NEVER freeze the sausage casings! This will have the effect of breaking them down when rehydrated and then they fall apart. Mine sit in a container with about half a cup of Kosher salt mixed in, and around them. They don't need a FS storeage. Its stored in the fridge at all times, when you're not using some. I pull out the tangled wad of casings from the container and seperate out what I need, the rest get put back in the container. Yes, a little bit of water can be added, but not to soak the casings, but to allow the salt to stick to everything, kind of like a slush. If I have too much casing that is soaking prior to stuffing, I just pass it through my fingers to remove the excess water and put the rest back into the container with a little added kosher salt. Some of my cases were as old as 6+ years before being used up, and I saw no difference in these compared to some I just bought. The FS isn't needed for the casings as the small amount of water and all that salt will help to preserve them. You can use the FS for both fresh or smoked sausages of all kinds. I made some pepperoni last year using the long dry process curing. It requires the other type of nitrate, and the sausages were just stuffed and dried in air for about a month. I prefer to buy whole spices and grind them when needed. That means whole peppercorns, coriander, mustard seed, etc. The reason I use dried onions and garlic along with fresh is because the dried don't add any water to the meats. I also use dried green and red pepper flakes as they are quite cheap and work just as good as fresh, again without added water. When storing the whole spices, pour them in pint or quart Ball jars and use a lid, along with the adaptor that comes with teh FS. This adaptor can allow you to pull a vacuum on the jar and seal it under vacuum all in one step. Avoid light when storing herbs and spices. Even for that, if its an herb (leaf based), most will lose flavor very fast, so buy fresh dried herbs when making the sausages. One kind I plan to make is a beef, with dried tomato powder and lots of basil. I might add garlic too. Some spices and herbs can keep a little longer well if stored in FS bags and frozen or refrigerated. Here, I don't bother, as I make so much, I usually run out of the spices before I run out of sausage that I make.

I cook the sausage in a very old, very seasoned cast iron skillet, using a slotted potato masher to squish it down, then scrape it with a wooden flat beveled spoon - spatula. I continue doing this while it cooks over med high heat. It breaks up nicely and you can easily get it to the size crumbles you want quickly with very little clean up. This is a recipe I have cooked for years and adapted it to our ever changing tastes. It came from a magazine that adapted it from "The New Chili Cuisine" by Nancy S. Hughes. I am cooking this for dinner tonite as the rain, chill and gloom just won't seem to leave. ~* My changes (almost the entire recipe, but I do not want to take credit for the original ~ which I have included) SAUSAGE, WHITE BEAN AND PASTA CHILI 1 lb mild Italian sausages, casings removed ~* Hot Italian 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained ~* Del Monte Petite diced tomatoes w/ jalapenos ~* Onion - coarsely chopped 14 oz chicken broth ~*32 oz homemade chicken or turkey broth 4 oz chopped green chilis, rinsed & grained ~* 1/2 c(?) chopped sliced jalenpoes from jar I always have - amt - to taste so not to spicy 2 tsp paprika ~*omit 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ~* Chipotle red pepper (McCormicks) 2 T ground cumin ~* Chipotle Tabasco sauce to taste 15 oz can Cannellie beans, rinsed & drained 2/3 cup tiny pasta, cooked - makes 1 1/3 cups ~* omit often Cook sausage breaking it into small chunks until lightly brown. * Remove sausage and blot excess grease Saute the chopped onion and chopped jalapenos in the same skillet until tender. In a small dutch oven or heavy saucepan, add the tomatoes and their liquid, chicken broth, green chilis, and spices. Add the sausage & onion. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer, uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in beans & pasta ~ * I add the pasta to the individual bowls. Reheat & serve. ~ Top with fresh Parmesan. Serve with cornbread and or tortilla chips. This is very quick and easy. I hope all my changes don't intimate you. You can make this as spicy as you want - or not! It also freezes very well!

Here's the recipe. It's not actually sour beef (Sauerbraten), but it's what my kids called it. Boeuf Bouilli  Boiled Beef A good pot roast Bring to a boil - 6 cups water Put in 3 pounds beef  brisket, bottom round, chuck, etc, etc. Bring to a boil and add: 1 onion stuck with three cloves ½ cup sliced carrots ½ cup sliced celery with leaves 1 tsp. salt (1 sliced turnip) Cover and simmer until tender  3-4 hours Drain and reserve the stock Melt 4 tbsp. butter and ¼ cup onions, brown the onions Then stir in 2 tbsp. flour Stir in 2 cups of the degreased reserved stock Season the sauce with 2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish or prepared horseradish (more or less to taste) 1 cup sour cream salt vinegar or lemon juice - adjust to taste if using prepared horseradish, which already has vinegar (coarse mustard) Cut the meat into thin slices, against the grain, and reheat in the gravy. You can make the horseradish sauce separately, chill it and serve it on the side, but I always reheat the meat in a hot gravy, too. Can be done in a crockpot, great with mashed potatoes. Good comfort food with a nice kick.

Cheryl, the link appears to work. Here is the recipe. Trust me it is an awesome tasting bread and oh so easy. Have made this for meals for folks who are in need of a meal from our church. They think I have slaved over this bread...NOT! Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think. Barbara Bakes, also has some other great recipes that I havent tired but hope too! Cinnamon Swirl Brioche adapted from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day and Cook's Illustrated Brioche dough (makes about 3 large loaves) 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets) 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt 8 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup honey 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted 7 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I only used 6 1/2 cups) Mix the water, yeast, salt, eggs, honey and melted butter in a 5-quart bowl, or lidded (not airtight) food container. Mix in the flour, using a spoon until all of the flour is incorporated. Cover (not airtight), and allow to sit at room temperature for about two hours until the dough rises and collapses. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container overnight and use over the next 5 days. Filling 1 cup confectioners sugar 3 tablespoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt Assembling the Cinnamon Swirl Brioche Grease three 9 x 4 inch loaf pans.* Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and divide dough in three equal pieces. On a well floured board, pat each piece into a 7 by 18 inch rectangle. (If necessary, use a bench scraper to loosen dough and add more flour underneath the dough so it doesn't stick.) Use a spray bottle, lightly spray the top of the dough with water. Sprinkle a third of the filling mixture over the dough leaving a 1/4 inch border on the sides and a 3/4 inch border on top and bottom. Spray filling lightly with water so the filling is speckled with water. Starting on the short side, roll the dough up into a cylinder and seal seam. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Use your bench scraper to cut the loaf in half lengthwise; turn halves so cut sides are facing up. Gently stretch each half into a 14 inch length. Pinch the two ends of the dough together and braid dough by laying the left piece over the right keeping the cut side up, until pieces of dough are tightly twisted. Pinch ends together. Transfer loaf, cut side up, to prepared loaf pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover pans loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size. Top of the loaves should rise about 1 inch over the lip of the pan. (Mine took 3 hours, but the Cook's recipe says 1 1/2 hours.) Preheat oven to 350*. Bake approximately 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Reduce oven temperature to 325*, ten loaves with foil and continue baking until internal temperature registers 200*, 15 to 25 minutes longer. (I just got a new wireless thermometer thanks Tiff! and it took my bread exactly 15 minutes longer.) Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove loaves from pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing, about 2 hours. *You can bake all three loaves at once, leave the dough in the fridge for up to five days, or freeze the dough.