Sausage Potato Soup

Robyn’s  Sausage Soup

I was talking with my daughter and we reminisced about the “all you could eat” soup from the Olive Garden.  It was some sort of potato and sausage soup.  She sent me a link for Zuppa Tuscana.  I changed it to my own version and gave the name to her.  Thanks, Robyn, it was really good!

2 smoked sausages, sliced (10 oz)

4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

1½ cups sliced baby carrots

1 cup mashed potatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 bay leaves

1-2 medium onions, chopped

24 oz chicken broth

8 oz extra pale ale

2 cups torn mustard greens

1 cup whole milk

Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven or soup pot and sauté onions and garlic for 5-10 minutes, until onions start to caramelize. Add sausage and beer and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.  Add potatoes, carrots, bay leaves and chicken broth, cover and simmer for 45 minutes until vegetables are tender. 

Remove bay leaves, add mustard greens and cook 10-15 minutes until greens are wilted.  Add milk, salt and pepper and cook just to heat through.  Serve immediately.

© Crackerberries 2012

Lasagna

4 Cheese Broccoli Lasagna

1 package lasagna
15 oz ricotta cheese
1½ cup cottage cheese
½ cup Swiss cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 Tbsp basil leaves
½ lb ground beef
2 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut small
4 cups tomato sauce (I use homemade from the garden)

In large bowl combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, Swiss cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs and basil leaves; mix well.  Add broccoli florets and stir well.

Saute ground beef, onion and garlic until brown.  Drain if necessary.  Add two cups of tomato sauce and stir well.  Remove from heat. 

Cook lasagna according to package directions and drain.

Start with a layer of sauce on the bottom of a well greased lasagna pan.  Put a layer of noodles, then ricotta/broccoli mixture, top with sauce; layer three times with final topping being sauce.  Sprinkle with parmesan if desired.  Bake 350º for one hour; let stand 15 minutes before serving.

 

 

© Crackerberries 2012

 

Chunky Monkey Cookies

Chunky Monkey Cookies

(Peanut butter, Banana, Chocolate Chip Cookies)

¾ cup crunchy peanut butter

½ cup butter flavored Crisco + 1 tbsp water

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup sugar

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 bananas, mashed

1 egg

2¼ cups all purpose flour

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven 375º

Cream together Crisco and peanut butter, then add sugars and beat until fluffy.  Add egg, bananas and vanilla and beat until well blended.  Combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder and mix well then add to creamed mixture.  Once all blended add chocolate chips and stir just to combine.  Drop by spoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375º for 10-12 minutes.

Yield 5 dozen cookies.         

© Crackerberries 2012

Macaroni and Cheese

"Yankee Doodle went to town riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni!"

Macaroni + Cheese

2 cups elbows pasta

1 ½ cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups milk

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.  In medium sauce pan melt butter, stir in flour until smooth.  Pour in milk all at once and stir constantly over medium heat until it starts to thicken.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Combine with macaroni and broccoli.  Place in lightly greased glass baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake 350° 35-40 minutes until bubbly and top is golden brown.  Serve immediately.  We have ours with pig ears, AKA fried bologna.

© Crackerberries 2012

Moussaka

Beef-Potato Moussaka

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, minced 

8 oz tomato sauce

1 tsp basil leaves

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

4 eggs, beaten

½ cup parmesan cheese

½ tsp salt

5 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

In large skillet, cook beef, onion, garlic and drain.  Stir in tomato sauce, basil, cinnamon and pepper.  Cook until heated, turn off heat.

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir in four until smooth.  Pour in milk and bring to a boil, cook and stir constantly for two minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat, stir a small portion into the eggs and return all to pan and stir well.  Add parmesan cheese to the mixture.

Place half of potatoes in a grease shallow three quart baking dish.  Top with half of the meat mixture.  Arrange remaining potatoes over top and cover with remaining meat mixture. Pour sauce over top.  Bake covered for 45 minutes, remove cover and continue baking for 15 more minutes.  Cool 110-15 minutes before serving.

© Crackerberries 2012

Pumpernickel Bread

Pumpernickel Coffee Bread

IN THE BREAD MACHINE

1 cup warm coffee

¼ cup molasses

1 tbsp butter

2 cups all purpose flour

1¼ cup whole wheat flour

2 tbsp cocoa

2 tsp salt

2½ tsp yeast

This is very good cocoa-coffee tasting bread.

Place all ingredients in bread machine in the order given.  Select dark for crust color, select 1.5 loaf size; select whole wheat setting.

© Crackerberries 2012

Bear Tribute - Our Blind Dog

One week ago today we had to say good bye to our best friend. 

This is a tribute to him.

I miss him so much!

Potato Chip Chicken

Hearty Grain Potato Chip

Oven Fried Chicken

3 cups hearty grain potato chips
8 saltine crackers

1 tbsp paprika

½ can beer

½ cup teriyaki sauce

1-1½ lbs chicken pieces

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

Combine teriyaki sauce, beer and chicken pieces in zip lock bag and let stand in fridge all day. 

Finely grind or crush potato chips and crackers and mix with paprika.  Shake excess liquid from chicken and roll in chip crumbs.  Place in cast iron skillet with vegetable oil.  Bake 350° on hour and 15 minutes.

© Crackerberries 2012

Molasses Cookies

Roberta Buck’s Molasses Cookies

(My version)

1 cup sugar

½ cup (1 stick) real butter

1 cup sour cream

1¼ cup Grandma’s Molasses

½ tsp allspice

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp salt

1 egg

5 cups flour

¼ cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375°

In large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.  Add egg and molasses and mix until well blended. 

In another medium bowl, combine flour, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt.  Slowly add to creamed mixture, alternating with sour cream until all mixed in. 

Berta rolls them out and sprinkles sugar on top but I'm not into the rolling out cookies much, so I opted for the easier version.

Using small ice cream scoop, drop portions on ungreased cookie sheets two inches apart.  Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes. 

After 5 dozen, add raisins to remaining mixture…this will yield one more dozen. 

Immediately remove cookies from baking sheets to wire racks to cool completely. 

YUMMY in my TUMMY (and I don’t even like molasses cookies)!

© Crackerberries 2012

Spaghetti and White Clam Sauce

Pah-sghetti is a comfort food, don't you think?  With the loss of my dog, I'm needing lots of comfort.

Spaghetti and White Clam Sauce

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3-4 large mushrooms, sliced (1 cup)

1 6½ oz. can chopped clams, drained, reserve liquid

6-8 oz spaghetti

Fresh oregano and basil leaves

Parmesan cheese

Fresh ground black pepper

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions, drain, salt and pepper and set aside.

Sauté garlic in olive oil for 3-5 minutes until it starts to turn golden brown.  Add mushrooms, clams, oregano and basil and cook until mushrooms are lightly browned and, (you may use canned mushrooms and in that case, cook just to heat) fresh herbs are wilted.

Add 3-5 tablespoons of reserved clam juice.  Pour remaining clam juice over spaghetti and toss to coat.  Just before serving, spoon clam and veggies over spaghetti and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper, if desired.

© Crackerberries 2012

Annie Wilkes Spam Meatloaf

Annie Wilkes Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef

10 oz Black Pepper Spam

1 egg

1 medium onion, diced

½ cup Italian style bread crumbs

1 medium tomato, finely diced (Annie uses fresh, but I prefer canned for meatloaf)
1 can diced tomatoes

¼ cup ketchup

1 tbsp minced garlic

Mash the spam with a fork and combine all ingredients and mix well.  Shape into loaf in lightly greased baking dish.  Squirt Misery over top with ketchup and bake at 350° for 60-75 minutes.  Let cool for ten minutes before removing from baking pan to serving platter.

© Crackerberries 2012

Elvis Tribute

Uncle Churchill is so talented.  Who could have done a better tribute to Elvis than this?

Clam Cakes

If I can't go to New England to eat them, I'll make them in the South to feast on. 

Tasty Clam Cakes

2— 6.5 oz cans minced clams

1— 6.5 oz can chopped clams

2 eggs

½ - ¾ cup clam juice

¾ cup bread crumbs

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp onion powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or more)

Drain clams and reserve clam juice.  In medium bowl combine flour, bread crumbs, baking powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and mix.  Create a well in the center of the mixture.

In separate bowl, beat the eggs together and add ½ cup of clam juice.  Pour into well, and using a fork, mix until well blended.  (You may need to add a little more juice, but not too much). 

Let sit for ten minutes in fridge and then shape into ¼ inch thickness and three inch diameter patties.  Return to let stand in fridge for one hour.

Cook in skillet in hot oil for 2-3 minutes per side.  Drain on brown paper bags and serve hot, with cocktail sauce or tartar sauce.

© Crackerberries 2012