October 11 – National Sausage Pizza Day

Italian Sausage & Caramelized Onion Pizza (https://breadboozebacon.com/italian-sausage-caramelized-onion-pizza/)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 6 slices
Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 sweet onion peeled, halved, and sliced thin
1/2 pound Mild Italian Sausage (not links)
1/2 recipe Homemade Pizza Dough or store-bought
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion slices; stir to separate the slices into individual pieces. Cook until onions just begin to brown – about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until onions are tender and caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove to a bowl; set aside.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Using the same skillet, add Italian sausage and return heat to medium. Cook until sausage is browned and cooked through, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain; set aside.
Roll out pizza dough to a 14 to 16″ round {depending on your baking sheet/pizza stone size}, and place on baking sheet or pizza stone.
Bake dough for 5 mins. Carefully remove crust from oven.
Top with a thin-ish layer of marinara to within 1/2-inch of the dough edge.
Then top with sausage and almost all the onions. Sprinkle pizza evenly with cheese, and the remaining onions.
Bake for another 8 to 12 minutes until cheese is bubbly, crust edges are golden brown and the bottom is crispy. Remove from oven, slice, and eat!

October 12 – National Gumbo Day

Authentic New Orleans Gumbo (https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/authentic-new-orleans-style-gumbo/)

Ingredients
For the Roux:

1 heaping cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)

For the Gumbo:

1 bunch celery , diced, leaves and all
1 green bell pepper , diced
1 large yellow onion , diced
1 bunch green onion , finely chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley leaves , finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic
1-2 Tablespoons cajun seasoning *
6-8 cups Chicken broth *
12 ounce package andouille sausages , sliced into ‘coins’ (substitute Polska Kielbasa if you can’t find a good Andouille)
Meat from 1 Rotisserie Chicken*
2 cups Shrimp , pre cooked
cooked white rice for serving

Instructions

Make the Roux*: In a large, heavy bottom stock pot combine flour and oil. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 30-45 minutes. This part takes patience–when it’s finished it should be as dark as chocolate and have a soft, “cookie dough” like consistency. Be careful not to let it burn! Feel free to add a little more flour or oil as needed to reach this consistency.
Brown the sausage. In a separate skillet on medium-high heat place the sausage slices in one layer in the pan. Brown them well on one side (2-3 minutes) and then use a fork to flip each over onto the other side to brown. Remove to a plate.
Cook the vegetables in broth. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to the hot skillet that had the sausage to deglaze the pan. Pour the broth and drippings into your large soup pot.
Add remaining 5 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Add veggies, parsley, and roux to the pot and stir well.
Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 5-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly tender. (Skim off any foam that may rise to the top of the pot.) Stir in cajun seasoning, to taste.
Add meat. Add chicken, sausage, and shrimp.
Taste and serve. At this point taste it and add more seasonings to your liking–salt, pepper, chicken bullion paste, garlic, more Joe’s stuff or more chicken broth–until you reach the perfect flavor. Serve warm over rice. (Tastes even better the next day!)

Notes
Roux: The roux can be made 3-5 days in advance, stored in a large resealable bag in the fridge.
Cajun seasoning: My preferred brand is Joe’s Stuff Cajun Seasoning but I can usually only find it online. You could use any brand, but may need to adjust the amount added, to taste. You can also make your own cajun seasoning.
Chicken and broth:The best way to make this gumbo is by buying a rotisserie chicken–removing all the chicken, and using the carcass to make homemade chicken broth. Then make the gumbo using the chicken and homemade broth. You can use store-bought chicken broth, but homemade is way better!
Storing Instructions: Store Gumbo covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freezing Instructions: This recipe makes quite a lot, so save leftovers for another day! To freeze gumbo, allow it to cool completely and store it in a freezer safe container (separate from the rice) for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

October 13 – Yorkshire Pudding Day

Yorkshire Pudding (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9239/yorkshire-pudding/)

prep:
5 mins
cook:
30 mins
additional:
1 hr
total:
1 hr 35 mins
Servings:
8
Yield:
8 servings
Ingredients
1?½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk, room temperature
3 eggs, room temperature
¾ cup water
½ cup beef drippings

Directions
Step 1

Mix flour and salt together until blended. Make a well in the flour, add the milk, and whisk until consistent. Beat the eggs into the batter. Add water and beat again until the mixture is light and frothy. Set aside for an hour (or, if it’s the day before, cover in the fridge overnight).
Step 2

If the batter has been refrigerated, allow it to come up to room temperature before using. When the roast beef is ready to come out of the oven, ready the mixture.
Step 3

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
Step 4

Pour off drippings from roast beef and measure out desired amount (about 1/2 cup should do). Pour drippings into a 9×12 inch baking dish and place into the oven until the drippings sizzle. Pour the batter over the drippings and bake for 30 minutes (or until the sides have risen and are golden brown). Cut into eight portions and serve immediately.

October 14 – National Dessert Day

Snickers Egg Rolls (https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a21633061/snickers-egg-rolls-recipe/)

Yields: 12
Prep Time: 0 hours 5 mins
Total Time: 0 hours 10 mins
Ingredients
12 egg roll wrappers
12 Snickers bars
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips, melted
Directions

Place an egg roll wrapper on a clean surface in a diamond shape and place a half of a Snickers bar. Fold up bottom half and tightly fold in sides. Gently roll, then seal fold with a couple drops of water. Repeat until all egg roll wrappers are used.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil (it should reach 1″ up the side of pan) until a drop of water bubbles in pan. Add egg rolls and fry until golden, 1 minute per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with sugar immediately.
Serve with melted chocolate for dipping.

October 15 – National Cheese Curd Day

Fried Cheese Curds (https://www.thegunnysack.com/fried-cheese-curds/)

Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Total Time
25 minutes
Ingredients

2 lbs cheese curds
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp garlic salt
1 egg
1 1/2 quarts oil, vegetable, canola or peanut oil

Instructions

Heat oil to 375 degrees. (Use a thermometer and watch carefully)
Whisk together buttermilk, flour, baking soda, garlic salt and egg until smooth.
Coat several cheese curds with batter.
Fry a few at a time, for several seconds, until golden brown.
Drain on paper towel.