage Ravioli

Recently I was gifted some delicious sausage from a friend and I challenged myself to come up with a quick 30 minute meal using it. The sausage is Lord & Barrett Sausage Co. Creole Style Green Onion Smoked Sausage & I highly recommend because it was delicious and I’m personally not a big fan of smoked sausage. Let’s make the recipe!

Ingredients:

  • Smoked Sausage (sliced)
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 1/2 cup of peppers chopped (I used a combo of red, yellow and orange mini sweet bell peppers but you can certainly just use a green bell pepper)
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
  • 2 packages of fresh ravioli – I only used one but you definitely need mor because not a lot come in the package
  • Seasonings- I used Cajun seasoning, garlic & onion powder
  • 1-2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1-2 tbsp of butter
  • Chopped fresh or dried Basil (optional)

Directions: Prepare water to boil for pasta according to package. Heat skillet on medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil and sauté sausages until crispy or cooked though which took me about 5-8 minutes. Remove sausage and drain oil excellent for about a teaspoon. Add butter and cook onions, garlic & peppers until soft. Make sure once water boils to add ravioli and cook til al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water in case you need to thin your sauce out later. Season lightly & then add heavy whipping cream to onions and peppers mixture. Let cook until simmering and then add sausage, cooked ravioli and Parmesan cheese. Taste for more seasoning and add if needed. Top with more cheese and Basil.

This recipe is delicious, quick, doesn’t require a lot of ingredients and easy to make. Perfect to get you in and out of the kitchen during the summertime! I also made a video to show how I made this on Instagram. Follow me @severalpeoplesmama Let me know if this is something you or your family would enjoy!

Love Ricki

Cajun Chicken Pasta with Homemade Cajun Spice + Cook with Me (Virtually)

Hi y’all! I am back with a blog post announcing our very first virtual cooking class! My original intention was to host the class on IG live this Sunday but I am going to move it to next Sunday, September 20, 2020 because I want to make sure everyone has time to review the recipe and purchase the ingredients, etc. I really would like this to be an interactive class and everyone actually cooks along with me! For this class we will be making my version of Cajun Chicken Pasta. This recipe is super easy but does require a little prep. I felt this was a great recipe for the class because we could learn how to make our own Cajun Spice (so easy!) and how to chop veggies and make a sauce! These are all skills you can carry over into other dishes you want to learn to make. I really truly hope that I see everyone online in class while we make an awesome Sunday dinner!!! The ingredients need are below. I will be explaining the directions we should follow in class and update this post with that information after the class is over. No worries if you miss it, it will be recorded and able to review on my IGTV barring their isn’t any technical issues.

We will be making our own Cajun spice. This is so simple and most of the ingredients you may already have on hand. If not you can purchase them at your local grocery or dollar store and what I loved most is the spices used are not expensive (I didn’t pay over $2 for any of them) and they are staples you can use to season other recipes.

Ingredients for Cajun Spice:

  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Salt ( I used table salt but sea salt or Kosher would be better)
  • Black pepper
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Paprika ( I used plain but smoky would be great as well)
  • Oregano
  • Thyme

To make mix: Use 2 tbsp of Paprika, Salt and garlic powder and 1 tbsp of Onion Powder, Oregano, Thyme, Black Pepper, and Cayenne Pepper. Mix thoroughly and store in air right container (use and old seasoning jar) or a ziplock bag. This is enough mix for about 2 recipes. It is a tad on the spicy side so if you would like less heat use 1/2 tbsp of Cayenne.

It is not difficult at all to make your own spice mix AND you know exactly what’s in it and can tweak it to your family’s taste.

Ingredients for Cajun Chicken Pasta:

  • 2-3 Chicken breasts cut into about 1 inch cubes (a trick is to not let your chicken fully thaw. Cutting while slightly frozen is easier)
  • Peppers- I used a half of a yellow, red, orange, & green. I would suggest at least using 2 different peppers (1 being a green pepper, they are an important part of Cajun cooking) like red and green or orange and green. However the more color you use the better the presentation will be. Remember we eat with our eyes!
  • 1/2 a medium Red Onion – I would strongly suggest a red onion because the flavor it imparts is outstanding
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes ( this is my shortcut. I use the can that says garlic and basil already added for the additional flavor. You can also use fire roasted or cut up 2 fresh Roma tomatoes
  • Cajun Spice Mix
  • Penne pasta or your favorite pasta
  • 1-2 cups of half and half or heavy whipping cream
  • 2-3 cups of chicken broth
  • 2-3 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1-2 stick of butter
  • 4-5 cloves of freshly minced garlic

This class will be detailed and we will be prepping and cooking everything together from start to finish so I would a lot about an hour and a half to join me live. I am soooo excited and I can’t wait to see y’all next Sunday! In the meantime look for more recipes and follow all my other shenanigans on IG @severapeoplesmama

Love Ricki

Back to School Breakfast Board + Egg Muffin Recipe

My kids went back to school virtually a few weeks ago and I have realized a couple of things. First I don’t want to be a schoolteacher ever! Second I am still NOT tech savvy. And finally my kids are super hungry in the morning now that they are retired vampires and must wake up early for school. To solve that problem I decided to do what I do best and make them a breakfast board to satisfy their hunger in the morning. This board was easy to create and fun to make! The only thing I actually made for the board was the egg muffin recipe which I’m sharing below but you can totally use frozen and store bought items to make it easier on you. We are going thru enough as parents trying to navigate this new normal of virtual school!

Things you can put on your breakfast board:

  • Pancakes/waffles
  • Oatmeal packs
  • Pastries
  • Biscuits
  • Croissants/bagels
  • Hash browns
  • Breakfast meats such as bacon and sausage or if you’re feeling fancy you can add ham, steak or pork chops (we’re in the south)
  • Yogurts
  • Fruit
  • Cheeses
  • Jelly/jams/honey/spreads
  • Egg (you can add a platter of scrambled eggs or some egg muffins)
  • Granola
  • Cereal
  • Breakfast potatoes

And the list goes on and on! Use what you have but presenting it in a fun way makes the kids want to eat it!

To start your breakfast board I always place my fruit/veggies and I expensive items down first because I like for them to cover most of the board. Then I come back and fill in spaces with the more expensive meats and cheeses. Finally I add spreads, nuts, and garnishes.

Check out my breakfast board and make sure you’re following me @severalpeoplesmama on Instagram to see the video of me putting this together!

Now let’s make some easy low carb/keto friendly egg muffins to go on our board.

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 large eggs
  • 1 cup half and half
  • Seasonings- I used Tony’s creole seasoning, garlic and onion powder and black pepper
  • Veggies- you can use whichever you like. I used spinach, mushrooms and grape tomatoes
  • Meat – this is optional. I used deli ham that I needed to use up before it went bad
  • 1 to 1 and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese any kind, I used Mexican blend
  • 1 tbsp of butter
  • 1 tbsp of oil
  • Cupcake liners

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a sauté pan on medium heat add oil and then butter. Follow with veggies and sauté til softened about 5 minutes. Add meat if using. I do add seasoning to taste to this mixture but that is optional. Turn off heat and set aside to cool. You want this mixture to cool prior to adding to your eggs. Beat your eggs in a bowl (I use a large measuring cup because it makes it easier to pour) add half and half and seasonings. Beat til mixed thoroughly. Add cooled veggie mixture and cheese and mix. Add cupcake liners to muffin pan, this recipe makes approximately 1 dozen. Pour mixture in cups 3/4 of the way. Bake for 25- 30 minutes. The eggs will puff up in the liner but once cooled they will fall again.

I hope you try this recipe! It’s great to prep ahead and can easily be stored in the refrigerator for about a week if they last that long! Breakfast is now necessary at this house and these egg muffins will be on the menu!

Love Ricki

Stuffed Mushrooms

Browsing thru the aisles of Aldi Saturday I found some beautiful looking Portabella mushrooms and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them…stuffed mushrooms! This was a recipe I use to make early in my keto/low carb journey and I figured I would share it with y’all because it’s easy & delicious! I used shrimp for my protein but you can use anything. I’ve even used breakfast sausage before (just prepare it separately and add to stuffing mixture). Let’s cook!

Ingredients:

  • 4 Portabella mushroom caps, medium to large in size. Remove stems but don’t throw away, they will be used in our filling!
  • Half a block of cream cheese
  • Half a bag of fresh spinach
  • Shrimp or protein of choice
  • 2-3 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1/2 cup each of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese plus additional for sprinkling over our mushrooms
  • 1-2 tbsp of butter
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic minced
  • Seasonings- I used garlic salt, Italian seasoning, ranch and garlic and onion powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add softened cream cheese to bowl and set aside. Heat saucepan on medium and add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Add spinach and sauté. Chop stems from mushrooms and add to pan sautéing til cooked. Push spinach and mushrooms to cooler side of pan and add 1 tbsp of butter. Add shrimp. If using any other protein I would suggest you cook ahead and add to pan to warm, shrimp takes minutes to cook so that’s why I did it this way. Once shrimp is cooked add garlic and seasoning and mix all together. Added that mixture to the cream cheese. Add cheeses and mix thoroughly. Taste mixture and see if more seasoning is needed. Place Portabella caps in a baking dish. You don’t want to use a sheet pan because the mushrooms will release liquid while cooking and you will have a mess! Place mushrooms in dish gill side up and sprinkle with olive oil and garlic salt. Add filling and top with more shredded cheese. Place in oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. You will have liquid in your baking dish after baking, you can take an extra step to transfer the mushrooms onto a sheet pan and place under a broiler for 3 minutes but it’s optional. We don’t mind, they still turn out yummy!

You know it’s good if the kids ask you to make this! And don’t limit yourself, this is a recipe where you can get creative and add more veggies such as peppers or different cheeses or proteins! I plan on making this more often on my keto/low carb journey!

As always if you make this tag me on Instagram @severalpeoplesmama I enjoy looking at what y’all cook!

Love Ricki

Philly Cheesesteak Ring – Yes another Ring!

Hi y’all I am back this week with a not so original recipe but DEFINITELY a fav! Listen we love rings in this household. The crescent roll dough is delicious and easy to work with and you can take just about any filling you can think of and add it for a delicious combination. Of course I’ve made Cheesesteak sliders here and Cheesesteak egg rolls here so naturally a ring was next. This recipe was super easy and you can add chips and fruit for easy sides and dinner is done! Let’s cook!

Ingredients:

  • Thin sliced steak
  • 1 yellow onion sliced into half moons
  • 1 pepper sliced into strips
  • 2-3 tbsp of butter
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • Sliced mushrooms (optional)
  • 1-2 tsps of minced garlic
  • Seasonings: I used Tony’s seasoning, onion and garlic powder and steak seasoning
  • 2 cans of crescent rolls
  • 5-6 slices of provolone cheese
  • 4-5 slices of Gouda (this is optional, you can use all provolone or any cheese you like. Smoked Gouda would have bee delicious here as well)
  • Cooking spray

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Add butter to skillet on medium high heat. Add peppers and then after a minute or so add onions. Sauté veggies and turn heat to medium. I add a little salt to this mixture to help it sweat and give a little flavor but that’s optional. After veggies are softened add mushrooms and minced garlic. Sauté til mushrooms are softened. Turn heat on high and add steak. I season steak while in the pan but you can season ahead of time as well and just add seasoned meat. Once cooked thru which should be 3-5 minutes, turn off burner and take pan off heat and set aside. In a round pizza pan or cookie sheet spread triangles of crescent dough around until it forms a shape resembling a sun (see pics). Add veggies and meat mixture and then add cheese on top. Bring points of the triangles to the center. Spray with cooking spray to help crust brown. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and completely baked thru. Slice and serve.

We will be making this again and believe me I am dreaming up more ring recipes to add to the blog! If you try this please tag me on Instagram @severalpeoplesmama

Love Ricki