Chicken and Sausage Creole

I love the one dish wonder thing--we eat this a lot and it is so YUMMY! :)

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 14 oz chicken broth
1/2 lb sausage links cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1 med onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
2 bay leaves

1. Cook rice according to package instructions, but substitute the water for chicken broth.
2. Saute sausage and the next 4 ingredients in a lightly greased large pot over med heat for 5 minutes or until veggies are tender. Stir in the remaining broth, chicken and the next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat . Reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.
3. Remove the bay leaf and serve the mixture over rice. :)

Chicken and Noodles

Ingredients:
1 envelope of italian dressing mix
1 pkg wide egg noodles
2 tbsp butter, softened
3 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup parm cheese
2 tbsp chopped parsley

1. Remove 1 tbsp italian dressing mix from the envelope, and save the rest.
2. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and return to pan.
3. Stir in butter and toss to coat. Stir in chicken and the next 3 ingredients and 1 tbsp dressing mix. Cook mixture on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Dijon Pork "Choppers"

So Julia calls them pork choppers...too much cuteness.

Ingredients:
4 tbsp steak seasoning
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup butter. melted
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 pork loin, fat trimmed (about 4 lbs)

1. Combine 1st 4 ingredients and rub mixture evenly over the roast. Place the roast in a foil lined broiler pan.

2. Bake at 475 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 50 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes after removing fro the oven. Slice and serve.

Easy BBQ sauce

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup Ketchup
1/3 cup molasses
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp liquid smoke

Wisk it all together until well blended. Boo-yah! There you have it!

Lemony Herb Pasta

Ingredients:
1 container ricotta cheese
5 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parm cheese
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb penne pasta
1 lb asparagus trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together ricotta, lemon juice, parm cheese, parsley, olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper.Set aside.

2.Add penne to boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Add asparagus to the pot for the final 3 minutes of cooking time. Set aside 1 cup "pasta water", then drain the pasta mixture, putting the pasta and asparagus into a serving bowl.

3. Add ricotta mixture and bacon to the bowl and stir well and add the "pasta water" 1/4 cup at a time. Serve immediately.

This is a high fat but high flavor dish ----worth every single gram of fat!!

Crock Pot Veggie Chili

Simple, healthy and delish. this is one of those throw it together and hope it turns out kind of thing. We love it and it is so easy.

Ingredients:

1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 onion diced (sweet is best)
16oz sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup yellow squash, chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp pepper
8z can tomato sauce
3 cups V-8 juice
2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can cannelini beans
1 can kidney beans
1 cup frozen corn

1. Saute the 1st 3 ingredients in a large skillet for 10 minutes over medium heat. Add mushrooms, zucchini, and squash. Saute for 3 more minutes.
2. Add chili powder and the next 2 ingredients and saute for 5 more minutes.
3. Stir together tomato sauce and tomato juice in a crock pot. Stir in diced tomatoes and the next 2 ingredients as well as the carrot mixture.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

The slick part about this is that you can freeze it after it has cooled. We do this and store it in gallon size ziplocs.

Collard Greens and Onions

I love greens, good old salty, vinegary greens. This recipe was adapted from a Southern Living recipe from a few years back.

Ingredients:
3 16oz pkgs of fresh collard greens
2 medium red onions, very finely chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1.Trim off the thick stems from the collard leaves and wash the leaves well.
2. Saute onions in hot oil over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes. Add broth and the last 4 ingredients.
3. Gradually add collards and stir occasionally. Cook 8-10 minutes or until wilted. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally for about an hour.