Quick, easy and delicious exam-time dinner

Hey team,

So we're just starting up week 2 of our delightful exam-time hibernation period around Guelph, and I've realized the value of good sleep and good food to really keep the brain-cells firing. As a result, I've been (trying to) cook up a storm around here, and I've come across a pretty damn tasty and easy dish as a result. It's.. sort of like a paella, but whatever, it'll do.

As follows:

You will need:

• Blue bullets, for some reason
• 1 sausage per person (I recommend Guelphites go to Market Fresh and get their Salsateria Rojo for this. Failing that, any spicy/garlicky sausage will work wonders)
• Half a diced red pepper
• Quarter of a diced red onion (you'll see the cut ahead)
• A cup of rice (I used brown)
• About 1/3 cup of salsa (flavor/texture to your liking

Start by getting a cup of rice on the go cooking. I'll use this as my shameless promotion for rice cookers, since I'll admit, I suck at making rice. This puppy is a cuisinart model, with only one button (changes it from "warm" to "cook"), which I hear is the way to go.

If you don't have one, read the bag of rice! Again, I suck.

While that's doing its thing, heat up your cast iron skillet on the stove, while simultaneously turning your oven up to 300 degrees. When it's good and hot, pour in a bit of olive oil, and put your sausage in first. Then, dump the vegetables around it, and salt well. When the sausage has a nice brownness to the bottom, flip it, and toss the whole thing in the oven for about 20 minutes, stirring the vegetables around halfway. This will cook it all together, which is much deliciousness.

If you don't have cast iron or oven-ready skillet, you're reading the wrong blog. But I guess that we can still be friends. Slowly cook it all together all the same on medium on your stove for about 17-18. You can never cook a sausage to slowly, I've heard (/weird).

When all is said and done, pull out of the oven and put on a medium heat (or leave on medium). Take a spatula or wooden spoon, and mash up the sausage, integrating the juices into the stuff on the pan. Makes it really tasty. You want everything mashed up as such, with some big pieces and little ones.

Finally, add in your (now-should-be-cooked) rice, about half of it per sausage. Then when that's integrated well, add in your salsa and a tiny pinch of salt to bring it all together. Plate it, eat it, and enjoy! Glass of Fin du Monde is not optional, and once you try it you'll see why..