What's for dinner?

A couple years ago I was smoking a couple sirloin tips, some salmon, cashews, cheese and I decided I'd try throwing some Italian sausage on too - wondering at the time if anyone had ever smoked Italian sausage. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was pepperoni!!!!!! Best pepperoni I've ever had, lol.....
Isn’t pepperoni made with beef? That’s probably why it was so good, pork is superior to beef. Fight me America!!!! 😉
 
Isn’t pepperoni made with beef? That’s probably why it was so good, pork is superior to beef. Fight me America!!!! 😉
I honestly don't know what Italian sausage is made from, but typically sausage can consist of beef, chicken, pork or a combination of those. I suppose one could probably find goat sausage, or even alligator if you looked!!!!!

But I tell you, I took one bite out of that smoked Italian sausage and said "Hey, I know that flavor. oh....."
 
This is giving me an idea to combine pizza and bouillabaisse using a rouille as a sauce. Though if I google it, I'm sure to find it's already been done.
Yeah, every time I think I've come up with something new I find it. Like Portabella mushroom pizza. Remove the stems and spore things, with the mushroom inverted in to form a "bowl" like shape: sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, add sauce, chesse, etc, and toss in the oven at 425 till the cheese browns, usually around 15-20 minutes.....
 
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I honestly don't know what Italian sausage is made from, but typically sausage can consist of beef, chicken, pork or a combination of those. I suppose one could probably find goat sausage, or even alligator if you looked!!!!!

But I tell you, I took one bite out of that smoked Italian sausage and said "Hey, I know that flavor. oh....."
Italian sausage is usually pork. I’ve never seen anything other than that in Italy although there may be some regional oddities.
 
I honestly don't know what Italian sausage is made from, but typically sausage can consist of beef, chicken, pork or a combination of those. I suppose one could probably find goat sausage, or even alligator if you looked!!!!!

But I tell you, I took one bite out of that smoked Italian sausage and said "Hey, I know that flavor. oh....."
Italian sausage is normally straight up pork. Bare minimum ingredients: salt, pepper and fennel seed (optional red pepper flakes for hot), “sweet” is sometimes quickly dipped in a wine bath.

I have seen gator sausage, but never tried it. Apparently it’s not super uncommon in some Cajun (or is it Creole) boudoin (spelling?)

One of my favorites is 50/50 venison and pork, lightly seasoned then cold smoked. I’m sure it has a technical name, but growing up in an area founded by German settlers, sausage was life. And they just called it “smoked sausage”
 
I used to make sausage in my dad's butcher shop. 100kgs at a time 😅
Pork belly, pork shoulder, salt and pepper. That's it, true Italian salsiccia from the Bolognese Appennines.
This. I don’t know why Italian American sausages all have fennel seeds in them. That’s not always the case in Italy and I feel like it’s a bit of a divisive topic! 😅 like some people really hate the fennel.
 
Italian sausage is usually pork. I’ve never seen anything other than that in Italy although there may be some regional oddities.

I bet that the confusion stems from America's love of thousand ingredient processed foods. If you read the wrapper from a Totino's frozen pizza it says their pepperoni contains chicken, beef, and pork (prolly a little bit of rat). Your average Joe is not likely eating the 100% pork stuff very often.
 
This. I don’t know why Italian American sausages all have fennel seeds in them. That’s not always the case in Italy and I feel like it’s a bit of a divisive topic! 😅 like some people really hate the fennel.
I wonder if it’s as regional to what part of Italy someone’s family is from as it is it being “Americanized”. My great grandmother’s cooking (she and my great grandfather immigrated from Italy), used a lot of seasoning. She used so much over the years that even after she stopped cooking for herself , you could describe the smell of her house as a mix of fennel, anise and garlic. Likely as seasonings were a cheap and easy way to make lower quality meats etc more palatable… but my old manager’ cooking (also 2nd generation) was very bland.
 
My wife and I are trying for a kid. Not having a kid makes it easy for me to imagine saying that something else would be "nothing." Then again, that could lead to said theoretical kid looking like he/she belongs on a Unicef ad. Also, please tell me that's not hair on the plate.
You know how many times prior to having children I thought to myself.

Man why would you even try to go out to eat

Or I’d make my kid eat it

To bed with no dinner if you want want to eat what’s there (we do kind of stick to this but we’ve adjusted the menu. We don’t say to bed with no dinner as much as well that’s what’s for dinner). Both our boys eat a lot of sliced cucumbers, Angie and I might have asparagus and they have sliced cucumbers.


I did stick to my guns the other night I made home made Mac and cheese with bacon in it and the 7 year old wouldn’t even try it. Said he wanted Kraft. I fought the good fight. He didn’t eat. Not sure if either of us won. Lol
Worst part is the changing appetite. They will devour something. The next week. Won’t touch it.
 
I've smoked Italian sausage many a time, never tasted like Pepperoni to me, must have been something seasoned locally. The flavor profiles aren't really close unless it's maybe hot Italian sausage it might taste slightly similar. For starters I've never tasted fennel in Pepperoni.
 
I've smoked Italian sausage many a time, never tasted like Pepperoni to me, must have been something seasoned locally. The flavor profiles aren't really close unless it's maybe hot Italian sausage it might taste slightly similar. For starters I've never tasted fennel in Pepperoni.
I’ve had it with and without fennel. Not sure how “traditional” pepperoni is made, but I always thought it was one that was left to cure and ferment (not sure smoking is traditional either, but man is it good!!)
 
Isn’t pepperoni made with beef? That’s probably why it was so good, pork is superior to beef. Fight me America!!!! 😉
According to wiki it's a combination of both, it's basically Salame with paprika and other Chile peppers, and is American in origin.
 
I wonder if it’s as regional to what part of Italy someone’s family is from as it is it being “Americanized”. My great grandmother’s cooking (she and my great grandfather immigrated from Italy), used a lot of seasoning. She used so much over the years that even after she stopped cooking for herself , you could describe the smell of her house as a mix of fennel, anise and garlic. Likely as seasonings were a cheap and easy way to make lower quality meats etc more palatable… but my old manager’ cooking (also 2nd generation) was very bland.
Yeah you’re probably right. The fennel camp was exported to America and us non-fennel people have to suffer! 😜
 
You know how many times prior to having children I thought to myself.

Man why would you even try to go out to eat

Or I’d make my kid eat it

To bed with no dinner if you want want to eat what’s there (we do kind of stick to this but we’ve adjusted the menu. We don’t say to bed with no dinner as much as well that’s what’s for dinner). Both our boys eat a lot of sliced cucumbers, Angie and I might have asparagus and they have sliced cucumbers.


I did stick to my guns the other night I made home made Mac and cheese with bacon in it and the 7 year old wouldn’t even try it. Said he wanted Kraft. I fought the good fight. He didn’t eat. Not sure if either of us won. Lol
Worst part is the changing appetite. They will devour something. The next week. Won’t touch it.
My kids are 7 (twin girls) and they are being very difficult eaters. If they don’t like dinner they usually just nibble and eat their fruit and go to bed. Our rule is that we don’t ever make a second dinner. I really hope this will teach them to try things. 😩
 
My kids are 7 (twin girls) and they are being very difficult eaters. If they don’t like dinner they usually just nibble and eat their fruit and go to bed. Our rule is that we don’t ever make a second dinner. I really hope this will teach them to try things. 😩
My family was the same way growing up. Not sure in my case if it was as much to encourage trying new things, but we couldn’t afford cooking multiple meals. Went to bed hungry quite a few times growing up (although you wouldn’t believe it if you saw me now lol)
 
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