Sara Bee

I'll be back...

2013-02-20T12:12:00.001-05:00

I promise. Life has been crazy lately. Most notable is that I've started working. So, I'm really trying to getting into the groove of that again. I apologize and don't worry - I still desire to update this blog. It just hasn't happened lately. But I plan on getting organized, coming up with some new ideas, and getting back to sharing them with you guys on a more regular basis.

Until next time.

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

2013-01-25T12:52:00.000-05:00

My lack of energy and appetite have led to some pretty dreadful weeks of eating, We were to the point where we were eating almost no produce. Ugh, that's bad. So, I decided to do something about it. I looked into the idea of crock pot freezer meals. The idea is that you prep all of your meals on one day and then they go into the freezer. Then whenever you want them, they're ready to be tossed into the crock pot and cooked! I searched for recipes that sounded good and made sure to pick ones with plenty of veggies in them. Here's what I made this first week and how it turned out.

Teriyaki Chicken

This was not pretty once cooked, which I think a lot of crock pot meals end up looking pretty ugly by the end. BUT - it was pretty tasty. Not necessarily my favorite, but good. You can find the recipe HERE.

Beef Fajitas

These were super tasty and of course you can add whatever topping you'd like or none at all! The only problem is that this dish had a lot of extra liquid. Although that made it very juicy and tasty, it was also VERY messy. Make a fajita bowl maybe? Still good! Find the recipe HERE.

Chicken and Dumplings

Great flavor! The only issue with this is that it stated that you can use almost any biscuit to make the dumplings. I use crescent rounds and they dissolved. It was still delicious, but it was more similar to a chicken pot pie than chicken and dumplings. That's probably my own fault though. Find the recipe HERE.

So, the first week turned out pretty well! We enjoyed everything and of course, some more than others. Oh, also. I cut every recipe in half from the original sources. The original recipes make two freezer bags for each meal, but our freezer space is limited. It was still PLENTY of food. We had leftovers from both the fajitas and the chicken and dumplings.

We have more freezer meals ready to go and I think we'll continue to keep doing this. I'll keep reviewing the recipes that I try on here and maybe I'll even start to come up with my own!

Until next time.

BLT Pasta Salad Recipe

2013-01-21T11:13:00.000-05:00

This pasta salad is creamy, smokey, and slightly sweet. Oh, and it's downright delicious.

Ingredients

I have to give credit where it's due for this dressing. I learned how to make it from my step-mom and it has been life changing. So good! In a small bowl you'll need to mix together your mayo, sugar, liquid smoke, and vinegar. Mix until well combined and then stick in the refrigerator until you're done with everything else. You could even make it the day before to let the flavors really sit and blend.

Then it's just a matter of getting everything else ready. Cook your pasta, fry up your bacon, and dice your tomatoes and celery. Oh, yeah...where's the lettuce? Well, I thought lettuce wouldn't hold up too well. So, the celery is acting as the lettuce. Same color, crunch, and flavor, right?

Once everything is prepped, add your pasta and diced ingredients into a large bowl.

Pour on that beautiful dressing and mix away.

You can serve it immediately or chill until you're ready to have it. So easy to whip up and the flavor is amazing. I love BLT everything, I've decided.

Until next time.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Recipe

2013-01-01T14:51:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! Can you believe it is 2013? So many things happening this year that I always thought seemed so far away. I'm excited to see what the new year brings up. Like this recipe! Good segue, right?

Gather up your ingredients.

The only prep work that you have to do (other than measuring) is dicing up your artichoke hearts. Oh, and thawing your spinach if it is frozen.

Other than that, you'll just put all of your ingredients into a bowl and mix until well combined. If your cream cheese is soft then this should be pretty easy to mix by hand if you'd rather do it that way.

Place it into a bowl and add your topping.

Bake until golden brown and delicious.

Then scoop some up and enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup cream cheese

2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

16 oz. spinach - chopped.

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts

Pepper and salt to taste

FOR TOPPING

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup panko crumbs

If you using frozen spinach, make sure to thaw and drain well. Dice up the artichoke hearts. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Top with the extra Parmesan cheese and panko crumbs. Place in an oven preheated to 350°F for 20-30 minutes.

Until next time.

Homemade Baileys

2012-12-27T19:03:00.000-05:00

I love being able to figure out how to make a homemade version of an item you might buy. It's fun and handy to know how to make it yourself. Buying a bottle of Baileys might be a little quicker, but a homemade version is always extra special, right? Also, it's REALLY easy. So, go ahead! Make some of this homemade Baileys - which is Irish Cream.

I would say that this is a good Christmas gift, but I guess I'm a little late for that. Although, I did give this batch that I made as a gift. Bring it to your New Year's party? Or just make some for yourself as a "you made it through Christmas" reward.

I apologize for the random posts here and there that don't really fit my normal pattern of blogging. I'm just trying to post as much as I can, when I can. I've been feeling pretty awful still. Nothing new there. I'm sorry if it's a bummer to hear about. I hate having to update people on how I feel especially if it hasn't gotten any better.

Back to the Baileys! It's delicious and tastes pretty spot on to the real deal. You can easily change up the flavor. Add some peppermint extract or caramel or raspberry.

Ingredients

1 cup Irish whiskey (I used Jameson)

1 cup half & half

14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons of prepared (strong, bold) coffee

2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup

Mix all of your ingredients together using a blender, hand blender, or whatever you can get your hands on. Mix until well combined, chill, and enjoy!

Oh, and I meant to post this picture on Christmas. Too cute not to share even if it is a little late.

Until next time.

My Favorite Holiday Treat: Pecan Bars

2012-12-21T12:13:00.000-05:00

I've been baking like crazy this past week! You'd think I'd have a kitchen full of goodies right now, but between what we've given away and what we've snacked on, it's time to bake some more.

The Christmas season is so odd this year. It is the first time I've been away from Indiana around this time of the year and therefore away from my family. I have been trying to hold on to all things special about this time of the year by still doing it all even if it is just me doing it.

These pecan bars are definitely my favorite holiday treat. Oh, these are beyond sinful. So buttery. So sugary. BUT SO GOOD! My husband, who is not a nut fan, also loves these. So, I figured I'd share the recipe with you all, so you can enjoy them as well.

Pecan Bars

Ingredients:

(for crust)

1 package of yellow cake mix (the kind with pudding in the mix)

1/4 cup melted butter

(for topping)

4 cups pecan pieces

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup heavy cream

Mix your melted butter and cake mix together. Press into the bottom of a jelly roll pan to form a crust. Top with the pecan pieces. Combine all of the other ingredients (except for the heavy cream) into a pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream. Pour over the crust and pecans. Place into an oven preheated to 350°F for 17-20 minutes. Cool completely, cut into squares, and enjoy!

Until next time.

Gift Ideas From Etsy

2012-12-14T12:36:00.001-05:00

Since I've been just laying around quite a bit, I've spent a lot of time Christmas shopping on the Internet. I honestly haven't even been to a single store to actually do any Christmas shopping...not that I've really bought anything online at this point either. What I'm trying to say is that I haven't even started my shopping. Shh! It's gonna be okay. Just say a little prayer for me. However, I did find some fun gift ideas on one of my favorite sites, Etsy. Although there isn't much time left to order a lot of these items, maybe they can still help.

Chataigne by Paris Sparkles

There are a ton of different shops on Etsy that have fun homemade nail polishes. It's a great place to look if you want a new color you might have not seen previously.

Set of Personalized Beer Bottles by Scissor Mill

Home brewing has become pretty popular lately. This store sells customized beer bottles that will help making that home brewing experience a little more special.

Pet Portrait Ornament by Melia Arts

Well, if you know someone who loves their pets like I do then you know they'll love this gift.

State Cutting Board by AHeirloom

Just a cute idea for someone who loves to cook or just loves their home state.

2013 Recipe Wall Calendar by Liz Carver Design

Calendars are a go-to idea. So, why not find a really creative calendar? I love this one!

Custom Initial Letter Necklace by SDMarie Jewelry

Pfft, it's just cute!

ALSO - Etsy now offers gift cards! So, even if it is a little too late to order some items in time for Christmas, you can always get a gift card for the Etsy lover. I should totally be a spokesperson for Etsy...or am I already?

Until next time.

The Return of Sara Bee

2012-12-13T11:58:00.001-05:00

I haven't forgotten about you, blog. Actually, I think about you daily and I kick myself every day that I don't post something new. I've been feeling very sick lately and have barely moved from the couch. I'm sure you all are sick of hearing about me being sick, but that's what happens when you have a chronic disease. So, please bare with me. I had so many ideas for this holiday season, but I haven't cooked or baked anything in awhile. It's bumming me out. I will post again soon. Real soon, hopefully. Hope these puppies make up for my absence.

Until next time.

Recipe Monday: Leftover Turkey 10 Bean Soup

2012-11-26T13:06:00.000-05:00

I made this soup without taking any pictures of the process. I decided not to let that stop me. I'm still sharing this recipe with you. The preparation isn't all that exciting anyway. But this soup is super exciting with its awesome flavor. Man, I'm glad we have leftovers.

This is an easy and delicious way to use up some of your leftover turkey. I actually used chicken because I had leftovers from making my chicken and noodles. You don't even have to include the meat! Pfft, it's gonna be delicious either way.

10 Bean Soup Recipe:

32 oz. chicken broth + 16 oz. water

1 cup of 10 bean dry mix

1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz.)

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup shredded cooked turkey or chicken

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 dry bay leaves

pepper and salt to taste

Let your beans soak in water overnight and rinse in the morning.

Combine all of your ingredients into a crock pot and cook on high for 8 hours.
Enjoy!

Until next time.

Happy Thanksgiving and Mom's Pecan Pie

2012-11-22T12:08:00.000-05:00

This Thanksgiving is different for me. I've spent every Thanksgiving in Indiana with my family.

This is the first year we'll be spending Thanksgiving with Kyle's family.

I'm excited we get to spend time with his family, especially since he has spent the past few years away from them. Of course, I'm missing my family, but I'm finding little ways to just remember them today.

I've been spending the morning working on making homemade chicken and noodles. An Indiana tradition. I can't wait for Kyle's family to give these a try. I hope I don't mess it up. So much pressure!

I'm thankful to have a house full of puppies. We got Pinky, one of our previous foster dogs, back in addition to still having Lena. That's a lot of dogs. I'm so glad we decided to foster and are able to give these cuties a temporary home.

I love them even if it is impossible to get a picture of them all together.

I love my mom's pecan pie, so of course I had to make it this year. All on my own. It looks awesome and I'm hoping it tastes just like when she makes it.

Here's the recipe:

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup white sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/3 cup melted butter

dash of salt

1 cup pecan halves

Mix that all together and pour it into an unbaked pie crust.

Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes with the crust covered in foil.

Baked for another 25 minutes with the crust uncovered.

Let it cool completely and enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Until next time.

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-Up

2012-11-21T14:56:00.000-05:00

It's tomorrow! Can you believe it? Are you ready? I am. I'm making two pies and some chicken and noodles to contribute for our Thanksgiving. No, not like the brothy soup. I'll have to share it with you sometime. Apparently it's an Indiana thing. Well, here are some recipes that I've been seeing from some of the blogs that I follow. I thought I'd share just in case you need in any last minute help deciding on a recipe to use.

Green Bean Casserole Stuffed Mushrooms

Cranberry Pear Relish

Herb Cheese Drop Biscuits

Glazed Butternut Squash with Sage and Toasted Pecans

Crock Pot Corn Pudding

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sausage and Sage Stuffing with Dried Cranberries and Toasted Hazelnuts

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

And in case you have some leftovers...

Leftover Turkey Pot Pie with Cheddar Biscuits

Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich

I hope these recipes help or at least get you pumped up for tomorrow.

Let's go, Thanksgiving!

Until next time.

Recipe Monday

2012-11-12T18:13:00.000-05:00

I decided to go back and visit a recipe that I love. I shared it with you last year except I've changed it up a little this time.

Ingredients

You'll need these in addition to other ingredients listed on the original recipe. You can find that HERE.

Except you're replacing apple for the cranberries and nuts and brown sugar for white sugar.

Combine all your ingredients as listed on the original recipe (minus the cranberries, nuts, and white sugar). Add in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

1/2 cup of brown sugar.

Dice up 1 apple and add that in as well.

Mix well and then place into a baking pan. Last time I made this, I put it in a 13x9 inch pan, but this time I just switched it to a 9x9 inch pan. Either one will work, but you'll have to adjust your cooking time a little.

Place this into an oven preheated to 350°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Scoop some into a bowl and you're ready to go.

Still an awesome recipe and I love that's so easy to change up.

Until next time.

Sick Day

2012-11-09T10:16:00.001-05:00

Molly and I are taking a sick day.
More like a sick week, right?

Recipe Monday

2012-11-05T15:43:00.002-05:00

My mom used to make this as a side for us during the fall season. It's an easy and delicious way to prepare acorn squash.

Ingredients

Cut your squash in half and scoop out all of the seeds and such.

Use you knife to scrap little lines into the squash. You're not cutting it completely, just barely scratching the surface. This will allow for all the flavor to soak into the squash. What flavor, you ask? Well, let's find out.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter to each half.

Then sprinkle in 3 teaspoons of brown sugar into each half.

Oh, and I also sprinkled a little salt over each of these. It adds a nice flavor.

Put a little bit of water in the bottom of your pan then roast these at 375°F for about 1 hour.

This will depend on the size and amount of squash that you're roasting. Just check to make sure that you can poke it easily with a fork when it comes out of the oven.

When you first pull them out of the oven, spoon some of the melted butter and sugar mixture over your squash. All those little lines you made before will help to soak it in.

I remember my mom just giving us each a half, so that's the way I like to serve it. Scrape the squash off the sides and mix it in with the butter and sugar. It just looks more festive served up this way.

Easy and delicious roasted acorn squash.

You know you want to make it.

Until next time.

OOTW - Crohn's Fashion

2012-11-02T13:46:00.000-04:00

I enjoy doing my makeup, hair, and getting dressed in an outfit that I love.
Most days that just doesn't happen anymore. Crohn's leaves me feeling bloated, nauseous, achy, and fatigued. So, I thought it would be fun to show you how fashionable I am most days.

An oversized sweatshirt paired with leggings. Jeans usually feel too constricting around my stomach, especially when it is upset.
Which is often.

Comfy footwear is a must. Check out this gorgeous slipper boots.

No outfit would be complete without some stains on your clothing. It just adds that special touch.

Of course, make sure you finish off your look with some messy hair.

Now you, too, can achieve this fabulous look.

Until next time.

P.S. I'm sorry that if you find this as a form of complaining. It's really just me just trying to make light out of a pretty crappy situation. Just laugh with me.

Halloween and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2012-10-31T13:39:00.001-04:00

Molly was so excited to put on her turtle costume this year. We bought this last year at Target on clearance right after Halloween. She's been asking to wear it practically every month since.

I might be exaggerating a little. Maybe she could care less and maybe she kind of hates the hat. But she looks super cute, right!?

We carved our pumpkins, which do not last as long in California as they did in Indiana. They already look so wilted. Mine is on the left and Kyle's is on the right. Can you tell that I carved a cupcake? Cause I tried really hard (or just did it really quickly because I'm impatient).

Don't forget! Don't throw out your pumpkin seeds. Roast them up and make a delicious snack. Clean them off. Toss them in some olive oil and whatever seasonings you'd like. I used pepper, salt, and paprika. Kept it pretty simple this year.

Then put them in an oven preheated to 400°F for 10-20 minutes. Toss them around every 5 minutes. The time will depend on the amount of pumpkin seeds that you have. Mine only took 10 minutes. Then snack away! OR - check out my Cajun Pumpkin Seed Mix from last year and give that a try.

Molly wasn't the only one that dressed up. Kyle and I went as Bob and Linda from Bob's Burgers.

And Lena (our newest foster puppy) was a sleepy pirate.

Happy Halloween!

Until next time.

Recipe Monday

2012-10-29T12:36:00.000-04:00

I made this because it's October and pumpkin belongs in everything! Wait, didn't I say that last week?

Ingredients

Start by dicing your squash, onion, and garlic. Then toss them all together in a pan with a little bit of olive oil, pepper, and salt. Saute those until they get nice and tender and have cooked down quite a bit.

Place the pumpkin puree, half & half, and sage into a bowl.

I apologize about the horrible lighting. I cooked this at a weird time and my normal place to take pictures was ruined by the way the sun was shining in our window. I know you were all concerned.

Mix that together. Set it in the refrigerator while you finish everything else.

Prepare your lasagna noodles.

Once everything is prepped, you're ready to start putting this all together.

Oh, and you'll need a 9x13 baking pan.

Start with a little bit of your pumpkin mixture.

Then noodles.

Add some of the sauteed squash with onions and garlic.

Add plenty of ricotta.

Then spread on some more pumpkin. Repeat until you run out of everything (which will be 3 layers).

Top it with lasagna noodles, mozzarella, and parmesan.

Place into an oven preheated to 375°F for 35 minutes covered with foil and another 10 minutes uncovered.

Let it cool a little to make it easier to cut.

Then slice it and serve it up.

Delicious.

Enjoy!

Until next time.

DIY Halloween Costume Ideas

2012-10-24T12:59:00.000-04:00

I know what I am going to be for Halloween this year, but do you? If Kyle and I hadn't decided a year ago what we wanted to be then I would probably still be scrounging around trying to find something. My creativity is limited in the costume department, but I did find a lot of ideas from a lot of creative sources. So, here are some easy and cute DIY costume ideas if you still need them for this Halloween.

1. Umbrella Bat 2. Fluffy Cloud 3. Cupcake

4. Mary Poppins 5. Paper Doll 6. Present

7. School Photo 8. Superhero

Don't panic! You still have a whole week to put together a fabulous costume and these are all pretty simple DIY ideas. So, get going and make something awesome!

Until next time.

Recipe Monday

2012-10-22T14:33:00.000-04:00

I decided to make these because it's October and pumpkin belongs in everything!

First you're going to make your brownie batter. Whisk together your eggs and oil.

Then add in the rest of your brownie ingredients. Mix using a spatula.

You want to mix it until it is just combined and there are no large chunks of flour or cocoa powder. A few chunks are fine because you don't want to over mix this!

In a separate bowl, whisk together all of your pumpkin cheesecake ingredients.

Make sure that your cream cheese is softened or you may need to use an electric mixer to blend properly.

Butter and flour a square baking pan (8x8).

Then pour in your brownie mixture.

Followed by your pumpkin cheesecake mixture.

Smooth it all out and then put it in an oven preheated to 350°F for 40-45 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out with no brownie batter on it.

Once done baking, let these cool completely. Then cut into squares and enjoy!

These are super tasty and an easy fall treat to make.

Until next time.

I Want It Wednesday!

2012-10-17T11:56:00.000-04:00

I haven't had a chance to decorate our house yet. Let me rephrase that. I haven't decorated our house yet. I'm sure I've had chances here and there, but it hasn't happened. Either way, our walls are bare and in desperate need of lovely things to look at. That made it pretty easy to decide that this Wednesday I want some wall art! Here are some pieces that I've been pining after.

Until next time.

Recipe Monday

2012-10-15T10:50:00.000-04:00

I mean, you eat them together, right? So, why not put them together!?

Put all of your dry ingredients into a bowl.

Whisk them all together until combined.

Put all of your wet ingredients into a separate bowl and mix together until combined.

Slowly add your dry mixture into your wet mixture. Mix on low if you using an electric mixer.

Mix until just combined.

Then you need to bring in your special guest. Premade chili. This would be a great recipe to make if you have left over chili, but a store bought version works fine. You won't go through very much of it, so don't feel like you need to make a huge pot of chili just to make these.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners and then fill just the bottom with your corn muffin mixture. Then add a dollop of chili (about 1 tsp).

Fill with some more corn muffin mixture until about 3/4 the way full.

Bake at 400°F for 13-15 minutes.

Then you're left with these delightful little corn muffins with a gooey chili center.

Eat one while it is still warm. It's awesome.

They're also amazing once they've cooled.

Heck, they're just good all around.

Until next time.

My Week in Instagrams {Week 37}

2012-10-14T14:24:00.000-04:00

1 & 2. Since I forgot to show off my instagrams for last week, I never got to mention our new foster dog. Her name is Pinky and she's the sweetest thing. She's a beagle/dachshund mix. She loves going on car rides and it makes me giggle when she sticks her head out the window and her ears fly up. She actually just got adopted yesterday, so we don't have her anymore. But we got to spend two weeks with this awesome dog.

3 & 4. Molly and Pinky got along really well. I loved it. They would play together and just hang out. It was pretty cute to watch them. When they would go to the dog park, Pinky would follow Molly around whenever she'd run off someplace. So precious. It's hard to tell if Molly misses her a lot because I think Molly is always perfectly content with going back to being the only dog in the house.

5. Kyle and I went to a concert with some friends this week. It was our anniversary present to each other. We went to see Bad Books which is band made up of Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra. Awesome music and an awesome show.

6. Kyle won a free t-shirt! One of our favorite shows on TV right now is Bob's Burgers. They have been having little contests here and there where you can win a free shirt and Kyle finally snagged one. He's been trying for awhile. Free is always good.

Crohn's/Life Update:
Here's the thing, I try to keep it pretty positive when it comes to blogging. This is a blog about sharing things that I love to do more than sharing my personal feelings. Can I let you guys in on a secret though? It has been a rough week. A really rough week. Maybe even a rough couple of weeks. I've tried staying positive when it comes to this clinical trial, but it is either not helping or I just didn't get the worm. So, I've been feeling pretty physically ill. This starts a cycle. When I feel sick physically, I start to get worn down mentally and then I just start to shut down completely. I hate apologizing for my lack of posting, but I promise it's not because I've lost interest or am just lazy. I lose content when I am unable to do things due to being sick or due to lack of money. Money is the last thing I want to talk about on here, but let's just say that it's one more thing that I'm not feeling so good about. Okay, okay. Enough sharing. Let's go back to being happy.

I will have a recipe for you tomorrow though! You can count on that.

Until next time.

Our 2nd Anniversary

2012-10-10T14:28:00.000-04:00

Huevos Rancheros for breakfast.

Shopping together in the afternoon.

See's Candies.

Not for puppies.

Simple day, but it was nice to just be together.

And to enjoy delicious chocolates.

Until next time.

Recipe Monday

2012-10-08T11:49:00.000-04:00

Oktoberfest for San Diego county was this past weekend and it was right down the street from our house. Of course, there were tons of delicious looking brats. Of course, they were ridiculously overpriced. So, I decided to cook up some brats myself.

Ingredients

Dice up your onion and cut your peppers into strips. Small strips. Or you could even dice them up as well. I used 1 onion, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, and 1 green pepper. Throw a little bit of olive oil on those and put them over a medium-high heat.

In a large pot, pour in enough beer to cover your brats. I used 3 beers for 4 brats. Also, feel free to pick whatever type of beer you would like to use. I picked out a Pumpkin Ale just to go with the Oktoberfest and fall theme.

Place your brats in the beer and let them come to a boil. Boil them for around 8 minutes.

When you pull them out they will be super plump. That's a good sign that they will also be super delicious. You're not done with them yet!

Now it's time to grill them up for a bit. Let the outsides get nice and crisp. Grill them for about 4-5 minutes per side. If you bought raw brats then they should already be cooked from the boiling process, so don't worry too much about under cooking them on the grill.

Your veggies should be getting nice and soft. Take a spoonful or two of the beer left in the pot and add it in with the peppers and onions. Keep letting them cooking and stirring them frequently. They should completely soak up the beer, so you can keep adding a spoonful here and there if you'd like.

They'll cook down a lot. You want them to get nice and soft and slightly browned.

Overall, it takes about 20-30 minutes to get them to where they're caramelized.

Cover your brats in those delicious peppers and onions. Then eat away!

These were awesome. The flavors of everything paired well together. I love, love the sweetness that comes from the caramelized peppers and onions. If you've been looking for a good brat recipe for the Oktoberfest season, give this one a try.

Until next time.

Recipe Monday

2012-10-01T11:55:00.000-04:00

Y'know, the Americanized version. And extremely easy version.

Ingredients

Dice up 1 whole onion.

Saute it in a large pan with a little bit of oil. Saute until translucent.

Add in 1 can (15 oz.) of diced tomatoes along with 1/2 can of water.

Season it up a little with 1 tsp. paprika.

And 1 tsp. garlic powder. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook your pasta according the packaging. Whatever kind you want. American goulash usually has elbow macaroni, but I went with whole wheat penne. Guess why? Yep, cause it's what I had. Oh, and I only used 1/2 a box.

Drain and rinse your black beans.

Add your pasta and black beans into the pan. Mix it all together and then set it on a low heat. Cover and let it simmer together for 20 minutes. You want to give that pasta some time to soak up all of those yummy tomato juices.

That's it. Easy enough, right?

Great idea for a Meatless Monday version of this meal.

Until next time.