Honey Mustard Sausage and Potatoes

3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup honey mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 pound kielbasa, cut 1-inch cubes
1 1/4 pounds potatoes, cut in 1" cubes
1 large onion
1 tablespoon butter

Saute potatoes and butter in saucepan until tender. Mix first 3 ingredients until well blended. Drizzle mixture atop potatoes. Toss potatoes with spatula. Add kielbasa.

(Adapted from Food and Family recipe.... this is one of my husband's favorites. Very Simple.... it should only take 20 minutes max!)

Sausage Pot Stickers

1/2 pound sausage, the hotter the better
2 teaspoons soy sauce, low sodium
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 teaspoons water
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
20 won-ton wrappers, 3-inch-squares
4 teaspoons oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon flour

Saute sausage in saucepan. When nearing end of cooking, add soy sauce, cornstarch, mustard and pepper. Remove from heat. Cover wontons with plastic wrap: have small bowl of water near. Using wonton at a time, place 1 teaspoon of filling in each wonton. Moisten edges; fold according to package directions. Repeat until all wontons filled. Heat oil until almost smoking. Place dumplings in circle in skillet; reduce heat slightly and cook until bottoms golden. In small saucepan, bring broth to boil. Remove from heat; sprinkle in flour and stir until flour dissolves. Pour broth over dumplings... cook until liquid evaporates. Uncover and cook until bottoms crisp.

(Adapted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook, p 167.... This is my recipe.)

Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana

1 pound Italian sausage
2 large russet potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup bacon bits
2 garlic clove, minced
2 cups kale, chopped
16 ounces chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Brown sausage in a pan. Place cooked Italian sausage, chicken broth, water, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours until potatoes are cooked and soft. Turn the crock pot off and add the kale.  Return the lid and let sit for 5 minutes. Add whipping cream and serve.

(Recipe adapted from getcrocked.com)

Quickie Cinnamon Rolls

Topping:

¼ cup Butter (not margarine)

1/3 cup Half and Half

½ cup Brown Sugar

Bring to a boil for 1 minute.

Rolls:

2 cans Baking Powder Biscuits (not Buttermilk Biscuits)

Roll each biscuit in Cinnamon Sugar and place in bread pan.  Pour topping over rolls.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Dump on foil or platter immediately.

Thinnies (Very Thin Pancakes)

From the Kitchen of KC Colpitts (Whitney Llewelyn’s Brother)

2 Eggs, beaten

1 cup Milk

3 Tbsp Canola Oil

1 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Salt

¾ cup Flour

In small bowl; combine eggs, milk, oil baking powder, and salt.   Add flour; blending well.  Heat skillet to 375 degrees and cook 1 minute; turn and brown other side.  Makes 14-16 small pancakes.

Lasanga Rolls

After I had Aedan, friends volunteered to bring meals in for us.  I was so appreciative of the help.  We have had quite a few great meals and I have asked for recipes of them also.  I am sharing them with you.  All of them would be great in the freezer for a "rainy" day and not come out tasting frozen.  This one is from my friend Carrie but she credited Anne Burrell from Food Network.

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced pancetta (about 2 ounces)
• 1 large Spanish onion, diced
• Kosher salt
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 28-ounce cans San Marzano plum tomatoes

For the Lasagna:

• Kosher salt
• 1 16-ounce box lasagna noodles
• 4 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated pecorino cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
• 2 large eggs
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves roughly chopped

Directions

Make the sauce: Pour the olive oil into a large pot, add the pancetta and cook over medium-high heat until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion, season generously with salt and cook until soft but not browned, 6 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring.

Pass the tomatoes through a food mill (or puree in a food processor) and add to the pot. Fill one of the empty tomato cans with about 2 1/2 cups water, add to the pot and season generously with salt. Simmer 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste frequently and season with salt as the sauce simmers-tomatoes take a lot of salt.

Make the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil (the water should taste like the ocean). Add the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Fill a bowl with salted ice water. Remove the pasta from the boiling water and transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking.

Mix the ricotta, pecorino, 1/4 cup parmesan, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, eggs, thyme and 2 teaspoons salt in a bowl. Drain the pasta and place on a clean towel in a single layer.

Coat the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with a ladle or two of sauce. Spread 3 heaping tablespoonfuls of the cheese filling down the center of each lasagna sheet; roll up the sheet (but not too tightly or the filling might ooze out). Place seam-side down in the baking dish, leaving a little room between each roll. Cover with 3 to 4 cups sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella.

Bake, uncovered, until the lasagna bubbles around the edges and the cheese melts, about 1 hour. Let rest 10 minutes, then serve with extra sauce.

Chocolate Waffles

When we got our waffle maker I had to look for recipes.  I found this one and tried it with Ice Cream over it as a sundae....It was WONDERFUL!!!  Again this one is from Alton Brown at Food Network's Good Eats.

Ingredients

• 7 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1 1/2 cups
• 1 3/4 ounces sugar, approximately 3 tablespoons
• 1.5 ounces cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 whole eggs, beaten
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 16 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
• 4 ounces chocolate chips, approximately 3/4 cup
• Vegetable spray, for waffle iron

Directions

Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl beat together the eggs and melted butter and vanilla, and then add the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir in the chocolate chips just until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Ladle the recommended amount of waffle batter onto the center of the iron. Close the iron top and cook until the waffle is crispy on both sides and is easily removed from iron. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

Waffles

For Christmas Santa brought us a new waffle maker.  So we started trying to find good waffle recipes.  Here is the one we found and LOVE.  It is from Alton Brown off of Food Network's Good Eats.

Ingredients

• 4 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1 cup
• 4 3/4 ounces whole-wheat flour, approximately 1 cup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 whole eggs, beaten
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• 16 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
• Vegetable spray, for waffle iron

Directions

Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flours, soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In another bowl beat together eggs and melted butter, and then add the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Ladle the recommended amount of waffle batter onto the iron according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Close iron top and cook until the waffle is golden on both sides and is easily removed from iron. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

Christmas Ribbon Jell-O

This is so good! To be honest, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this recipe! I think it is a good one for church outings, family get - togethers or something extra on the table.

1 large box raspberry jello
1 larg box lime jello
1 small box lemon jello
1/2 pint whipping cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened

Prepare raspberry jello using 3 cups boiling water & no cold water. Pour into 9x13 pan. Refrigerate until firm. Mix lemon jello with 1 cup boiling water. Put in a bowl, allow to set until thick. Cream softened cream cheese, then mix into thickened lemon jello. In a separate bowl whip whipping cream until firm and then fold into cream cheese mixture. Pour on top of raspberry jello. Refrigerate until very firm. Prepare lime jello using 3 cups boiling water & no cold water. Let cool to room temperature and then pour on top of cream cheese layer and chill until firm. Be sure the lime jello is cool or it will sink into cream cheese layer.

Taken from the kitchen of Erica Buckwalter!!! Thank you! Yum!

Almond Macaroon Brownie Bars

Yum! Made these for Christmas treats and my husband didn't want to give any of them away!

1 box brownie mix
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

FILLING
3 cups coconut flakes
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

DRIZZLE
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

Heat oven to 350. Spray bottom with cooking spray. Make mix according to box directions using water, oil and eggs. Spread batter in bottom of pan. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Mix filing ingredients. Remove brownies from ove. Spread filling evenly over brownies. Bake 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Melt chocolate with oil. Drizzle over filling. Cut 8 rows by 6 rows.

Taken from Betty Crocker, p. 39, Christmas Cookies 2009