Home. And our first dinner – BBQ Baked Beans with Sausage

Good morning!

It’s so early.

source

I would really prefer to still be sleeping.

But, I woke up.

We officially became homeowners yesterday!!!

Of course, we don’t have our furniture yet so we’re living off the stuff we have in our little camper.

Which includes air mattresses.

That, of course, deflate slowly as the night goes on.

The house has hardwood floors.

Fun.

BUT! I love my house!!

It was so nice to cook in a real kitchen last night!

OH! So, yesterday, I caught a glimpse inside one of the hotel rooms near ours when the maid was cleaning and we were getting all of our crap out of our room. That room had a full on (okay, so it was miniature but still) stove with 4 burners (4!) and AN OVEN!!!  That is so unfair!!!  All we had was that 2 burner stove and a microwave.  They had an oven!!! Yes, it’s water under the bridge at this point but … still.  An oven would have made those 11 days a whole lot tastier! 🙂

Anywho, I got to cook in MY kitchen last night!

I pulled the pots, pans and utensils from my camper and got down to business.

It was awesome.

I made BBQ Baked Beans & Sausage from Eating Well.

It was delicious!

I couldn’t find plain chicken sausage so I used Johnsonville Chipotle Monterey Jack Cheese sausage.

OM. NOM. NOM.

Interestingly enough, this was the first time I’ve ever cooked with collard greens.

Seriously.

Note: if you are not sure how your family will like the collards, use less than the recipe calls for. Trust me.

Or, you could also use kale, if you prefer.

Whatever.

We had leftovers because we’re not football players.

And, we all chowed down on the corn muffins I made.

I only have small plastic containers from the camper.

So, I have 3 containers of leftovers.

Sigh.

Question: Would you believe I haven’t even had a cup of coffee yet?!?!

– jennifer

Undercover Chicks. Intrigued, aren’t you?

Fiesta 10k tomorrow! And it’s supposed to rain!

*sigh*

Note to self: I love running!

So, when I went to the Fresh Market last weekend, I stumbled across some interesting chicken sausage. Yes, they actually sell more than just peanut butter! I am pretty addicted to that stuff but that doesn’t mean I have tunnel vision. Once I’ve grabbed some, the whole world lights up – in color and everything! 🙂

Hmmm, all-natural chicken sausage with apple and Chardonnay? Um, yes please! Anything that has wine in it is a winner in my book!

So, what to make? I pretty much always revert back to just plain old sausages and peppers but I wanted to try something different. I decided to do a version of pigs in a blanket – grown-up style. Hey, these sausages are sophisticated! And wine lovers! Nothing but the fanciest would do. What does that mean? Why, puff pastry instead of crescent rolls, of course! This IS an upscale, grown-up meal, after all. 🙂

I’ve decided to call them Undercover Chicks. They aren’t pork (not even the casing!) and chicks in a blanket is so, um, not sophisticated. Undercover Chicks brings sophistication and classiness with a little bad-assery to mind.

Here’s what I did:
(Makes 4 servings)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Take 1 sheet of Puff Pastry and cut into quarters. Lightly spread each quarter with spicy mustard or dijon or Grey Poupon (fancy, remember?) or condiment of your choice. Sprinkle each square with about a tablespoon of Italian (or your favorite) shredded cheese. Place sausage in one corner and roll up. Tuck corners under, if desired.

Bake for 18-20 minutes. Serve and eat and run right back to the store to pick up more sausage. Om. Nom. Nom!

– jennifer