The perfect compliment to Santa Fe Soup (or any soup/stew)

I posted this recipe a couple of days ago. If you like soups/stews, you will LOVE it! Today I have a recipe that would go perfect with the Santa Fe Soup, or any other type of soup or stew, for that matter. Actually, it would be great just by itself! Here is the recipe. Hope you enjoy!

Sausage Cornbread Bake

1 lb. pork sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk self-rising cornmeal mix
1 can cream style corn
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 10-inch oven-proof skillet. In a medium skillet, brown the sausage and onion, drain well. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cornmeal mix, creamstyle corn, sour cream, oil, and milk. Pour half of cornmeal mixture into 10-inch skillet. Sprinkle with sausage mixture and shredded cheddar cheese. Pour remaining batter over top. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes about 8 servings. Enjoy!!

Easy Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is only 2 days away! Many of us will be traveling over this holiday weekend to be with friends and family, some will be cooking at home, and others will be dining out. Whatever you may be doing, I pray that your Thanksgiving Day will be blessed with an abundance of food, love, and family/friends!

Now, if you are wondering what you can make to take to your "potluck" Thanksgiving, or just need an extra dish for your table, here are a few recipes that are quick, easy, and delicious! I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does.


HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING!! :)

*Sweet Potato Casserole

*Green Bean Casserole

*Cornbread Dressing

*Pecan Pie

*Pumpkin Cake

*Pumpkin Bread

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!" --Psalm 118:1

Fall is here....FINALLY!!!

So, I have a really good explanation for being absent from blogworld for 3+ weeks. As you can see from my previous post, I have had some "cravings" lately...followed by overwhelming nausea, followed by exhaustion, followed by.....well, you get the picture. Anyway, YES! I am preggo with Blessing #2! It has been a tough few weeks, but I am finally starting to feel better. In fact, I am feeling well enough to get out and enjoy this fall weather, to see the beauty of God's Creation amongst the bright fall colors that adorn the trees, to even start "fall baking".

One of my favorite ingredients to use in fall baking is cinnamon. I love the taste of cinnamon, as well as the amazing aroma it gives off when heated. Another of my favorite ingredients to use in the fall is pumpkin. Canned pumpkin, to be exact. I am not one of those people who buys a pumpkin, cleans out the guts, and spends hours trying to get all of the "good stuff" out of it just so I can make a pie. Nope, I take the easy way out.

The other morning, I was in the mood for something fall-ish for breakfast. I decided to whip up some pumpkin bread. Now, I don't really have a "go-to" recipe for pumpkin bread. I do have a recipe for pumpkin cake that I make quite a bit during the fall season, but it's not the same. I wanted some good, thick, hearty pumpkin bread. So, I did what any baker would do. I consulted Paula. :)

I found a great recipe for pumpkin bread in Paula Deen's Lady & Sons cookbook. It did not disappoint (not that I thought it would anyway!). Here is the recipe:

Pumpkin Bread (makes two loaves)

3 cups sugar
1 cup *vegetable oil (I used canola)
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoos baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Mix sugar and oil with mixer. Add eggs and blend. Add pumpkin and blend. Add water and blend. Combine remaining ingredients and add slowly. Fill pans equally and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown. Enjoy!

*For the oil, you can substitute 1/2 cup oil and add 1/2 cup applesauce.

**I only had one loaf pan, so I used muffin tins for the rest of the batter. The recipe made 24 regular size muffins and one medium loaf. If you do use the muffin tins, the cooking time is cut in half (make sure you check them at around 25 minutes to see if they are done or almost done).

Crescent Tartlets....and the winner of the Pillsbury Giveaway!!

My "twist" on the Crescent Bacon-Cheese Tartlets wasn't really a twist. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to substitute, so I went totally a different route. I decided to make "Pizza Bites" instead! These are yummy and super-super easy. Here is what you need:

1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (or Pillsbury Crescent Roll Dough)
1 cup pizza sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll the can of crescent rolls and press seams together. Using a biscuit cutter or small glass, cut out twelve circles from the dough (you will have some dough left over if you want to make a few more). Press each circle into a mini muffin pan to form a small cup-shape. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Using a spoon or this awesome little gadget from Pampered Chef, Push the middle of the crescent cups down. Put about a teaspoon of pizza sauce in each cup and top with shredded cheese. Put back in the oven for about 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted (you can also turn the broiler on for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese better). Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before popping them out of the pan. Enjoy!!


**For variation, you can add pepperoni, bacon, sausage, or veggies to these and they would be even better!

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Okay, for the moment you have been waiting for....the winner of the Pillsbury Giveaway!! Thank you to all who left comments and recipes, I am definitely going to have to try them all! :) And now, the winner of the Pillsbury Crescent Creations Gift Pack (selected by random integer) is...

#4 -- Jessica Risner

Congratulations Jessica! You will be receiving the giveaway package from Pillsbury soon! Just email me with your address so I can send it on to MyBlogSpark and you can receive your goodies!!

Thanks to all who participated in the giveaway. There will be another awesome giveaway in the near future so be on the lookout!!

Pot Roast with/without Potatoes and Carrots

I know I am not "branching out" much with these first two slow cooker recipes, but some new and exotic recipes are coming, I promise! We are just starting with the basics for now.

Pot Roast with/without Potatoes and Carrots

1 chuck roast (about 3 or 4 lbs. is good)
4 or 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
4 medium sized carrots (sliced) or 1 small bag baby carrots
1 small onion, sliced or chopped or 1 tsp. dehydrated onion flakes
1 teaspoon minced garlic (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
Worcestershire sauce
Seasoned salt
Enough water to cover the roast

Turn slow cooker on Low. Brown chuck roast in a skillet until there is a good brown color on all sides. Place in slow cooker. Top with a few shakes of worcestershire sauce, garlic, seasoned salt, and onions (or onion flakes). Cover with water and cook on Low for about 8-10 hours or until tender (falling apart).

Now, if you want to add the potatoes and carrots (I usually just make the roast by itself), you can add them at the beginning when you add the roast, or about halfway through. I don't usually put the veggies in just because they either turn out too mushy or not done enough.

I like to pair the roast with mashed potatoes, green beans, and "Almost Spoon Bread". Here is the recipe for the bread:

"Almost Spoon Bread"

1 box Jiffy cornmeal mix
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x9 baking dish or spray with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until bread is lightly golden on top (and cooked through in the center).

Hope you have enjoyed these recipes! A few more posts of "the basics" and then we will get into some amazing, and a little shocking, slow cooker recipes!

The first recipe in the Easy Thanksgiving Series

Cornbread Dressing

1 large skillet of cornbread
3 or 4 biscuits
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
Sage - Lots!!
Chicken broth (or turkey broth from the turkey)

Crumble the cornbread into fine crumbs. Pinch apart the biscuits (or put in a food processor) into small pieces. Add celery and onions and toss together. Sprinkle sage all over, a little at a time. Pour turkey/chicken broth over mixture a little at a time and mix well, folding all the ingredients together. Keep adding sage to your taste and enough broth to make a moist (but not to liquidy) mixture. You can eat it just like this or you can bake it for about 25 minutes on 350 degrees.

Makes about 10-12 servings or one 9x13 casserole dish.

Another yummy recipe from a friend

This one sounds yummy-licious! Enjoy!! :)

Recipe for Today: Wheat Crust Garlic Chicken Pizza
Shout-out: My friend, Julie Halitzka

WHEAT CRUST GARLIC CHICKEN PIZZA (makes 2 pizzas)

Bread Machine Whole Wheat Crust
1 1/3 c. water
1/4 c. olive oil
3 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. yeast

Place all ingredients in bread machine, liquids or dry first, according to manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the dough cycle, and press start. When machine beeps at the end of cycle, stop and unplug. Remove dough and place on a lightly floured surface, divide into two equal portions. Roll out, and cover with a cool damp towel for about 30 minutes to allow crust to rise. Preheat oven to 450°.

Pizza Sauce
16 oz. Spaghetti Sauce
1 c. diced tomatoes
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic (or equivalent garlic powder)

Add all ingredients to sauce. (Measurements for spices are approximate, season to taste.) Simmer on low heat and cover until you are ready to add the sauce to the pizza.

Garlic Chicken
1 lb. Chicken Breast
garlic powder
pepper

Cook chicken, season with garlic powder and pepper. Cut into small pieces.

Assemble Pizza
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
16 oz. mozzarella cheese
Pizza Sauce
Garlic Chicken
Bread Machine Whole Wheat Crust

Place crust in oven for 3-5 minutes to precook, before removing to assemble pizzas. Add sauce and chicken to crust, top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cook pizzas at 450° for 15-20 minutes.

Doesn't this sound wonderful?! Can't wait to try it! Keep those recipes coming!!

Another Salute to the Amish Cookbook -- Menu #1

Since I am on this "Amish Cookbook kick", I thought I would do a series of recipes from this cookbook over the next few days (and maybe some of my own recipes). I will try to do a "meal plan" each day for you. Easy recipes using simple ingredients. What more could you ask for? Enjoy!!

Meal #1: Cheese Garlic Biscuits, Lasagna, and Strawberry Poke Cake (from Betty Crocker website)

Cheese Garlic Biscuits (like the ones at Red Lobster)

2 cups Bisquick or Jiffy baking mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
parsley flakes
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix together baking mix, milk, cheese, anda small amount of parsley flakes until soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Mix butter and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm. Makes 10-12 biscuits.


Lasagna (I haven't tried this recipe yet)

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. bulk sausage
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 cups cottage cheese
1 c. parmesan cheese, divided
12 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
9-12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Brown meat, drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Mix cottage cheese and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese together. Spread some meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan (or casserole dish), then alternate layers of noodles, meat sauce, cheese mixture, and mozzarella. Top with remaining parmesan cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.


Strawberry Poke Cake (this is very light and refreshing!)

1 white cake mix (Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on box)
1 box small box strawberry-flavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Fresh strawberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Let cool completely.

Pierce cooled cake all over with fork. In small bowl, stir gelatin and boiling water until smooth; stir in cold water. Pour over cake. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Frost with whipped topping; garnish* with strawberries. Store covered in refrigerator.

*If you want to make your cake extra special (or impress that special someone), you can fan the strawberries to make it look more elegant.