Autumn in a Bowl

Photo taken from crockpot365.blogspot.com

The Hubs is trying to get our bonus room finished, so it looks like we're going to be investing more in crock-pot meals more than usual for a while.  I wanted to try something different from the usual soups, stews, and roasts, and I came across this blog entry by Stephanie O'Dea of "A Year of Slow Cooking."  She calls it her Autumn Sausage Casserole.

Well, it looked good and sounded pretty seasonal, so I decided to give it a try.  I made a few substitutions here and there for convenience.  Specifically, I switched out chicken sausage with kielbasa because I know my boys love it (although I happen to think chicken sausage is pretty darn tasty, too), used about 2/3 T molasses in place of the 1 T brown sugar (call it laziness, but the pantry door was already open, and I was looking right at it), used golden raisins instead of regular raisins, and added about 1/4 cup of pigeon peas (or Toor dal as its known in Indian dishes) to the rice as it was cooking.

So how did it turn out?  Personally, I loved the flavor.  The allspice and cinnamon really made you think of autumn, and it was a hearty meal in a bowl for sure.  The sweetness could be toned down a bit, but I don't know if that was from the apples I used or the molasses vs brown sugar swap.  Next time, I might leave the sugar out altogether.  I might also try using bulk turkey sausage to change it up some, but other than that, I'd leave it alone.  Oh, and add some celery.  I think that might have been the savory element it was lacking.  The pigeon peas had a little bit of bite to it, which was a very pleasant texture on the palate, but if you prefer, you could always sprinkle on some slivered almonds and have a similar effect.

Overall, while I don't think it was Hub's favorite dish of all time, everyone - kids included - cleaned their bowls.  I think that with a little tweaking to suit our tastes, this could be a big hit this fall!

More crock-potting goodness to come, so stay tuned!