Lasagna Soup

 

I started collecting recipes for the upcoming A-Z blogging challenge  because I was going to try to overachieve and do tandem like I've done in the past.  I just don't have it in me this year.  But I do want to share the recipes I've made and saved up because some of them are just too good not to share.   This one is one of Tall Cool ☺ne's favorites.  Aunt Margie sent me a subscription to GRIT magazine and I found this in this year's Jan/Feb issue.  Love it!

 

Oh and before I forget, make sure you check out Crackerberries and click on the follow so that you don't miss any of the upcoming A-Z posts.   

 

Ingredients

1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small shallot, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 oz. tomato paste
24 oz. marinara sauce
7 cups chicken broth

Seasoning & Pasta

1 tsp. oregano
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper, to taste
8–10 lasagna noodles, broken

Cheese Blend

1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
½ cup grated Parmesan
½ cup Romano cheese

Finish

1 cup fresh spinach
Fresh basil, to taste

Instructions

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook sausage until browned. Remove and set aside.

Add olive oil to the pot. Sauté shallot for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste, marinara sauce, broth, and all seasonings.
Return sausage to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add broken lasagna noodles. Cook until tender (about 10–12 minutes). Stir in spinach and simmer another 5–8 minutes.
Cheese Topping

In a small bowl, mix: Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmesan Romano

To Serve

Ladle soup into bowls and top with a generous scoop of the cheese mixture. Garnish with fresh basil.

Serve with warm Italian bread and don’t rush it—this is a sit-down and enjoy your company kinda meal.

 

© Crackerberries Kitchen 2026

Whoopee Pies

 They were such a hit I had to share the recipe again.

Traditional Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Don't forget to visit the other  Crackerberries for a Christmas wish!

Merry Christmas and Cheers,

Crackerberries Kitchen 2025

Po'Boy Eggs Benny

 

Po’Boy Eggs Benny

 

1 medium tomato

2 eggs, poached & drained

1 sourdough English muffin, halved and toasted

1 Tbsp. sour cream

¼ cup light mayonnaise

½ tsp. lemon juice

½ tsp. dry mustard

¼ tsp. turmeric

¼ tsp. dried basil

2 oz. summer sausage, thinly sliced

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

Slice tomato and sprinkle with salt; set aside.  In small aluminum bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, dry mustard and turmeric. Place sliced summer sausage in cast iron skillet over medium heat to warm, flipping one or two times.  Place aluminum bowl over the sausage, to heat faux hollandaise sauce. Top English muffin with summer sausage, tomato, poached egg and sauce.  Sprinkle with dried basil and season with salt and pepper.  Serve with fresh fruit.

 

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries Kitchen 2025

PIZZA SALAD

 

 

BREADSTICKS

1 lb. fresh pizza dough

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

½ tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. Italian dressing

Preheat oven to 400º.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper (my best friend in baking).  Stretch and roll pizza dough into 16x8 inch rectangle. Cut into ½ inch strips and line along parchment paper ½ inch apart.  Brush with Italian dressing and sprinkle with spices.  (Feel free to add more spice if you like).

DRESING

3 Tbsp. oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained, finely chopped

3 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

2½ Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

½ tsp, garlic powder

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Pinch kosher salt

¼ cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

In large bow whisk together dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, vinegar, garlic powder and black pepper and a little salt if you like.  Gradually whisk in EVOO.

SALAD

7 cups chopped romaine lettuce

2 cups chopped radicchio

1 8-oz. container bite-size marinade mozzarella balls, drained *

6 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

2 oz. pepperoni slices, halved

¼ cup sliced pickled pepperoncini peppers

¼ cup sliced black olives

1 Tbsp. dried basil

2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients except the basil and parmesan cheese in large bowl and toss to mix.   Fold in dressing tossing well to combine.  Sprinkle with parmesan and basil, add bread sticks and serve.

 

Find the original recipe I stole from BHG here.

 

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries Kitchen 2025

*I used save the marinade from the mozzarella balls, added a block of cubed mozzarella cheese to it for next time.

Molasses Cookies

 

Best Molasses Cookies

It is Christmas time and time to bake cookies. There was a time when I couldn’t make a batch of cookies come out for the life of me.  Until my sister shared her secret of how to make a batch of cookies come out perfect (or almost).

This is my babysitter, Berta’s recipe (RIP), which came from her mom, Dorothy. It is over 150 years old.  I altered it by replacing the ¼ cup coffee or tea with 1/3 cup sourdough to the mix.  I never liked molasses cookies until I made these.

2½ cups AP flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1¼ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. salt

8 tbsp. melted butter

¼ cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup molasses

1 large egg

1/3 cup sourdough hooch

Combine molasses, sugars, melted butter, egg, and hooch in large measuring cup or bowl.  In another bowl stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.  Beat the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture until well combined.  Chill dough for one hour.

Now the recipe says to roll out to desired thickness, cut and sprinkle with sugar.  Tried that as you can see.  Molasses cookies is Tall Cool ☺ne’s favorite and he suggested just doing a spoonful, dip it in sugar and bake like a dropped cookie.  OMG, it’s like a crusty outside and a soft inside, makes me think of the cat treats that we buy for the fur-babies.

Cooking is all about experimenting.

Roll or drop and sprinkle with sugar and bake in a 350º oven for 11 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy ♥

 

© Crackerberries 2024

Honey Garlic

 

The recipe is pretty straight forward. 

*Eat garlic at onset of cold or sore throat or when you have been around someone sick. This will boost your immune system.  

The infamous "they" say it keeps blood-feeding mythical creatures away too.

My friend Nen shared it from her friend Kim.  I'm very excited to try it.

I used three large heads of garlic and put them in a 6 oz. jar.  Fill the jar with the garlic first (my mother tried to tell me to put the honey in first---no, no, no, Mom!) and then pour the honey over the top.  

Cover and flip the jar a few times a day for a couple weeks.  

I put my in a ceramic compost crock instead of the cabinet. (Just easier to remind me to flip when I'm in the kitchen.  We'll check back on December 3rd (Jeff & Nen's anniversary) to see how it turns out.

Let me know if you have any home remedy ideas.  I'm wondering if honey and ginger would work the same way?  

Cheers♥

Crackerberries 2024

Cottage Pie from Cowboy Kent Rollins

 

Cottage Pie (aka) Shepherd’s Pie

 

Growing up we always had “Shepherd’s Pie” that was made with ground beef, corn and sometimes if we were lucky, a can of peas would find their way mixed in with the corn, and then it was topped with mashed potatoes with dollops of butter melted over the top.  It was an old time favorite comfort food. 

As an adult, it was still always one of my favorites, but Tall Cool ☺ne didn’t care for it, needless to say it has not been on the menu over the years. This weekend we watched a video on one of my favorite YouTube channels and two things came out of it. 

1. I learned something new (I think you should learn something new every day if you can): Shepherd’s Pie is actually made with ground lamb, (which makes perfect sense seeing how shepherds tend the sheep). 2. I’ve now found a pie that can and will be added back to my favorite meals menu.  I kind of wonder why they don’t call it “Cattle Pie”, “Heifer’s Pie”, “Moo Pie”, or “Bull Pie”.

 

I took the ingredients from the video and used my own quantities (not from his list) so if mine don’t match Kent’s, don’t hate me.

 

1¼ lb. ground beef

2 stalks celery, shredded

2 carrots, shredded

1 orange pepper, shredded

1 lg. onion, shredded

2 tbsp. tomato paste

¼ cup beef broth

½ cup red wine (¼ for the pie and ¼ for the chef)

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 can white hominy, drained

1 can chili peppers, drained

4 cloves garlic, minced (I used the whole head)

2 egg yolks

3 lbs. potatoes, peeled, cooked, drained, and mashed

½ cup cream (I used half & half)

1½ cups white cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded

¾ cup fresh parmesan, shredded

Seasonings: oregano, basil, salt, pepper, thyme (I don't have his original seasoning spice yet, but I ordered some for next time).

 

In cast iron Dutch oven, cook the ground beef and drain off grease.  Add celery, carrots and onion and cook the moisture out of the veggies, but don’t let the veggies get brown (5-6 minutes).  Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, wine, and stir to combine and let it get a little bubbly.  Carefully stir in garlic and hominy. Remove from heat and set aside.

 

Prepare potatoes.  Once they are cooked and drained and all the liquid is steamed out of them, mash, mash, mash.  Add some cream (I used half & half) and the egg yolks.  Mash, mash, mash.  Add the cheddar and jack cheese, then stir in the chili peppers.

 

Preheat oven to 400º

 

Transfer the beef mixture to a casserole dish.  (I almost missed this tidbit of information. Tall Cool ☺ne pointed it out to me). Can’t cook this in the cast iron in a 400º oven or it would burn to a crisp.

 

Trowel the potatoes over the beef mixture.  Make little plops with a spoon for aesthetics, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Let cool 10-15 before serving.

 

So freaking good.  Thank you, Cowboy Kent Rollins.

 

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

Succotash Boats

 

Tall Cool ☺ne brought home a half dozen or more summer squash.  It wasn't enough to make squickles so I had to come up with something else.  I borrowed this recipe that I found in the Southern Living Magazine last month.  OMG, usually when I’m making recipes I find in magazines I have to tweak them to please me or Tall Cool ☺ne (there was no tweaking on this one that he would like….so forget about that).  I really liked this recipe and enjoyed it better cold. In fact two days after I made it I filled Romaine lettuce with and called it Succotash Boats. 

Ingredients

• 6 thick-cut bacon slices, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion (from 1 medium onion)
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic (about 3 cloves)
• 10 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (2 cups)
• 1 medium-size yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (2 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen yellow corn kernels (from 4 ears)
• 1 (3/4-oz.) habanero chile, pricked all over with a fork
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper, plus more for garnish
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 tsp. coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish

Directions       

1. Place bacon in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until crispy, 12 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Save remaining drippings for another use.
2. Add onion to reserved drippings in skillet; cook over medium, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Increase heat to high; stir in green beans, squash, corn, habanero chile, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring mixture occasionally, until vegetables are slightly charred, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high, and stir in 1/4 cup water; cover and cook, undisturbed, until vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove and discard habanero. Stir in halved cherry tomatoes, fresh thyme, and cooked bacon. Garnish with additional thyme and black pepper.

 

 

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

Grilling Sourdough Bread

 

1 cup sourdough starter unfed          

3½ cups all-purpose flour

3 tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 bottle Moosehead Lager beer                                   

2 tbsp. melted butter 

Light your charcoal on grill

Grease or spray inside edges if cast iron bread pan.

In large bowl combine dry ingredients and whisk to combine.  In large measuring cup, combine sourdough starter and beer, then pour into flour mixture.  Stir until moistened.  Spoon or scrape into cast iron bread pan.  Pour melted butter over the top. 

Cook uncovered on back rack of grill for about an hour (depending on how many time your husband opens the grill to check the meat he’s cooking) this will determine how long it takes for the bread to cook. 

He likes to have a pan of water on the grill to keep things moist.  I love this bread.  It’s crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.  I’ve been eating it for breakfast with fig preserves.  I even tried making bruschetta with it and it was outstanding.  A definite keeper.

This weekend Tall Cool ☺ne is smoking some baby back ribs, so I’m planning to do a smoked version of the sourdough.  Stay tuned for more recipes.

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

PS. be very very careful removing that cast iron from the grill.  I boo boo'd big time and I will have a scar for life.

Blackberry Donno-Muffins

 

 

 

So I have this really cool donut tin but I never use it because I every time I try to make baked donuts they disappoint me.  But the tin is so cool I wanted to use it for something.  So I decided to make Donno-muffins. We found some blackberry vines in the back yard (never saw them in the almost 9 years we’ve lived in this house.  I had about a cup of them and figured what the heck, let’s have some Donno-muffins.

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar                                                                             

2 tsps. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

½ cup sour dough starter “hooch” (not fed, aka: the throw away stuff)

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup almond milk or non-fat milk

1 cup blackberries

 

 

Preheat oven 400º.  Spray muffin or donut tin with cooking spray. (6 large or 12 small) 

 

In medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in center of flour.

 

In another bowl, combine, egg, milk, hooch, and vegetable oil. Stir to combine and then pour into the well in the flour mixture.  Stir just to combine, it will be lumpy.  Fold in berries.

 

Spoon into muffin/donut tins.  Bake 18-20 for 12 tins, 23-25 for 6 tins.

 

 

 

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

Chipotle Chicken & Spinach Pizza

 

Preheat oven 425º

 

1 pizza dough **

1½ cups pre-cooked chicken

1 cup fresh baby spinach

¼ cup diced red onion

2-3 bacon strips, cooked and chopped

1 cup favorite BBQ sauce

2-3 tbsp. fresh herbs

1½ cups shredded pizza blend cheese (we use Colby jack and cheddar)

2 tbsp. Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Chipotle sauce

 

Roll out pizza dough to desired thickness.  Spread with BBQ sauce. Sprinkle with cheese blend.  Layer with chicken, spinach and fresh herbs.  Toss on the bacon and red onion.  Shake some parmesan cheese on and drizzle the chipotle sauce over the top.

 

Bake at 425º for 21-23 minutes.

 

** I thought I had a recipe for the BEST PIZZA CRUST EVER but apparently I was keeping it a secret.  I will share here now.  It is made in the bread machine, so it is super easy!

Ingredients:

1 12 bottle beer

½ cup sourdough starter (hooch)

1 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1½ tsp. salt

4¼ cups bread flour

2 tsp. bread machine yeast

Select dough setting, wait 1½ hours, remove from pan and proceed.  This makes two normal size pizza crusts.  This recipe works wonderfully for freezing.  The above pizza was made from a frozen dough.

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

Gilligan's Island Bagel Rafts

 

I found this recipe in an AllRecipes magazine.  They took it from a TikTok hack.  I don’t do TikTok, but I do read magazines.  I have made this breakfast a few times and we really love it.  It’s versatile because you can put whatever you want in it.  I changed the name to Gilligan’s Island Bagel Rafts, because maybe if they had a raft they would  have got off the island.  (I used to love that show!)

 

2 Bagels

2 Eggs

2 tbsps. garden vegetable cream cheese

2 tbsps. shredded Colby Jack cheese (whatever kind you like)

2 tbsps. crumbled bacon (any kind of cooked meat)

½ tsp. fresh ground pepper

1-2 tbsps. fresh herbs, diced onions, diced green or red pepper (options are endless)

 

Preheat toaster oven to 350º

 

Split bagel and hollow out each half with a spoon. Save for another use, or toast them with the rafts and enjoy a crispy snack.

 

Whisk together the eggs, cream cheese and shredded cheese and pepper.

 

Divide the egg mixture into the hollowed-out bagels and then top with meats, veggies and herbs. 

 

Place on foil-lined pan; toast in preheated toaster oven for 10-12 minutes or until eggs are set.   Serve with your favorite hot sauce!

 

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024

Pasta Salad

 

It’s almost summertime and who doesn’t love a fresh made pasta salad?  It’s one of my favorite summertime meals and both my kids love it too and make it themselves now that they are grown.  I found this new condiment (Olive Muffalata) while we were shopping at Costco, that I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE!  I see that it is also available on AMAZON if you don't have a Costco membership or friend to take you there!  OMG, I could eat the whole jar in one sitting.  You gotta try it. 

 

2 cups colored pasta, cooked and drained
1 cup chopped ham
1 cup chopped cheese (I used cheddar this time)
½ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup slice black olives
1-2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
¼-½ cup Olive Muffalata 
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper

Fresh parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta al dente and drain and cool. Combine pasta with all of the vegetables, cheese and ham; toss to combine.  Fold in olive muffalata, olive oil and Italian seasoning.  Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper.  Add parmesan if desired.   

 

Enjoy♥

© Crackerberries 2024