Sausage, Onions, & Peppers

I am ECSTATIC for our department's "food Friday" this week.  Not only is it a pick-me-up, and not only is it a Friday, but we ALSO have a really awesome menu that involves the following:

-Sausage, onions, & peppers on fresh rolls
-Lasagna
-Cheese & meat tray
-Chocolate chip chili
-Pancake bar w/ chocolate chips and blueberries
-Bagels and cream cheese
-Santa hat strawberry mini-deserts

I made the sausage & peppers tonight and will be re heating them tomorrow in my crockpot (can I re-emphasize how amazing owning a crockpot is!?).  Nick & I pulled this one off together - it was a great way to spend our Thursday night.  While he was working on the sausages, I was able to clean and cut the veggies, and we have been taking turns stirring and testing our final product.  I'd say it turned out great!  (We'll see how the real critics feel tomorrow)

Ingredients:
15 hot Italian sausage links
5 green peppers, julienned
2-3 red onions, cut/julienned
2 cans crushed Contadina tomatoes (the larger jars)
1-1.5 cans of water

Begin by frying up your sausages in a frying pan or skillet, remembering to cook evenly on both sides:

 When the sausages have been turned on each side twice, pop the grease pockets that begin to form to release more flavor into the pan.  -never said this was "healthy" :)

While the sausages continue to cook, clean, peel, and cut your onions and peppers - be careful not to cut yourself and be careful not to get too teary eyed from your onions!  It also helps to open up your cans and have them on stand-by for when the sausages are cooked:

Mine aren't quite julienned, but they're somewhere between julienne-ing and cutting into chunks:

After cutting the veggies, and once the sausages are cooked, cut in half length-wise:

 Layer 1 can of crushed tomatoes, 1/3 of the sausages, 1/2 of the veggies, 1/2 can of water, 1 can of crushed tomatoes, 1/3 sausages, 1/2 veggies, 1/2 can water, 1/3 sausages in a large sauce pan:

Stir concoction and cook on low-medium heat until everything begins to shrink:

Turn burner down to it's lowest setting, cover pot, and simmer (stirring occasionally) for 30 minutes:

After 30-40 minutes taste test (to be sure it's not "poisonous") and enjoy!

I'm choosing to serve my sausage and peppers on rolls, but they can easily be enjoyed with or without the added carbs!  If you have a sausage & peppers concoction spin-off I'd love to hear!

In the meantime, stay tuned for my quick version of Erica's Santa hat treats found on Daisy's post via Pinterest - another food Friday favorite!