Fusilli with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This was a big hit--really yummy. The original recipe called for hot Italian sausage (but I prefer sweet) and two 8 ounce packages of frozen artichoke hearts (but I was too cheap to pay $10 for the frozen ones and used the one can I had in the pantry. Oh, and it called for 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsely to be added with the basil, but I didn't have it and didn't want to admit I forgot to buy it so I pretended it didn't call for it.

3/4 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced--2 TB oil reserved
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
8 ounce can artichoke hearts, chopped
2 large cloves garlic
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
16 ounces fusilli pasta
1/2 cup Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
8 oz fresh mozzarella, drained and cubed
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the reserved oil from the tomatoes in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-sized pieces with a fork, about 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl. Add the artichokes and garlic to the same skillet, and saute over medium heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fusilli in boiling water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta (do not rinse). Add the pasta, sausage, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and basil to the artichoke mixture. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta. Stir in the mozzarella. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve, passing the additional Parmesan cheese alongside.

Easy Sticky Buns

These couldn't be easier--even for the baking impaired like me. They are very sweet, so a strong cup of coffee along the side is perfect.












12 pieces frozen dinner roll dough (I used Bridgeford white rolls--not the dinner rolls)
1/4 cup butter, slivered
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 package (4 oz) Cook & Serve Vanilla Pudding Mix (Cook & Serve is very important)

Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Place the dinner rolls eaqually spaced in the dish. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top and around the rolls. Place in a COLD oven overnight and forget about them!

In the morning, turn on the oven to 350 and set the timer for 20 minutes--no preheating necessary. When done, invert on a plate and enjoy!

Eclair Cake

This is one of Nate's favorite desserts. It doesn't look that special from the list of ingredients, but when put together it tastes like an eclair.

1 1-pound box graham crackers
2 small packages instant vanilla pudding
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (9 oz.) container Cool Whip

Grease a 9x13-inch pan. Line with graham crackers. Mix pudding with milk. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Blend in Cool Whip. Pour 1/2 of the pudding over the crackers. Place a second layer of crackers; add the rest of the pudding. Cover with a final layer of crackers. Frost and refrigerate.

Frosting
2 oz melted unsweetened chocolate
2 tsp light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla
3 TB butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 TB milk

Beat all ingredients until smooth. After frosting, refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

"Chicken Cordon Bleu"

I put quotes around the title because I haven't really made real Chicken Cordon Bleu. This is just something I threw together that resembles it. Grant could not get enough of it tonight! Since it's not a real recipe, I'm just listing the way I made one serving so you can adjust according to how many servings you need.

Chicken Breast, pounded evenly
1 slice deli ham
1 slice Swiss cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
Italian bread crumbs
Garlic powder
Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
1 TB butter, cut into small cubes

Preheat oven to 350. Place the chicken breast out on a cutting board. Layer with ham then cheese. Roll tightly, starting with the thicker end of the breast. Secure with a toothpick. Lay out 3 shallow dishes. Put the flour in the first dish. In the second dish, beat the eggs with a splash of water. Put the bread crumbs in the third. Season the bread crumbs with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Coat the rolled-up chicken in the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Coat a second time in the egg then breadcrumbs (to make sure you get a thick breading). Place the breaded breast onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Top evenly with the butter cubes. Bake until cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Garlic Parmesan Orzo

I love this side dish. It's a little too buttery, so I think next time I'll replace some of the butter with a little chicken stock. Tonight the broccoli I was going to make looked past its prime, so I chopped up a couple handfuls of fresh spinach and added it along with the parsley. It turned out really yummy! The recipe makes a lot of pasta, so when it's just the 3 of us I make a half recipe.

2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
3 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
2 TB minced fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook orzo according to package directions; drain. In a large skillet, saute garlic in butter until tender. Add the orzo, Parmesan cheese, milk, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through.

Recipe Source: http://www.foodtv.com/

Sausage Minestra

This is a delicious soup. Nate likes to strain the leftovers and eat it as a pasta dish for lunch the next day. It has a little bit of a kick with the red pepper flakes--Grant thinks it's too spicy, but it's just right for us.

Parmesan Croutons:
3 c baguette, cubed
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated

Toast the baguette cubes in 2 TB oilive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat until crisp. Off heat, toss with the Parmesan; set aside.

Soup:
1 lb link Italian sausage, sliced into 1" pieces
2 cups diced onion
1 TB minced garlic
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth (Swanson's Natural is best)
2 cups canned diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup dry orzo pasta
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped

Saute sausage in 2 TB olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until browned. Add onion, garlic, and seasonings. Cook until onion is soft, about 3-4 minutes.

Deglaze with wine and reduce until almost evaporated. Add broth, tomatoes, and orzo; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach until wilted. Serve soup with croutons on top.

Recipe Source: Cuisine at Home magazine

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

We made these for breafast today. Oh, my--they are so good. Definitely not for everyday, but a great special occasion breakfast. I didn't have whole milk for the icing, so I used 2%. The icing came out a little runny, so next time I'll start will less milk.

Pancakes:

1 1/2 cups flour

3 TB sugar

1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp baking powder

1 TB cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

2 TB corn syrup

1/4 butter, melted

1 TB vanilla

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon with a whisk. Whisk well until combined.

In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, milk, corn syrup, butter, and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture.

Heat a lightly oiled pan over medium-low heat. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan. Brown on both sides.

Serve warm with icing drizzled over the top.

Maple-Butter Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

Dash of salt

1 TB maple syrup

1/4 cup whole milk (more if needed)

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth, adding more milk as needed.

Recipe Source: http://www.tastykitchen.com/

Glazed Salmon

I love, love, love this salmon. The only adjustment I make is to use a sprinkle of powdered ginger instead of 1TB of fresh. The fresh ginger was a little too potent for my liking.

3 TB light brown sugar
1 TB honey
2 TB butter
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 TB soy sauce
2 TB olive oil
1 TB finely grated ginger
Vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 salmon filets, 6 ounces each

Melt the brown sugar, honey, and butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and whisk in the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and ginger. Let cool.

Preheat the grill to medium heat. Brush the salmon with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the salmon, skin side down on the grill. Coat the flesh of the salmon filets with the glaze. Grill for 6-8 minutes to medium doneness, turning once after 5-6 minutes.

Recipe Source: Bobby Flay (www.foodtv.com)

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

This is so easy and really good. I always make a half recipe of this--the full recipe is a LOT of food.

1 pork shoulder roast (Boston Butt or Picnic roast), 6-8 pounds
4 tsp Essence
1 TB salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper

BBQ sauce
Sandwich buns

Remove pork from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before proceeding. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Line a roasting pan with foil. Season the roast well on all sides with the Essence, salt, and cayenne pepper. Place a roasting rack inside the roasting pan and place the seasoned pork on the rack, fat side up. Cover with foiland bake for 4 hours.

Remove foil from the roast and continue to bake until the roast is very tender and will fall apart easily with a fork, about 2 hours longer. Remove the pork from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Remove any excess fat from the roast and discard. Using 2 forks (or your hands), shred the pork into bite-sized pieces. Toss with your favorite BBQ sauce and serve on buns.


Essence:
2 1/2 TB paprika
2 TB salt
2 TB garlic powder
1 TB black pepper
1 TB onion powder
1 TB cayenne pepper
1 TB dried oregano
1 TB dried thyme

Combine thoroughly. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: Emeril Lagasse (http://www.foodtv.com/)

BLTs

Not exactly a recipe, but it's one of our favorites. It's good with pasta salad and fruit on the side.

Pita bread
Thick-cut bacon
Leaf lettuce (green or red)
Tomatoes
Mayo
Salt and Pepper

Slice the pita bread in half and split open. Spread with mayo and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer in lettuce, tomato, and one slice of bacon per pita half.

Baked Pesto Chicken

Seems like a lot of pesto recipes lately. Part of the reason is my attempt to spend less money at the grocery store and use up all of the ingredients I've purchased for other recipes. I had jarred pesto leftover from my Turkey Pesto Sandwiches. This is about as quick and easy as a recipe can get--just 4 ingredients and you really don't need to measure anything. I used chicken tenders for this because they cook more evenly and take less time in the oven.

4 split chicken breasts
1/3 cup pesto sauce
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preaheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil.

Toss the chicken with the pesto sauce and place on the baking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and top with tomato slices and cheese. Return to oven and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Chicken and Dumplings

This recipe uses Bisquick for the dumplings, so it's nice and easy. To make things even easier, you can pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store and use that instead of cooking your chicken. I found that my cookie scoop makes the perfect sized dumplings.

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups cubed cooked chicken

Dumplings:
2 cups Bisquick
2 tsp dried basil
2/3 cup milk

In a large saucepan, saute onion, celery, and garlic in butter until tender. Add flour, sugar, salt, basil, pepper, and broth; bring to boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute; reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

For dumplings, combine Bisquick and basil in a bowl. Stir in milk until moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto casserole (about 12 dumplings). Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes. Cover and bake for 10 minutes more or until the dumplings are done. (Frequently they're done after the 1st 30 minutes.)

Recipe Source: Taste of Home Cookbook

Strawberry Shortcakes

My mom liked to make these for the family when strawberries were in season. I started making them for Nate when we got married and he loves them--even without strawberries. We always sprinkle a little extra sugar on the top before putting them in the oven. You can make individual shortcakes or you can spread the dough into a round cake pan and cut slices when it's cooled. These aren't traditional style shortcakes. They are basically sweet biscuits.

2 1/3 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup milk
3 TB sugar
3 TB melted butter

Strawberries
Sugar

Slice the strawberries and mix with sugar. Set aside.

Mix all ingredients. Divide dough into 4-6 servings (large biscuit-sized)and bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until done.

Cut shortcake in half and top with strawberries and the juice they released. Serve with milk poured over the top.

Recipe Source: Bisquick