In the Kitchen with Eric Swett - Recipe for Sausage and Summer Squash #InTheKitchen #Recipes

My go-to meal, any time of year is my Sausage and Summer Squash. 

It started off as something I threw together with what I had in the kitchen. Over time I refined the recipe and it might change a little depending on what I have in the kitchen.

Overall it is a simple recipe and will take about 30 minutes from beginning to end, so it is a winner when we get home late or have an activity later in the evening.

For a slightly leaner dish, use turkey sausage and add a little more olive oil than what is called for.

You can also use white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar for the vinegar (my personal preference, but not my wife’s).

It doesn’t really matter what hot sauce you use. It is more about personal preference. I like using siracha or chipotle tobacco sauce, but Texas Pete’s will work fine too. Use more or less depending on the heat of the sausage you use and your personal preferences.

If you want something a bit heartier, I would recommend serving it over rice or pasta of your choice. It will extend the meal to enough for more people or more leftovers.

Sausage and Summer Squash (serves 4)

Ingredients:

One Package of Spicy Italian Sausage Links cut into half-inch discs

One Large Yellow or Sweet Onion roughly chopped

One Pint of Grape Tomatoes

One Larger Zucchini

One Large Summer Squash

Two Clove Minced Garlic

4 oz Feta Cheese Crumbles

1tsp Italian Seasoning

1tsp Salt

1tsp Pepper

2 tsp Hot Sauce

1tbl Olive Oil

1Tbl Red Wine Vinegar

Directions:

1. In a high-sided skillet, add the Olive Oil and the Italian Sausage. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Once the sausage is browned, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Add the onion and tomatoes to the skillet along with ½ tsp of salt. Stir regularly until the onions become translucent and the tomatoes break.

3. While the onion and tomatoes are sautéing, cut the ends of the zucchini and summer squash. Cut them lengthwise in half and in half again. Cut them horizontally into half-inch chunks. Add them to the onions and tomatoes.

4. Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, remaining salt, and pepper. Add the minced garlic. Stir frequently until the garlic becomes aromatic (no more than a couple minutes).

5. Add the vinegar and stir with a flat wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan.

6. Once the squash softens a little (another two or three minutes), add the sausage back into the pan and stir until it is well-mixed. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

7. Add half the container of feta cheese and the hot sauce. Stir thoroughly.

8. Turn off the heat and serve. Sprinkle with remaining Feta Cheese to taste.

A Murder of Wizards: Apocalypse Rising Year Two

Armageddon Angels 

Book Three

Eric Swett

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Haileybug Publishing 

Date of Publication: 12/9/23

ISBN: 979-8867576660

ASIN:B0CN7HJCGN

Number of pages: 251

Word Count: 95,789

Cover Artist: Eric Swett

Tagline: The Grim Reaper looks for a serial killer who is ritually murdering wizards and taunting them in the process. He needs to find the killer and stop him before his plot comes to a disastrous conclusion.

Book Description:  

Apocalypse Rising: A Murder of Wizards is an Urban Fantasy about a fallen Angel named Justin. He just happens to be one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the Grim Reaper himself, Death. 

Two years have passed since he remembered who he was and what he is. He is regaining  abilities and memories he lost when he chose to fall to earth and live among humans, but he has a long way to go before he can fully reclaim his title. When Justin is asked by a friend to investigate a string of supernatural murders he can't say no. Justin discovers he has a connection to the murders and has to find the murderer before their plans come to fruition.

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Excerpt:

“Don’t look.” Justin turned and pulled Lilly to him. He tried to shield her from the gore splattered about the alley. The copper stink of fresh blood assaulted them as they stood across the street from the scene. As the Grim Reaper, eons of death dulled the impact for Justin. He wanted to keep Lilly from it if possible.

“I can’t.” Lilly looked away, but it did not help. Despite being blind, the murder shone in vivid technicolor to her. Being Justin's Oracle gave her sight far beyond what any normal person enjoyed.

The pull of death drew her attention, and in her mind's eye, the scene coalesced as clearly as if she stared at it. The violence and butchery lit the aura surrounding the dead body in angry tones of black and red that shone like a spotlight upon the murder.

She placed her hand over her mouth to keep from vomiting.

The splayed open corpse's entrails hung about the alley. The smashed kidneys hung from the side of a dumpster. The lungs sat in a pile against the alley wall. The liver dripped blood into a shallow pool beside the corpse. The buzzing of flies grew louder as the dead man's evacuated bowels drew them to the feast.

The callous mess made of another human left her uneasy.

She wanted to block it out, bury her head in Justin’s chest, and flee the scene. She tried to look away, but ancient instinct forced her to bear witness to the death of a fellow human. Her instincts buzzed with warning. Her palms sweated, and her lips trembled. A predator lurked nearby, and she needed to be aware.

“Lilly.” Justin put an arm around her shoulders and turned her back to the horrific scene playing out in the alley. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Justin wanted to go home and leave it all behind them. Lilly wanted to know what happened and needed him to tell her so she did not have to face it alone. The closer they got to it, the more apparent the full extent of the horror became.

“What…what is it? What happened, Justin?” Lilly held onto him tightly, seeking comfort in his strength.

He apprised the situation with a practiced stare. His experience on earth gave him some insight, but his familiarity with death brought everything into focus. He scratched at the stubble on his chin as he considered the dead man. “Looks like a sacrifice of some sort, a ritual, but not one I’ve seen before. Doesn’t appear demonic, but it could be part of a summoning. Maybe something geographical...”

“Can we go? I don’t like the way this feels. There is something wrong about this. I can't put my finger on it, but there is something dark here. It's tickling my senses, tempting me, drawing me toward it like an inevitable conclusion.” She turned her back on the scene and shuddered.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, sure. Let’s get out of here.” Justin guided Lilly away from the murder. Justin held her hand gently as they walked. “Sorry about that. Hazard of the profession. As the Angel of Death, I've seen a lot of corpses. It’s not every day you come across something this unusual.”

About the Author:

Eric Swett is a husband and father. He has a beautiful wife named Tracy and three fabulous children (Zachary, Connor, and Kaitlyn). Between the four of them, he has absolutely everything he really needs in this world. If everything else went away and he still had them, he could die and count himself a fortunate man.

He works in IT, streams video games, and dabbles in 3D printing.

He is a self-proclaimed Geek and does not adhere to a single form of geekdom. He likes roleplaying games, tabletop games with painted miniatures, video games, comic books, science fiction and fantasy, Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who. 

Website: https://mywriterscramp.com

X: https://twitter.com/ericswett

TikTok: https://www.tiktok/ericswett

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/ericswett

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innocenteric

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6439846.Eric_Swett