I don't know if you noticed from my previous posts, but I love sausages (and hot dogs). I think it's the ease and convenience of having a perfectly spiced meat that comes in a shaped package. No need to season, no need to cut/ground/shape/roll etc. So when I stumbled upon this recipe I knew that I just have to make it especially because I had all of the ingredients already at home.

recipe adapted from MarthaStewart.com

• Flour - 1 1/2 cups
• Yellow cornmeal - 2/3 cups
• Baking powder - 2 teaspoons
• Sugar - 2 teaspoons
• Salt - 3/4 teaspoon
• Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
• Mustard powder - 1 teaspoon
• Your favourite spices
• Milk - 2/3 cups (+ more if the batter is too thick)
• Eggs, lightly whisked - 2
• Oil - 2 teaspoons
• Hot dogs or cooked sausages - 6

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, pepper, mustard powder and your favourite spices.
- Make a well in center; add milk, eggs, and oil. Mix just until combined. You might need to add more milk if the batter is too stiff.
- Insert an ice-pop stick into one end of each hot dog, leaving a 1 1/2-inch handle.
- Using handle, rotate each hot dog over bowl as you spoon batter to coat evenly.
- Place on sheet; bake until golden for 25 minutes.
- Serve with ketchup, mustard, and Speedy "Baked" Beans (recipe follows).

Speedy "Baked" Beans

There's really no recipe for this. And I have to admit, but I used a store-bought alfredo sauce (I still feel guilty). Just warm the sauce, add your favourite cheese, spices and herbs. Cut some cooked smoked sausages and mix into the sauce. Add macaroni, mix, put into ramekins, sprinkle with some grated cheese and bake until golden brown.

Perfect easy meal for two (or one... I've been guilty of devouring the whole dish by myself), comforting and filling. Cheesy polenta, spicy salty sausage, caramelized onions and sweet peas. This recipe is ideal for experimentation, you can use broccoli or asparagus instead of peas or any other vegetable that you have on hand. Or you can try different kinds of sausages or cheeses. And I am sure that every version will be different and dimagelicious.

recipe adapted from Everyday Food magazine

for 2 portions

• Oil - 1 tablespoon
• Cooked sausages, sliced into bite size pieces - 2
• Onion, sliced - 1
• Frozen peas - 1/2 cup
• Polenta - 1/2 cup
• Cheese (chedder, gouda, goat cheese, even cream cheese would do) - 50 g (or more)
• Salt, pepper to taste

- In a saute pan, heat the oil on medium heat.
- Saute the sausages for a few minutes until they start to get some colour.
- Transfer the sausages to a plate.
- Lower the heat a little and add the onions to the pan.
- Saute the onions until they are soft and caramelized.
- Add the frozen peas to the pan and cook for a few minutes until the peas are heated through.
- Add the sausages withy any juices back to the pan and cook for a minute. Keep warm.
- In a small pot, cook polenta according to the package instructions.
- When polenta starts to thicken, add the cheese and cook a little more until the cheese is melted and the polenta is cooked to a consistency that you'd like.
- Season the cooked polenta to taste.
- To serve, transfer the polenta onto a plate and put the onion-sausage mixture on top.

I love pork and I love pork with apples - it's simple, it's elegant and it's classic. This dish is very comforting during a long cold winter. All it needs is a simple green salad and it can satisfy every hungry stomach.

recipe adapted from Chef at Home

for 2 portions

For apple stuffed pork chops

• Fresh Italian sausage, chopped - 1
• Onion, sliced - 1
• Apples, cored and chopped - 1
• Apple cider - 1/8 cup + 1/2 cup + more if needed
• Wholegrain bread, toasted and cubed - 2 slices
• Grainy mustard - 1/2 tablespoon
• Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
• Center cut pork chops, 1 and a half inch thick - 2
• Salt, pepper

- Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add onions, cover with a lid, and cook for 5 minutes, until onion has softened.
- Add apples, 1/8 cup of apple cider and let simmer until apples have softened. Add more cider if needed to soften the apples.
- Add bread and stir until it's moistened and absorbed the liquid.
- Cut a deep pocken into the side of each pork chop and fill with stuffing. (Reserve any leftover stuffing for apples)
- Place a large skillet over high heat and add olive oil.
- When hot, season the chops with salt and pepper and then sear them for 3 minutes on each side.
- Cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat down to low and cook for 5 additional minutes.
- Remove the chops and rest on a plate.
- Reheat the pan and deglaze it with the remaining 1/2 cup (or more if desired) of apple cider, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Let it boil and reduce until thichened.
- Stir in grainy mustard and serve over pork chops.

For stuffed apples
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C)
- Slice the tops off 2 apples and scoop out much of the flesh.
- Fill with leftover stuffing.
- Place the tops back on and put into a baking dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until apples are softened and the filling heats through.

Comments

- I found that there's too much stuffing, so it might be reduced, or more chops and apples can be used for it. Although the stuffing by itself is delicious.
- The mustard-cider sauce is amazing and I highly recommend making more of that delicious goodness.

To be honest, although chicken is considered a staple ingredient in North American diet, I don't eat it that much. It feels boring and plain. So when I stumble upon interesting recipes that include chicken, I usually give them a try just to see if I can prove myself wrong. And this concoction is an amazing example of fun and tasty chicken dish. It's extremely easy to make, but the taste is quite complex and well-rounded.

recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson Feast

for 4-6 portions

• Onion - 1 large or 2 small
• Olive oil (not extra virgin) - 100 ml
• Grainy mustard - 2 tablespoons
• Ground pepper
• Ground sage - 1 tablespoon
• Lemon - 1
• Garlic - 1 head
• Soy sauce - 1 tablespoon
• Chicken thighs - 4 big
• Sausages - 6

- Peel and cut the onion into eighths, and put into a freezer bag with oil, mustard, ground sage, a good grinding of pepper, the lemon juice, the squeezed out lemon husks cut into eighths, and the soy sauce.
- Squidge everything around to mix and then add the chicken pieces.
- Leave to marinade in the fridge overnight, or for up to two days. Or leave it on the counter for two hours.
- Preheat the oven to 220C (430F).
- Allow the chicken to come to room temperature in its marinade.
- Arrange the chicken pieces in a roasting pan, skin-side up, with the marinade, including onion and lemon pieces, and tuck the sausages round them.
- Add unpeeled garlic cloves to the pan.
- Put the pan in the oven to cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Turn the sausages halfway through to colour them evenly.