Chicken Apple Sausage Chowder with Sweet Potatoes

I found this one on cookthink.com
I had a few sweet potatoes to use up and I found this recipe. It is a GREAT recipe, and we are going to use it a lot more this fall. It was a bit heavy for a summer night, but oh so tasty.


1 pound chicken-apple sausage links (At the farmers market and only used 1/2 pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes (2 medium), peeled and cut into 1/2” cubes
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 cups (1 liter-sized box) chicken broth
Pinch saffron threads (loose 1/2 teaspoon...I omitted this)
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk (I used 1% milk)
1 cup frozen sweet corn or fresh raw corn kernels
Few dashes hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco (optional...I opted out)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley (I omitted this too)


1. Using a small, sharp knife, make a slit in the sausages lengthwise and remove the meat from the casings. Discard the casings.

2. Preheat a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then add the sausage, breaking it into bite-sized pieces as you drop it into the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sausages are cooked through and nicely browned on the outside, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid burning. Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

3. Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the pot, then add the onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping any brown pieces that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the flour and stir to coat all the onions with the flour. Cook a minute or two, stirring, then add the sweet potatoes, cider vinegar, chicken broth, and saffron. Bring the chowder to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Stir in the half-and-half or milk, corn, and cooked sausage, and simmer another 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and hot pepper sauce, if desired. Stir in the parsley just before serving.

Baked Ziti with Spinach and Tomatoes

Katie Kirkham brought this over after our last baby was born and it made serious waves. Simple, fast, and really tasty, we've made it several times since and dubbed it "The Katie". I've used it to feed my army of extended family, so you might want to halve it for yours. Original is from Epicurious. Specific amounts are listed below from that recipe, but, as usual, I never measure and just throw stuff in until it looks good.

3/4lb hot Italian sausages, casings removed (I use 1lb bulk Italian, Katie uses Gr Turkey)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 28oz can diced peeled tomatoes
1/4c pesto

10oz cooked ziti or penne pasta (~3c)
8c spinach leaves (~2/3 of 10oz pckg)
6oz mozzarella cheese, cubed
1c grated Parmesan (~3oz)

Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in large saucepan over medium high heat until sausage is cooked through, breaking it up as you go (about 10 min). Add tomatoes with juices. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 mins. Stir in pesto. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing)
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil 9x13 dish (I don't). Combine pasta, spinach, mozzarella and 1/3c Parmesan in large bowl. Stir in hot tomato sauce (I just throw the other stuff in the big saucepan). Transfer to baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 2/3c Parmesan. Bake until sauce bubbles and cheeses melt, about 30 min.