Delizioso

I felt it was time for yet another recipe. I cooked the following recipe the other night and Josh could not stop raving about it. It really is very delicious and is oh so easy to make.

The original recipe for this one came from the Taste of Home December issue. In there it is called Hearty Sausage Stromboli - not only is that a lengthy title for more-or-less a sandwich but the recipe itself is also a rather loose translation of the word Stromboli. I won't go into all of that now but if you can think of a more appropriate (and shorter) name, let me know. Once again, I have tweaked the recipe just a little: one, because I can't find the exact ingredients all the time out here in small town America, and two, because my boys tend to be a little picky.

Hearty Sausage Stromboli (Brookshire family style)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage
• 1/4 lb lean ground beef
• 1/4 of a medium sized onion chopped
• 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms (I got them from a can)
• 1/4 cup of chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 loaf Italian bread
• mozzarella cheese slices

For all of that chopping, let me just say that there is no better kitchen tool than this (unless of course you're Rachel Ray)press, press, press and voila, you have chopped onions and green peppers.Anyway, after all of that chopping, you are going to cook the sausage, beef, onion, mushrooms and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Since you used lean ground beef there shouldn't be much grease, so no need to drain unless you just really want to.

Stir in water, tomato paste, Parmesan cheese, salt, oregano, garlic and rosemary. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for five minutes or until thickened. Note: the longer you let it simmer, the better it will be.

While it is simmering, cut the top third off your loaf of bread and carefully hollow out the bottom, leaving a 1/2 inch shell. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE the bread you have removed (we will be making croutons next). Line the bottom half of the bread with mozzarella cheese. Top with sausage mixture and more cheese. Replace bread top. Wrap sandwich loaf in foil and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand for five minutes before slicing, or...I serve my sandwich with a salad and what better way to top off a salad than with some

Homemade Italian Croutons

While my above sandwich is cooking, I line a pan with foil, spread my removed bread in a single layer on the foil (tearing large pieces into smaller ones), drizzle the bread pieces with EVOO (that's extra virgin olive oil for those who don't watch Rachel Ray), and then generously top them all with Italian Seasoning, garlic powder and grated Parmesan cheese.

Once the sandwich is done cooking, I turn the oven temp down to 200 degrees (I leave my sandwich in the oven to keep warm) and place the croutons in there as well. Heat for around 15 minutes or until bread has dried up and turned crunchy. Happy cooking everyone!