Cheesy Tomato Bake

My mom gave me this recipe, and I'm glad she did! It reminds me of pizza, but a little different. You can eat it as a main course or serve it up as an appetizer. Either way it will not disappoint!

To Make The Crust:

2 Cups Biscuit

2/3 Cup Milk

1 t Italian Seasonings

In a bowl mix biscuit and milk until a soft dough forms. Sprinkle in Italian seasoning and mix until incorporated. Knead dough lightly. If the dough is sticky add a little more biscuit. Using a 9x13 pan, press dough into bottom of pan and slightly up the sides. I found this works best once dough was warm and at least room temp.

To Make Topping:

1 Onion, Chopped

1 T Minced Garlic

3 T Butter

3/4 C Sour Cream

1/4 C Light Mayo

1 C Shredded Cheddar

1 C Shredded Mozzarella

2 t Lawry's Seasoning Salt

Dash of Fresh Ground Pepper

3 t Italian Seasoning

Fresh Basil, chopped

3 Ripe Tomatoes, sliced thin

Pepperoni, sliced thin (optional)

1/4 C Parmesan Cheese

In a skillet melt butter and saute onions and garlic until soft and slightly browned. When onions and garlic are done, remove from skillet and place into a bowl. Add sour cream, mayo, cheddar, mozzarella, Lawry's, pepper, and Italian seasoning and mix thoroughly.

Place sliced tomatoes in a single layer on top of dough. Next add pepperoni, and fresh basil. After that spread cheese and onion mixture. Lastly sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake in the oven at 400 for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Ravioli

This is an easy way to make ravioli using won ton wrappers. I always wanted to try it, but I always thought they would fall apart when you boiled them. I tried making them for the first time last night, and they came out perfect! I was really surprised. I thought it was a great alternative to a traditional ravioli. I liked using the won ton wrappers because they were so light. When I finished eating I didn't feel like I had just ate a lot of heavy pasta. I was full, but didn't have that pasta hang over that you sometimes get after eating a lot of carbs. I definitely would make this again and encourage you to try!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 oz. Minced Chicken

2 T Fresh Basil, chopped

1/4 C Grated Parmesan

3 Spring Onions, chopped finely

1/2 Ricotta

Dash of Salt & Pepper

1 t Italian Seasoning Blend

1 Pkg Won Ton Wrappers

To Make:

Mix first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Lay out 24 won ton wrappers and brush slightly with water. Scoop 1 teaspoon of chicken mixture in the center of each won ton. Make sure not to over stuff. Place another won ton wrapper on top and press the edges together until sealed. You may want to dip your fingers in some water and run them along the edge of each ravioli, just to make sure there is a tight seal.

In a large stock pot add water and a dash of salt. Bring water to a boil, and boil ravioli in small batches. Maybe 5-6 at a time. Cook for 3 minutes. Place cooked ravioli into a large serving dish, drizzle olive oil over the tops to prevent them from sticking to each other, or serve immediately with your favorite pasta sauce.

If you need a recipe for marinara, there is one listed under July recipes.

Tips:

You can fill the ravioli with just about anything you 'd like. Sausage and goat cheese I think would be great. Mushrooms, roasted red peppers, even squash I think would be very tasty as well. You just have to be careful to not over fill the won top wrappers. If you fill them too much you can not get the tight seal you need on the edges, and the filling will fall out when boiled.

Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!

Citrus-Cranberry Sauce

I recently had someone ask me for my cranberry sauce recipe, so I thought I'd post it. It's perfect for Thanksgiving, and there's nothing better then fresh cranberries versus the tubular shaped g00 that comes from a can. It's easy and not difficult to make. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Large Oranges
1 Pkg Cranberries (12 oz.)
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Water
1 t Lemon Juice
1/2 t Lime Juice

How To Make:

Remove the peel from the oranges along with the pith and seeds. Cut each orange section into chunks.

In a sauce pan over medium heat combine cranberries, oranges, sugar and water. Cook mixture 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mixtures should reduce down, and resemble a jelly. Once cooked, remove from heat and add lemon and lime juice. Let cranberries cool, and then cover and chill in refrigerator.

This can be made up to 3 day in advance.

Tip:
Instead of oranges, use raspberries or strawberries. If you decide to use both oranges and raspberries add more sugar and water to compensate for more fruit.

Toffee Bars

This recipe is really easy. Great to make when your craving something sweet. It doesn't have a lot of ingredients, and they are things you typically have around your house. Everyone loves these!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

Graham Crackers

1 Bag Chocolate Chips

How To Make:

Using a 9x13 inch pan line bottom of pan with graham crackers. Brake apart crackers to fit all corners. In a small saucepan, bring butter and brown sugar to a boil. Boil until sugar is dissolved. Pour hot mixture over graham crackers, making sure to coat all crackers. Last, melt chocolate chips and pour over crackers. Using a frosting knife, spread chocolate evenly over all crackers. Put pan in the refrigerator until chocolate is set. Once set take out, and cut into pieces. Enjoy!

Bars should be stored in the refrigerator.

Beef Bourguignon With Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

As the weather gets cooler, the more I crave warm and hearty dishes. This dish is a classic, that I've kicked up to make it even more flavorful! Hope you enjoy it, and it keeps you warm during this cold winter season!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Lbs. Sirloin or Tenderloin, cut into 3/4 inch chunks

1 Lb. Bacon

2 Bunches Medium Sized Knob Onions

2 Cups Red Wine

3 Cups Beef Broth

2 t Dried Thyme

1 T Minced Garlic

8 oz. Button Mushrooms, Sliced

5 Bay Leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

2-3 T Wondra

How to Make:

In the oven or a skillet cook bacon until crispy. Using 2 T of the bacon drippings, in a large pan (about 14 inch) slightly brown meat. Lightly season meat with salt and pepper. When meat has been browned remove meat from pan and set aside. Do not over cook meat.

Quarter the white portion of the knob onions, and chop the green sections. Add onions and minced garlic to the pan with bacon dripping that the meat was browned in. Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add mushrooms, cook an additional 4 minutes. Next add wine, beef broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper to onions and mushrooms. Crumble cooked bacon into bite size pieces and add to the broth mixture. Lastly add the meat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 35-40 minutes.

You can check the meat after a half hour by cutting into it to see if it's cooked to your liking. Some people like the meat still to be a little pink in the center, others like it well done. Adjust cooking time until meat is cooked to you liking.

When meat has been cooked, add 2-3 T of Wondra to broth mixture. This will thicken up the broth slightly. It will not become a gravy, it will still be more on the broth side.

To make the mashed potatoes:

5-6 Large Yukon Golds

1 Stick of Butter

1/4 Cup Milk

Fresh Chives

Crumbled Bacon

Cut potatoes into small chunks and place into a large pot with salted water. I leave the skins on my potatoes, because I think it adds more flavor, but you can remove them if you desire. Bring water to a boil, and boil potatoes 12-15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain water, and transfer hot potatoes to a bowl. Mash potatoes, and add butter so it can melt. Gradually add milk. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, whip potatoes until smooth and creamy. You may have to add a little more milk to help smooth out. Next fold in crumbled bacon and chives.

Serving:

To serve, take one spoonful of mashed potatoes, and place in center of the plate. With a slotted spoon, take a spoonful of meat and vegetable mixture and place on top or the side of the potatoes. Using a regular spoon, spoon broth from meat mixture over potatoes and meat. Add as much as you like.

Put leftovers in containers. Whens storing the meat, make sure you save enough broth to reheat. Everything stores well in the refrigerator.

To reheat meat, I put it back into a pan and reheated it over the stove versus a microwave. I did not want the meat to cook, I just wanted it to be warmed. I think the stove allows you to have a little more control then a microwave. This allows the meat to not become overcooked and stay tender.

Hope you enjoy!

Stuffing With Apples And Sausage

There's nothing worse then going to someones house on Thanksgiving and they serve you Stove Top Stuffing. Granted I do like Stove Top for a quick side dish at times, however it should be considered unlawful on Thanksgiving! It's so easy to make, that anyone can do it! Here is a simple tasty recipe for a nice homemade stuffing!

What you'll need:

2 Large Bags of your favorite stuffing crumbs (I like something that is slightly seasoned)

1/2 Cup Butter

1 LB Ground Pork Sausage (my produce market has a nice ground breakfast sausage at their meat counter that works great for this recipe)

1 Large Sweet Onion, diced

1 1/2 Cups Celery, diced

2 Golden Delicious Apples, cored, peeled, and diced into small cubes

1 t Rubbed Sage

1 t Dried Thyme
1 t Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste

1 Cup Chopped Pecans

2-4 Cups Chicken Broth

How To Make:

In a large stock pot, melt butter and saute onion and celery until slightly softened. Add apples and saute for an additional 3 minutes.

In a skillet, using a spoon, break up pork sausage and saute until lightly browned and cooked through. Once cooked, transfer to paper towel to drain fat.

Add meat to celery, onion and apple mixture. Stir in rubbed sage, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Add stuffing crumbs and mix until all ingredients are incorporated. You can add additional seasonings based on personal taste. Next mix in chopped pecans and stuffing crumbs. Gradually add in chicken stock. I recommended to use between 2-4 cups of chicken stock only because everyone likes it a little different. I tend to use more stock to make sure all the stuffing crumbs are coated and have a nice flavor. I do not like dry stuffing so I probably use close to 4 cups. Since the stuffing also gets cooked in the oven, its good to use a little more stock then not. Once everything has been thoroughly mixed, put stuffing into your favorite baking dish. Cover with foil, and cook at 350 for 1/2 hour. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until top is slightly browned. You can also add a few pats of butter to the stuffing before putting it into the oven to help brown the top. Enjoy!

Tips:

***Add dried cranberries to stuffing for a little tartness.

Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole

Since Thanksgiving is approaching, and everyone is asking me for my streuseled sweet potato casserole recipe, I figured I'd just post it. This recipe is fantastic! It will surely not disappoint anyone! It's a crowd favorite and it's one of those dishes that will become a staple every year for Thanksgiving. Hope you gobble it up and enjoy!!

You'll Need:

14 Cups Sweet Potato, 5 lbs, chopped into 1 inch cubes

1/2 Cup Half-N-Half

1/2 Cup Maple Syrup

1 t Vanilla

1 t Salt

1 Egg, lightly beaten

Cooking Spray

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Chilled Butter, cut into small pieces

1 Cup Pecan, chopped

In a large pot, cook sweet potatoes in boiling water until fork tender, (about 15 minutes). Drain potatoes when done.

In a large bowl combine half-n-half, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and egg. Whisk until blended. Add cooked potatoes, and blend with a mixer on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Spoon mixture into a sprayed 9X13 pan.

In another bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and chilled butter. Use a pastry blender or the edge of a fork to incorporate ingredients. Mixture should become crumbly. Add pecans to mix and sprinkle on top of potatoes.

Cover potatoes with foil and make a slit on top to vent. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes covered, and and additional 25 minutes uncovered. Cook until streuseled topping is browned and potatoes have been thoroughly warmed.

Tips:

***You do not have to use the full amount of the streusel topping, you can cut the recipe in half, or use as much as you see fit. The topping is usually everyone's favorite part of the dish, so I tend to use all of it! Enjoy!!

Chicken Soup & Dumplings

It seems like everyone I talk to has a cold or the flu. The changing of the seasons can be beautiful, but also tend to make everyone sick. With this in mind, I made a huge pot of chicken soup and dumplings. The nice thing about making a huge pot, is you can share it with others or freeze it for those chilly winter nights!

What you'll need for the soup:

1 Whole Chicken

J.B. Jameson's Chicken Flavored Soup Base

1 Bunch of Celery, chopped

1 Bunch of Carrots, chopped

1 Onion, chopped

5-10 Bay Leaves

Fresh Ground Pepper

How to make:

Clean chicken thoroughly and place in a large stock pot. Pour water into pot until it covers the chicken. I tend to fill my pot almost to the top because I like to make a huge batch. If your making a large batch, make sure to allow enough room for when vegetable are added. Next add all your chopped veggies and your bay leaves. I think the bay leaves give the soup a wonderful flavor so I tend to use more. Depending on your own personal taste adjust the amount. Next bring soup to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for an hour.

After an hour your chicken should be floating and cooked. The chicken may not take the full hour to cook. The way to tell is look at the meat on the legs, if it starts to come apart from the bone, it's done. Remove chicken from pot and place on cutting board. While the chicken is resting on the board, skim any chicken fat that may be floating at the top of the chicken stock. You may have to do this several times to get everything. Once skimmed take the soup base, and add about a quarter of the jar. Stir in, taste and add additional base until soup is well flavored. I typically end up using at least half the jar, sometimes more depending on the amount of soup I make. Add gradually, because if you do add too much, it will be a little salty. If that happens, just add more water. I do not use bullion, I think it is way too salty, and has a generic taste to it. J.B. Jameson's soup base is excellent and rich in flavor. It can be found in your soup isle at the grocery store.

Once you have added enough base, let the soup simmer an additional 20-30 minutes. Remember to keep skimming the fat off the top. At this time you can take the bay leaves out of the soup, and add fresh ground pepper to taste.

Remove chicken from the bone along with skin. Meat should be very tender, and easy to shred or able to be cut into chunks. Once all chicken has been broken into bite size pieces, add to soup.

For The Dumplings:

2 Cups Flour

3/4 Cup - 1 Cup Cold Water

Seasoning Blend ( I use Tastefully Simple Spinach and Dill Blend)

Dash of Salt

In a bowl pour flour, salt, and your favorite seasoning blend. (I used about a tablespoon and a half of the TS spinach and dill blend.) Gradually add water to flour mixture and stir until a dough forms. Once dough has been formed, drop by tablespoon into simmering soup. Dumpling will float to the top once cooked. You'll probably want to add dumplings once you've added all your soup base. The dumplings can take between 10-20 minutes to cook.

Once dumplings are cooked, serve soup immediately! Enjoy!

Tips:

***You can use potatoes in the soup too, just chop into small chunks and add to soup with other veggies in the beginning.

***Store left over soup in gallon Ziploc bags in freezer.

Pot Roast

Fall is in the air, and with that comes hearty warm home cooked meals! The air is crisp and makes me think of being a kid. Those days I'd spend countless hours outside raking piles of leaves and jumping into them. The best part was coming in from the outside. My mother always had something wonderful cooking to warm our souls. One that I remember most is pot roast. The warm tender meat with root vegetables was a staple recipe for the fall. Here is my mothers recipe, hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 lb. Chuck Roast

1 Can Mushroom Soup

1 Pkg Dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix

16 oz. Cola

Salt & Pepper

Carrots

Red Potatoes

How To Make:

Clean potatoes and carrots and rough chop them. I use just enough vegetables to cover the bottom of my crock pot. Once vegetables are placed, put chuck roast on top of them. Season meat and veggies with salt and pepper. Pour mushroom soup over ingredients. Next sprinkle dry onion soup over meat. Lastly gently pour cola over everything. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove meat from crock once finished and shred. Serve immediately.

I know the cola sounds weird in this recipe, but it really gives the meat a nice flavor. I used Pepsi. You can really use whatever you like most. You can even cut up onions, squash or any other hearty vegetable that will benefit from a slow cooking process to add additional flavor. Hope you like this great home style dish!