Garlic Shrimp with Fusilli

Mother Nature, you are not my friend anymore! What in the actual heck is going on with you? We've had almost no snow all winter, days and weeks in the 60s and 70s and now you're snowing on me again. So depressing and frustrating. The sneak peaks of spring weather really make me want to get outside and plant things. Fresh herbs, big pots of tomato and pepper plants, a few flowers here and there, edible of course, for spicing up salads. The only good thing about these cold and snowy days is I am forced to bundle up in the house and cook something. Soul warming dishes like pastas usually end up on the table on days like this and today we're making a quick pasta dish that features lots of shrimp and garlic, herbs and sauced with olive oil and butter instead of heavy red sauce. It's quick enough for a weeknight even.

For my protein I chose shrimp. Hey, I love shrimp. Even as a little kid I was more than likely going to order "fimps" when out to dinner with my parents. Shrimp is a seafood that's readily available and not terribly pricey. Make sure you use uncooked shrimp and not the pre-cooked, which will result in pasta with rubber garlic nuggets. Not what you're looking for at all. For most dishes I buy the size 41-50 shrimp. If you're not sure what this means, just ask at the fish counter or check the package if frozen. The number refers to the number of shrimp make up a pound. I find this size to be the best in recipes- they are bite size but not teeny like salad shrimp. Be sure to peel off the shells and legs and remove the black vein completely. You do not want to eat that. Always pat them dry with paper towels so they cook without steaming.

This recipe features Sinful Food garlic olive oil and Signature Seasoning. I have really fallen in love with these products and can't imagine cooking without them. The Signature Seasoning never gets put on my spice shelf- it sits right on my work area because I use it that often. Seriously guys, there is nothing this stuff doesn't taste great on. Nothing. The olive oil is beyond amazing with all that fresh garlic flavor and aroma. It's delicious in the simplest croutons to the most complicated French recipe. 

I also had been saving the imported fusilli I picked up at Graziano's when Mary and Angi and I went shopping there a few weeks ago. You can read all about that adventure by clicking HERE. 

The quality of this brand of pasta is just incredible. The pasta shape stays fully intact after cooking, it doesn't become too mushy too quickly, and it has a very fresh texture- almost as if it was freshly made and not a dried pasta. Believe me, I had to pry this out of The Chef's hands a number of times just trying to keep it for the right recipe. This was definitely the right recipe. Quite a few of my foodie and chef friends also recommended this brand and shared stories about the high quality and how much they love using this. Graziano's is absolutely the right place to get great imported Italian foods in Des Moines. I really need to get back over there and restock my pasta hoard.

Pan Grilled Garlic Shrimp with Fusilli

12 ounces uncooked shrimp

8 cloves garlic

3-4 tablespoons Sinful Food garlic olive oil

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Sinful Food Signature Seasoning

1 lb fusilli pasta

Start a large pot of salted water to boil.

Remove shells (and tails, I prefer) from the shrimp and devein. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and place on plate. Season generously with the Signature Seasoning.

Place the garlic on a chopping board and very finely mince. Set aside. Chop the herbs and set aside.

When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving one cup of the cooking water. Keep warm.

Heat a large heavy skillet (cast iron is great) over high heat until very hot. Add a couple tablespoons of garlic olive oil. Add the shrimp, in a single layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the shrimp are beginning to brown. Flip and cook on the other side another minute or two. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Add remaining olive oil to skillet, then add garlic. Reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the crushed red pepper and thyme. Cook for a minute or two until garlic is tender but not brown. Add the stick of butter and half a cup of the pasta water. 

Bring to boil and cook until butter is melted and sauce is emulsified. Add the shrimp and parsley back into the sauce. 

Add the pasta, tossing to coat, adding additional pasta water if needed. Serve immediately.

You can get dinner on the table in under 30 minutes with a fast recipe like this. The pasta takes the longest to cook. Just grab some crusty bread to serve with, and a fresh salad. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." As a Brand Ambassador, the company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift or something of value. Regardless,  I only recommend products or services I believe are of good quality and safe. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Easy Weeknight Gnocchi Skillet Dinner for Two

Someone recently asked me what my favorite cuisine would be. That was a tough question. I love so many different foods from so many different cultures, and I'm always trying new things and falling in love with new ethnic foods. To try and narrow it down to just one was difficult. Of course I love American foods, what's not to love about burgers and fried chicken and comfort foods? I'm part German so of course traditional German foods are part of my childhood and have a spot in my heart. French food is a part time obsession of mine, and so is Chinese/Asian food. Yes, I had considerable difficulty pinning just one down, but in the end, I went with........Italian. 

Italian cuisine is a lot more varied than many people realize. Sure, marinara sauce is a big part, but different regions of Italy feature many different foods and preparations. The Lombardy region is the "meaty" region- lots of beef and pork, along with rice and polenta. Gorgonzola and taleggio cheese hail from this region. You might find rich stuffed pastas, like squash filled ravioli and rich risotto. Calabria showcases a lot of Spanish influences in dishes. You will find seafood very prominent here and Calabrese pizza with sopressata. Campania is the pasta region, and relies heavily on vegetables in their dishes. Spaghetti alla puttanesca was created in this region, and has become a favorite around our house. Coastal Marche is another region where seafood features prominently in their dishes. Puglia brings olive oil to the world, and Tuscany uses many different types of legumes in dishes and you can find white truffle in many foods. 

With a name like Riccio, of course The Chef also loves Italian foods and given the choice, he would live on pasta. We prepare a lot of Italian dishes at home. Red sauce is pretty much a staple, and it's so versatile, why not make lots? Tossed with pasta, ladled over roasted meats and spread on dough and baked into pizzas, it's not very often that red sauce goes to waste here. Even Louie the Bulldog is a fan of pasta and pizza days. Louie gets his own serving of pasta and always gets a few bites of pizza. For myself, I prefer meaty marinara sauce dishes with beef, sausage, meatballs, or even just mushrooms, and The Chef's favorite sauce is filled with clams and seafood like shrimp or mussels. 

Sometimes we get a craving for pasta but maybe don't feel like making, or don't have time to make a pot of red sauce so we look for other ways to get our pasta fix. The Chef makes a mean creamy Gorgonzola sauce....... and it's prefect on top of a juicy filet. We also really like making our own homemade pasta. Pasta dough is a snap with a stand mixer, and a pasta machine makes rolling it perfectly thin so easy you'll want to make it again and again. 

Of course, special equipment is not required to make gnocchi- delicious little dumplings of dough. Usually made with cooked potato and flour, gnocchi can be made with all kinds of things- herbs, ricotta cheese, fruits or vegetables, to give the little dumplings a color and flavor to liven up any dish. They are super easy to make from scratch but most grocery stores also carry ready to cook gnocchi in the pasta section, vacuum packed with no refrigeration needed, and are awesome to have on hand for quick dinners. Whip up some sauce, boil some water- the gnocchi cook in about three minutes, drain, toss and voila- dinner in minutes. They are great as an entree or side. Today we are going to use the gnocchi in a super quick entree that's perfect for busy weeknights when the last thing you want to do is stand over a hot stove for a couple hours. Brown some sausage, add broccoli rabe and garlic, a handful of Parmesan, toss with cooked gnocchi- done!

For the Italian sausage, I used locally produced Graziano's traditional Italian sausage. I used mild- use as hot as you like. If you buy links, just remove the casing and crumble the sausage into the skillet. The broccoli rabe is perfect in this dish but it's not always available. If you can't find it, just buy a couple stalks of broccoli and cut into broccolini-like pieces. It will be just as delicious. 

The olive oil in my dish is Sinful Food garlic olive oil. It makes a big difference in the flavor of the dish to use a high quality infused oil. Get your Sinful Food oils by clicking HERE.

Gnocchi and Sausage Skillet

1 package store bought gnocchi, one pound

1 Italian sausage link, about 1/2 to 3/4 lb.

olive oil

small bunch broccoli rabe or broccolini, cut into bite sized pieces

4-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/3 cup butter, softened

pinch of crushed red pepper, optional

salt and pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to full rolling boil. Add gnocchi and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water.

Remove the casing from the sausage and crumble into a large skillet with the olive oil. Cook until sausage is browned and cooked through. Add the broccoli rabe to the skillet and cook, stirring often for about three minutes until wilted. Add the garlic, and cook for another minute. 

Remove from heat and stir in the softened butter and the pasta water. Add the gnocchi, crushed red pepper and Parmesan. Toss to coat the gnocchi. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle additional Parmesan over if desired. Serve immediately.

This pasta dish is so comforting and delicious and comes together so quickly you will want to keep this in your rotation. Just throw some garlic bread in the oven and whip up a salad if you like. It's even good enough for guests.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." As a Brand Ambassador, the company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift or something of value. Regardless,  I only recommend products or services I believe are of good quality and safe. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Planned Leftovers- Monica's Marinara

There are two chefs in his house, and therefore, two very different ideas on how to cook various dishes. The Chef is more of a wing-it kind of cook, whereas I am more of a detail oriented cook, especially when it comes to traditional recipes like marinara. I want my sauce to be reliable and as I remember. I'm not someone who wants a pot full of surprise sauce every time I make it. After my trip to the local Italian market in town yesterday I had loads of great ideas for dinner for the next few days, I just needed a big pot of red sauce to pull it all together. So while The Chef napped after his morning at work, I whipped up a nice pot of marinara using some of the items from the Italian market and some of the amazing Sinful Food gourmet olive oils. 

I start my sauce with minced fresh onion and minced fresh garlic. I absolutely cannot imagine sauce without them. Dried or powdered simply will not do in a sauce I am going to simmer for a few hours. I grab a small yellow onion and mince up into tiny pieces. A handful of fresh garlic cloves- 8 or 9 or so- also get a super fine mince. Using my big stockpot I add a good swirl of Sinful Food Basil Olive oil- and right here is where we are going to stop and talk about the oil. This was the first time I've used or tasted the basil oil. I've tried lots of different flavored oils over the years but honestly, Sinful Food has created a miracle here. The second the cork is out of the bottle the aroma of fresh basil surrounds you. Seriously. It has the fragrance of a bunch of freshly picked basil. Green and leafy and so beautiful. A little taste of the oil and I'd swear I was nibbling on a leaf. This stuff, guys, hands down the BEST flavored olive oil I have ever ever tried.

I heat the oil in the pot briefly and that fresh basil aroma just wafts around the kitchen. I added the onions and gave them a little stir for a minute or two to soften before adding the garlic. I'm ready to grab a fork at this point! In goes a good 3 tablespoons Garziano's Italian seasoning and a decent dose of crushed red pepper, stirred around to bring out all the flavors, then in go the roasted tomatoes and tomato paste. Enough water to reconstitute the tomato paste goes in the pot next and I let the sauce simmer for a couple hours. You can use red wine for up to one third of the quantity of water if you like. I didn't have any on hand so I skipped that. Here is the recipe for the sauce-

Monica's Marinara

1 small yellow onion
8 cloves fresh garlic
Sinful Food basil olive oil
3-4 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
Sinful Food Signature Seasoning
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups oven roasted tomatoes or crushed tomatoes(canned or fresh)
3  6 oz cans tomato paste

Finely mince the onion and garlic. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in large pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, over medium heat until onion is softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for about one minute. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, Signature Seasoning and black pepper to taste. Stir over medium heat for a minute or two until the herbs and spices are fragrant. Add the tomatoes, and tomato paste. Gradually stir in water- general rule is 3 cans water for each can tomato paste. Stir well and raise the heat to bring to a soft boil, the reduce heat and simmer, with a cover ajar, two to three hours to meld the flavors and thicken the sauce.

So now we have a pot of sauce, and a fridge full of Italian groceries. For a household of two, this much sauce will make several meals for us so I will be dividing it up. For tonight we are having baked cavatelli with mini meatballs. The basil oil is going to make another appearance in this dish. I cook one pound of cavatelli pasta in boiling salted water just until al dente. Drained well, it gets tossed with a tablespoon of basil oil and enough sauce to cover. The meatballs get tossed in too and the whole thing goes into a buttered baking dish or individual dishes. A blanket of Provolone cheese goes on top and a drizzle of basil oil. The casserole goes in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly and covered in melty browned cheese.

For the next meal, I portion out enough sauce for The Chef and I to have fusilli with sauce, a salad and maybe some garlic bread. I can only imagine how delicious this basil oil will be in salad dressing or drizzled over a fresh Caprese salad. This can go in the freezer so we can have it a week or so later. His half of the sauce will get a can of baby clams for his favorite- pasta vongole, while mine will either have a handful of mushrooms added or just as is for a great vegetarian dinner. I don't do clams. Yucky.

The last portion of sauce will be used for tomorrow's dinner- Italian sausage sandwiches on tomato focaccia. I'll patty up some Graziano's Italian sausage, cook until done then slather with heated marinara sauce, cover with Provolone and serve on grilled focaccia that's been brushed with Sinful Food basil olive oil and toasted. So good, so simple.

Get YOUR Sinful Food oils and seasoning by clicking HERE.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." As a Brand Ambassador, the company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift or something of value. Regardless,  I only recommend products or services I believe are of good quality and safe. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Foodie Field Trip- Graziano Brothers

Have I ever said how much I HATE shopping? The mall is so depressing to me. I never go there. The worst part of the holiday season- shopping. Back to school time- shopping. Mindlessly shuffling through the giant tomb of consumerism just sucks the soul out of me. 

Unless it's foodie shopping. Ohhhhhh ya. Then I am alllll about hitting the store. Not just the everyday grocery store. Foodie shopping. Gourmet groceries. Unusual produce and ingredients. Ethnic foods. Kitchen equipment. Spices and herbs. Oils and vinegars. Wines. Cookware. Knives. All the knives. Now you're talking to my heart, folks. My foodie friend Mary was in town for the weekend. We met for sushi on Friday evening and decided we better hit Graziano's in the morning so she can restock cooking supplies for her Missouri home, and I can stock up on a few things too. A few things- ha! Who are we kidding here?

So Friday night over dinner at Sakari Sushi Lounge and sake bombs Mary, our friend Angi and I munched on fabulous sushi rolls and discussed the upcoming Chocolate Affair in Hannibal. Angi and I are planning a road trip for the event- yay!! Girlie Foodie Field Trip!- and the discussion turned to Graziano's. For those of you who aren't familiar, Graziano Brothers is a landmark food store in Des Moines. Founded in 1912 by Louis and Frank Graziano, two brothers who had emigrated to Iowa from San Morello, Italy, and made their way to Des Moines. Louis opened the grocery store while Frank remained employed by the railroad company until the store was well on its feet. The grocery store sits just south of downtown Des Moines in an area that was once known as Little Italy and has supplied Des Moines with authentic Italian groceries, pastas, breads, homemade sausage, meatballs, imported deli meats and cheeses, bulk spices and herbs and some of the best olives on the planet for over 100 years.

The quaint store facade is suited perfectly for the old time feel of the store. Not a huge store, they have a small collection of shopping carts at the door. You'd think you wouldn't need one here, but if you know me...... ya, you do. The first items in the door are the bulk spices on the right, olive oils on the left. This is where Mary and I began our stock-up shopping. Graziano's house blended Italian seasoning is the best thing I have ever tasted. Herbs, garlic and bits of crushed red pepper are the perfect seasoning for any Italian dishes from pasta to pizza sauce. I grab the usual size bag for our house, it's priced at $3.25. I kid you not, there is a good 3 cups of seasoning in this bag, easily enough to last us a year or more. At home I transfer it to an airtight container to keep it fresh. I also grabbed a bag of crushed red pepper, again easily a year's supply, for $3.45. You just cannot get a better deal anywhere.

We love mushrooms at our house and in the same section of the store you will find beautiful dried mushrooms, like porcini, portobella, and woodear. I grabbed some porcini and woodear because, well, you just might need them, and at $2.75 and $1.15 respectively, I just can't say no. I also snuck a nice bag of sun dried tomatoes, soft and raisiny, not dried and crispy into my shopping cart. I am often searching the supermarket for sun dried tomatoes and most of the time find just the oil packed kind. That's not usually what I want for cooking and baking. Sun dried tomatoes that are packed by themselves like this are excellent in breadmaking.

Continuing down the aisle, Angi had lots of questions. Recommendations for a pasta sauce? Type of olive? Recipe ideas? For a first timer in the store she was suitably impressed by the variety and selection, especially when we got to the meat and cheese counter. Italian sausage was bought by all, and Angi grabbed some of the extra hot sausage. Mary tried a couple different imported salamis and cheeses that were new to her, Angi got several of the hot pepper cheeses and I went with the traditional famous Italian sausage and provolone cheese- sliced to order every time. It's hard to beat the Iowa classic Italian sausage sandwich especially with the best sausage hands down.

The pasta aisle was like an amusement park for food lovers. Every shape, every size. Every pasta you can possibly imagine in sizes from one pound packages to giant bags I'd guess to be 5 pounds or more. I grabbed some fusilli and some cavatelli as my mind had trouble focusing on just on or two types. I am not kidding when I say it's so easy for any self respecting foodie to go absolutely freakin bonkers in here. In the same aisle I was just as tempted by several different kinds of arborio rice and risotto mixes and seasonings. Bags of wandas tempted me, but I resisted. Italian cookies and candies also beckoned to me, but I was strong. After all, I did have a giant tub of Graziano's olives in the cart- a whole quart container for $4.75.

South Union bread is sold here, and the aroma of that freshly baked bread was so welcoming. Italian rolls, breads, focaccia, loaves, so so many options. I did not get out of that aisle without a focaccia in my cart. I can't wait to eat it.

At the front of the store there are several large frozen and refrigerated cases containing fresh mozzarella, Italian sodas and beverages, more sausages like salami and others, marinated peppers and......more olives. Different types of olives. Yes, again I fell victim to the lure of olives. This time I grabbed some castelvetrano olives. If you ever get a chance to try these you simply must. In the frozen case you can find prepacked Graziano's Italian sausage in one pound hunks, pasta sauces from some of the local Italian spots, and housemade meatballs- even miniature meatballs. I grabbed a pound- they will be awesome with the cavatelli! Here again, pasta is king with probably 20 or more varieties of handmade ravioli, lasagna, cavatelli, pastas, manicotti, and the whole reason for coming here in the first place- cannoli. Oh. Em. Gee. Creamy ricotta cheese, just the right amount of sweet, chopped pistachios, bits of bittersweet chocolate and that crunchy cannoli shell. You bet I got one!

Also at the front of the store is this amazing piece of history- this beautiful and old old old butcher block. How I'd love to sit around that table with an espresso or macchiato and talk about the old days with the many people who have labored over that surface, kneading bread, rolling pasta, cutting wandas, chopping, singing, feeding their family and sharing the love. It had to be a prominent part of someones home kitchen at one time. The top is worn with years of use- Mary and I wondered about the many generations of cooks who stood beside this table and thought about all the meals prepared by hand. Kind of gives me the shivers to think about all that table has seen over the decades.

I'm happy to say Mary and I got Angi off to a good start with some Italian marinara sauce, delicious olives, some giardinera she picked out, and her sausage and cheeses. I'm pretty sure she will be back. I KNOW Mary and I will! Now........ off to go cook something............

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Hatch Chilies- Put That In Your Sandwich And Stuff It

It's Hatch chili time again. Last year I roasted them, peeled them and made salsa. This year I want to do something different that really puts the pepper right out there to enjoy. I heard the Hatches were back in the big grocery stores so I went on a quest to find them. I struck out at the first store, where I had got them last year. Darnit. I was afraid I might have waited a couple days too long and was going to miss out. A quick plea to my friends on social media connected me with the right locations and Hatch chilies were acquired. Whew!

I'm not just playing with these guys though. I stopped at the local farmers market a couple days ago and snagged a nice bag full of gorgeous hot banana peppers- some yellow, some red. I love these guys! I have some great memories of banana peppers- my dad always grew them in the garden, my mom always made fried peppers and onions with dinner in the summer, and from my waaaay back years I remember getting a nice butt-paddling after overhearing my dad call the peppers in a neighbor's garden "bananas" so I went and picked them. All of them. Oops.

Of course no pepper experiment would be complete without America's favorite pepper- the jalapeno. To use them in this recipe I had to hunt down really good sized ones, and even at that, I'm going to tell you guys- don't bother with jalapenos. The banana peppers were thin and pliable and super easy to clean. Same with the Hatch chilies, but the jalapenos and their thick "meat" were really tough to get in there and get all the membrane out. If you REALLY must, they are delicious, but labor intensive. 

Growing up, one of Mom's summer specialties was the good old stuffed bell pepper. She made a simple stuffing- hamburger, rice, onions, tomatoes, some diced pepper, seasonings, piled into bell peppers and draped with slices of cheese, then baked until the cheese was browned and delicious. Nothing gourmet, but just really good and homey. I loved them. So as an adult I find myself experimenting with not only new pepper types and heat levels, but often revisiting those classic dishes and recipes and making them more "me" and more my cooking style. 

If you're not an Iowan you will never understand the deep rooted love we have for our Graziano's* Italian sausage, although I'd be willing to bet you have your own local favorite. For us Grazi's is the Holy Grail of sausage, for pizza and pasta and for fantastic Italian sausage sandwiches. We love our Grazi's cooked, draped with marinara sauce and cheese and served on crusty bread. I'm swooning just thinking about it. Many people like to pile theirs with grilled onions and peppers. All these flavors seemed to be speaking to me as I pondered what to make with the peppers I have, and then it hit me. Why not take that sausage, add some breadcrumbs, cheese and a little of my homemade habanero pizza sauce, squish it until it's meatloafy (yes folks, that IS a professional culinary term, I promise) and stuff it in those peppers? Genius! I couldn't just do a stuffed pepper though- that's too obvious and every day, and I wanted to do something completely different and that, my friends, is how Stuffed Pepper Po Boys became a thing.

Simple ingredients, you choose the heat level you like in your sausage, in your sauce. I used homemade habanero pizza sauce, but marinara or regular pizza sauce works just fine. Add crushed red pepper to any part of this dish- the meat, the sauce, sprinkle it on top. Use hot Italian sausage or mild, it's totally up to you. It is going to be delicious.

Stuffed Pepper Po Boys

1 lb Italian sausage

3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/2 cup marinara sauce

1 egg

1/4 cup minced onion

1 cup shredded mozzarella

10-16 peppers

additional marinara sauce

additional cheese

crusty baguette bread

Prepare the peppers- use a sharp knife and cut the stem end off. Carefully run the knife down the length of the pepper on ONLY one side- do not cut the pepper in half. Spread the pepper open and remove seeds and membrane and set aside. 

In a medium bowl combine the sausage, marinara sauce, egg, breadcrumbs and cheese. Mix well with your hands.

Again, spreading the peppers open with your fingers, stuff the meat mixture into the peppers, mounding slightly. Spoon a little additional marinara sauce on top of each pepper, spreading it out a bit. Place on a baking sheet and pop in a 375 degree oven for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven when done and turn on the broiler. Sprinkle each pepper liberally with shredded cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese melts and starts to turn brown. Remove and let rest a few minutes.

Cut your baguette into sandwich size pieces and split in half. Spread with softened butter (garlic better is awesome) and broil until toasted and starting to brown. 

The stuffing stays so juicy- yum! You can serve with additional
sauce for dipping if you like, but it's not needed.

Top each baguette bottom with stuffed peppers to fill the sandwich. Top with the upper piece of bread and enjoy.

You can add any additional toppings you like, just like in the sub shop. I prefer to keep mine simple so I can enjoy the fresh peppers and that incredibly delicious Graziano's sausage. 

* I realized as I was writing this that we have not had an official Foodie Field Trip to Grazi's yet- so look for that in the very near future! Graziano's is an old old neighborhood grocery store with an incredible selection of Italian products, fresh meats, marinated olives, fresh baked breads and pasta.