Fergie's Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Once again... on a mission to fill my families bellies with veggies!!!  Spaghetti Squash is so under used!  It is so simple to prepare and very versitile. There are a couple of ways that I prepare Spaghetti Squash and you really get the same result.  If I am using my oven and I have a spaghetti squash I poke it a couple of times with a knife and bake for about an hour or until a knife goes right through it. Another way is to boil it... once again... poke it with a knife and stick into boiling water... cover and cook for about 40-50 minutes or again until a knife goes right through.  Allow to cool... you can cook it one day... set it on the counter... and slice and prepare the next day.  This is a simple recipe that is delicious and super healthy! 

1 Spaghetti Squash, Boiled or Roasted 

1 Pound Sausage (I used my homemade chicken sausage) 

1 Fennel or Large White Onion, Sliced 

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil 

1 1/2 Cups Cremini Mushrooms, Chopped

1 Jar of Pasta Sauce 

7 Oz. Fontina Or Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded 

1/2 Cup Parmesan, Grated 

Get a big pot and fill about 1/2 way with water... the squash will not sink.

Bring the water to a boil reduce to a high simmer and cover. 

Set the timer to 40 minutes, after 40 minutes stick a sharp knife 

if it goes right through it is done. Remove from the water and set aside to cool.

Get all your ingredients ready... 

Heat oil in a large skillet and add the fennel (or onion) ... Cook for about 5 minutes or until tender... 

Add the sausage....  Cook for about 5-6 minutes until the sausage is fully cooked...

In the meantime scoop out the seeds and center... 

This is what it should look like... 

Take a fork and run it down... all the way to the skin... 

When the sausage is fully cooked... 

Add the mushrooms... Cook for about 2-3 minutes... 

Add the sauce... and about 1/4 cup of water (I put the water in the jar and shake it 

around to get everything out of the jar) 

Cover and simmer on low for about 8-10 minutes... 

Spray your casserole with some PAM... 

Put all the squash at the bottom... 

Pour your sauce over the top... 

Shred your fontina... 

Sprinkle the fontina and parm over the top... 

Cover and place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes... 

This is an incredible dish... ! 

Sweet & Spicy Drumsticks with Sweet Potatoes

My kids are drumstick fans!!!  I had some drumsticks and wanted to try something a little different... of course as always... you can make this dish with chicken breast... the instructions don't change in any way... these are sweet, spicy and finger licking good!  I made this recipe in a pressure cooker (cause I was in a hurry) but you can make this in a Crock Pot as well! 

8-12 Chicken Drumsticks

1/2 Sweet Onion, Sliced

4-6 Garlic Cloves

1/2 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Dijon Mustard

1/4 Cup Organic Ketchup

1/2 Cup Maple Syrup

1/4 Cup Chipotle Pepper

1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

2 Teaspoons Fresh Ground Pepper

2 Teaspoons Seasoning Salt

2 Teaspoons Paprika

2 Teaspoons Chile Powder

2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger 

2-3 Sweet Potatoes, Peeled and Cut into Chunks

Start adding all of your ingredients into your cooker of choice... 

Onions and Garlic... 

All of your spices and sauces... 

Combine well a and don't forget to add the 1/2 cup of water!!! 

Set the pressure cooker to 40 minutes... the Slow Cooker to 6-8 hours...

Fergie's Homemade Chicken Sausage

My friend Sierra recently asked me if I knew of a good tasting brand of sausage that was on the "healthier" side.  There are a few out there which in my opinion have way too many ingredients that I cannot even pronounce.   I hit the kitchen right away and came up with this heavenly concoction !!

BTW... a few of you ask me where I get all my wonderful spices... there is this dreamy
shop in Old Town Temecula called...

Old Town Temecula Spice Merchant

They are absolutely amazing!  Custom spice blends, best quality imported spices, salts, honey,
and the most spectacular teas!
They also deliver! So now my bloggers who are not local can to indulge in this special store! 

4 Fresh Boneless Skinless Organic Chicken Breast, Cut into Large Chunks

3 Heaping Teaspoons Dry Sage

3 Heaping Teaspoons Marjoram 

3 Heaping Teaspoons Coriander

3 Heaping Teaspoons Fresh Ground Pepper

3 Heaping Teaspoons Whole Fennel Seeds

1-3 Heaping Teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper

3 Teaspoons Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

1 Whole Fennel Bulb, Chopped

6-8 Whole Garlic Cloves

Fennel & Fresh Garlic

4 Fresh Top Quality Chicken Breast... 

Cut into chunks... 

Rough chop your veggies.. 

I have a coffee grinder that I use only for spices... you can also use a mortar & pestle... 

Combine all your spices and herbs and pulse a couple of times... 

You don't want to completely grind them... just enough to rough grind them and release the natural oils in the herbs and spices.... 

Add the fennel and garlic with 1/2 of the spice mixture... 

Pulse until fine chopped... 

Add 1/2 the chicken with the salt and pulse until well mixed... 

Take out the mixture... place in a bowl... 

Add the other half of the chicken with the remaining spice mixture... 

Pulse 8-10 times... 

                                     

Combine the 2 batches and mix well with hands... Cover and Refrigerate overnight to insure all the flavors marry together!  Separate into small portions and freeze.

Place a small mound in a hot pan with some PAM and press down with the back of a spatula... 

This is such an amazing sausage... taste is phenomenal....!!!!

I made 29 sausage balls... put them in a pan and froze them... 

Once they were hard frozen I put them in a zippy bag... now I just go in the bag and grab what I need!