EASY RECIPE
The Easy Recipe this week is a great quick meal that can be prepared entirely on the BBQ keeping the house nice and cool. My Italian Sausage and Pepper Sandwich recipe adds great new flavors to the basic recipe. This quick meal is perfect for a party or a fun family meal.
This recipe serves 6.
Ingredients:
6 Johnsonville Mild or Hot Italian Sausage links
1 Onion sliced into thin rounds
1 Green Pepper cut into strips
1 Red Pepper cut into strips
2 Tbsp Fresh Basil chopped
6 Mozzarella Cheese slices (or more if you like)
Pizza Sauce
6 Hoagie Buns
Because Sue has had such a great vegetable crop, instead of just suggesting a salad, this week I am providing photographs of her salad. 
Preparation:
Pre-heat BBQ to medium heat. Do not boil or pierce sausage. Merely place sausage on the grill and close the cover. Grill sausage for 20 to 25 minutes or until appropriate internal temperature is reached (see Johnsonville directions). Use tongs to turn the sausage every few minutes to keep from burning.
Place vegetables into a BBQ basket, add 1 Tbsp of Olive oil. 
In final 10 minutes of grilling, place BBQ vegetable basket onto grill and sauté the vegetables until very tender.
Remove sausage and vegetables from grill, place in separate containers and cover with foil.
Lightly brown the buns on the grill for a few seconds.
Assembly:
Brush pizza sauce onto each bun, add cheese, add one sausage link, cover with vegetables and serve with a salad. 
AND STUFF
My buddy Dan, from Bozeman, Montana, used to make a great Italian Sausage Sandwich. His recipe was the basis for this week’s Easy Recipe. Dan would slice mounds of onion and green pepper and saute’ them in a huge fry pan on the stove top, and then use them to smother his barbecued-to-perfection hot Italian Sausages. They were great sandwiches, but of course I needed to punch the recipe up a little.
Here is a great vacation idea. Bozeman is a beautiful college town on the western side of the state, surrounded by mountain ranges. Dan and I would occasionally ski Big Sky Resort (http://www.bigskyresort.com/). It is located midway between Bozeman and West Yellowstone. Big Sky is great, and the drive from Bozeman winds though beautiful country with mountain rapids visible most of the way to the turnoff to Big Sky. It is a fine ski resort, but at least the last time I was there, the apres ski choices were limited.
We often skied a different, closer resort, one that you may not have heard of called Bridger Bowl. Bridger Bowl is a most unusual ski resort in that it is owned by charter citizen skiers in Bozeman. The link (http://www.bridgerbowl.com/) provides a great overview of the ski resort. But it can be summed up quickly as follows: un-crowded slopes; abundant snow; steeps when you want; and oh yeah, more steeps. Last time I was there, at the top of the highest chairlift after a short hike, there was a tow rope to take you even higher. Wearing a beeper is a very good idea when venturing in that world.
So, let’s recap, Bozeman is a college town (MSU), has college football, two ski resorts, and Yellowstone National Park nearby – what more could you want? Ok, how about this little known gem. About 15 miles north of the north entrance to Yellowstone lies Chico Hot Springs Resort (http://www.chicohotsprings.com/). Chico is amazing on many levels. It has cabins and a lodge overlooking beautiful terrain. It has natural hot spring – fed hot tubs and a large pool. It has country music and dancing in a barn style venue. And, wait for it, in this pristinely beautiful, yet in the middle of nowhere location, it offers the hiker, biker, or adventurer meals and wine from their on-site gourmet restaurant in the lodge.
While living in Bozeman it was easy to drive down to Chico for an evening of great dining and dancing, but since leaving the area I have not yet been lucky enough to match my vacation schedule with a vacancy at the resort. So, my advice is, if you want to use Chico Hot Springs as your base while exploring Yellowstone National Park, book early, real early.
Is that it? Nope, Bozeman has a marvelous old downtown with bistros and restaurants, and it is close to world class fly fishing creeks.
So, Bozeman is great, yet I left, what gives? I do have a couple of issues with Bozeman. It is a tad cold in the winter (I seem to recall it being 350 degrees below zero, but I could be off a little on that memory). And, more importantly to me, it is virtually impossible to walk to the beach from Bozeman.
But, if one is looking for an outstanding vacation spot, Bozeman should be high on the to visit list winter or summer.
Good Eating and Table Talk,
Roger
