Skillet Sausage and Peppers

This is one of my ultimate comfort foods. My mom used to make this time-intensive version but I changed it up to be a one-dish wonder.

3 mild (or spicy if you prefer!) Italian sausage links - sweet gives it an off flavor to me, but I guess you could use it; casings removed and crumbled
2 or 3 green peppers, chopped
half an onion, chopped
minced garlic or powder if you don’t have any (or fresh. whatever. just give it some garlic.)
a little over a quarter of a large jar of traditional marinara-style tomato sauce
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 cup of rice or a pouch of instant

This is really easy.
1. Brown the sausage crumbles.
2. Add veggies and saute for about five-seven minutes. Cook the rice.
3. Add sauce and simmer for another five-ten.
4. Stir in the rice.
5. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired (and you should).

This feeds two ridiculously starving people or three to four normal ones. Can you guys tell I adore onions and garlic? Yah... I promise to post something that doesn't require it. Like my favorite chocolate cake. ;)

Cabbage Crockpot Dinner

Cabbage (both fresh and sauerkraut) is big in Bulgaria and though it's allegedly easy to cook, I've never been able to replicate my mom's cabbage dishes. Then I found this recipe that I've adapted for my own use. The original recipe has potatoes, which we didn't like in combination with cabbage, so I've skipped them since.

Ingredients:
For 1.5 quart/1.4 liter crockpot

4 cups* (about 470 g) cut/shredded cabbage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 3/4 teaspoons salt**
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 oz (150 ml) broth
1 pound (450 g) fully cooked sausage***, cut into serving size pieces

Edited to add: the sausage is of this type, sans the grill marks :).

* About 3 cups, or enough to fill a 1.5 qt crockpot to the brim (cabbage cooks down).
** Cabbage takes in spices very well, and it's really easy to make it poisonously salty! So try it with this amount of salt first and then decide if you need more.
*** It seems that the sausage leaks some of its oil and spices onto the cabbage, so if you substitute tofu, it might be a bit bland.

Directions:

Cut cabbage. Chop onion.
Put cabbage and onion into crockpot.
Arrange pieces of sausage on top.
Stir spices into broth. Pour on top of the cabbage.
Cover and cook on low until cabbage is tender, about 6 hours.

Makes about 3 servings.