Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup

1 lb Sausage (I use Jimmy Dean's gluten free sausage)
2 cups sliced carrots
2 Large baking potatoes - cut into 1/2 inch squares
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
4 cans (14 oz each) beef broth
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced stewed tomatoes
3 Cups Water
1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning
2 bay leaves
2 cups julienne-cut zucchini (2-3 small zucchini)
1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, if desired

1. Cook sausage till no longer pink and drain
2. Combine sausage and all other ingredients (except zucchini and cheese) in a large cooker (6-8 quart); stir gently to mix.
3. Cook till vegetables are tender.
4. Add zucchini for another 15-20 min. Remove bay leaves, and add cheese, if desired.

About 220 Calories per bowl and 14g protein.  So dig in and enjoy!!

*Picture to come soon.

Mark's Chip Dip

Mark's long-awaited chip dip is here!  This is a family favorite for sure!

In a skillet, brown together:

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1/2 onion, chopped

Drain the grease then put into a crock pot with:

• 1 jar salsa - 24 ounces
• 2 cans Rotel tomatoes (diced tomatoes with chilis in the can)
• 1 can Mexican stewed tomatoes
• 1 can diced green chilis
• 32 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed

Simmer altogether in a crock pot until warmed through.  Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips!

Rice A Roni Chicken Salad

This is my number one favorite "Main Dish" salad.  This is delicious to serve for a shower or similar event.  It is hearty enough to be a meal with some rolls and fruit along with it.  You could even serve it with soup in the winter months.  Oh so good!

Rice A Roni Chicken Salad

Make a box of Chicken Rice A Roni.  Cool and then refrigerate.  Make sure to cool and fluff it before you put it in the fridge or it will cool in a big clump instead of fluffy pieces.

Then, in a large bowl, stir together and add with the cooled rice:

1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 cups red grapes
1 cup raisins
2 large chicken breasts that have been cooked and cubed (about 2 cups)
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 bunch green onions, diced
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Right before you're ready to serve it, add 4 apples cut up in bite size pieces--you can leave the skin on.  I like golden delicious apples or something similar.  Stay away from granny smith or red delicious for this recipe.

For presentation, we put a large leaf of green lettuce under the salad to make it look pretty, but it is not necessary.

Makes 12 "Main Dish" sized portions

This recipe is from my Aunt Jana Wheadon of Alpine, Utah

Pizza Rolls

There are a lot of ways to eat pizza, and yesterday we tried a new one.  This isn't really a recipe, but here is what we did:

-Make your favorite basic pizza dough recipe.  Let it raise for 25 minutes and then roll it out into a rectangle.
-Spread pizza sauce all over the dough.  You can't use too much sauce or it comes out when you roll it p.  Sprinkle with toppings.  The difference with this pizza is that the toppings need to be cut smaller than you would use on a normal pizza.  We used those cute mini pepperonis and we cooked some sausage.  Add whatever other toppings you like.  Then top with a little mozzarella cheese.
-Roll the dough just like you would for cinnamon rolls.  We used dental floss to cut it into uniform pieces and then placed them on a tray to bake.
-They cooked at 350 for about 25 minutes.  Then we "frosted" them with more pizza sauce.

We made another batch using Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce and added some garlic powder, italian seasonings, chicken, bacon, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  You can thin the alfredo sauce down for when you put it on as "frosting" by adding just a little milk to it.  I was wishing we had some diced roma tomatoes to go in there too. It was SO yummy!  This would be great to serve for a party or gathering!

Tuxedo Strawberries

I've died and gone to heaven!

I can't find a picture of all the flowers we had.  We had gorgeous flowers--big hydrangeas, cala lilies and white roses.  We had big flower arrangements on each table.  It was a beautiful and yummy wedding reception.  Congratulations to Brenda and Adam!

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef, cooked, drained

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can chopped green chilis

2 cans beef broth

1 can tomato juice (or a quart of whole tomatos, blended)

1 can chopped tomatos with juice

1 packet taco seasoning mix (can use half, depends how spicy)

1 drop Tabasco sauce (optional)

1 can of corn, drained (or frozen)

1-2 cans tomato soup, undiluted

1 can black beans, including "juice"

Cook ground beef and onion. Drain and add remainder of ingredients together in large pan or crock pot and simmer.

Can serve with: corn chips, taco chips, grated cheese, chopped green onion, sliced black olives, sour cream, chopped tomato, chopped avocado, or whatever your family prefers.

Serve additives in bowls and each person can add what they want on their soup.

Serves 8

Zesty Vegetable Medley

My mom got this recipe from Weight Watchers.  It is healthy, yummy and looks pretty too! It is a great alternative to the regular {same old} relish tray.

"Marinate" in the fridge for a few hours (you can use a large zip lock bag):

• 1 bottle Fat Free Zesty Italian salad dressing
• baby carrots
• cauliflower
• broccoli
• cherry tomatoes
• sliced olives

I like to stir (or move them around in the zip lock bag) the vegetables around every once in awhile to make sure everything is getting good and coated.  So delicious!

*Optional: you could sprinkle bacon bits on top or crushed up walnuts but it really is flavorful with just the dressing.

*Tip: I like to rinse my vegetables that need to be washed and then spin all the water out of them in my salad spinner.  It works really well.

Asian Chicken Salad

1 box bowtie pasta*

4 chicken breasts cooked & shredded or all the meat of one rotisserie chicken

1/4 c. green onions (chopped really small)

1/2 pack sliced almonds (toasted)

1 bag spinach (stems removed)

1 sm. bag peapods

2 cans Mandarin Oranges (drained)

Dressing: (double this into two batches)

1/4 c. sesame seeds (toasted)

1/3 c. soy Sauce

1/3 c. red Wine Vinegar

1/3 c. canola oil or sesame oil

2 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt & pepper

Cook & drain pasta, then combine chicken & pasta and marinate with the 1st batch of dressing in the fridge overnight.

To toast the almonds and sesame seeds, just stir them in a dry fry pan over medium to med. high heat and toast to a golden brown.

Toss altogether right before serving with the 2nd batch of dressing.

*It's important to cook your pasta Al dente or a little less so that it's not too soft.

Egg & Sausage Breakfast Casserole

I love this recipe when I am busy and need to feed a crowd.  It is very yummy and is especially great because you make it the night before and it is ready to go the next morning.

We will remember the Strawberry Fields Cottage we stayed at (us girls) and the unique dishes and vintage napkins from this breakfast.  Fun memories!

Egg & Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Layer bread, sausage, and cheese:

• 10 slices of good white bread, cubed and crusts removed, I used Grandma Sycamore's (this last time I made this I used a good surraded knife (my mom suggests a pizza cutter) and cut thin strips and noticed it still smashes a little...so, after removing the crusts I carefully broke the bread with my hands.  I wanted the bread to be as airy as possible so it could soak everything in.  The time before this it tasted too much like bread, which, if made correctly, you wouldn't even guess there is bread in it.)
• 18 oz ground sausage, cooked and drained (which is 1 1/2 of the 12 oz reduced fat tubes)
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Pour egg mixture evenly over the top:

• 7 eggs, well beaten with 1 tsp salt

Then pour 3 cups milk over the whole casserole.  Refrigerate overnight.  Place in a cold oven and set to 325.  Bake for 1 hour (usually just a couple minutes less).  Cool slightly before cutting.

Serves 12

This is a great breakfast served with muffins or cinnamon rolls and fruit.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

You will need:

• 2 cups cooked chicken (about 3-4 chicken breasts)
• Ham slices - I like to buy the pre-packaged, thick sliced
• 6 big slices swiss cheese - I buy the pre-cut, pre-packaged and it works perfectly
• 2 cans Cream of Chicken
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Topping: (I throw it all in a gallon zip lock bag to crush the crackers)

• 20 saltine crackers, crushed
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp parsley

Lightly spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray.  Arrange cooked chicken in the bottom of the dish.  Next, layer swiss cheese followed by a layer of ham.  In a separate bowl, mix cream of chicken with sour cream.  Drop spoonfuls and spread on top of ham.  Sprinkle topping over top.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until cooked through and bubbly.  Serve over rice.

Serves 6 (Yes, it is in a big pan but it's not real thick.  You could easily 1 1/2 times this recipe in the same pan)

This is a great recipe for a crowd.  We served this for 75+ people at a Relief Society function with the Parmesan Crusted Rolls and it was great!  We used big roasters (giant crock pots) to cook it in and it worked really well.


I adapted this recipe from one of Natalie's cookbooks.  Thanks Nat!

Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

I got this recipe from one of my favorite cooking blogs...http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com/

Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Breasts

Ingredients
•6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halfs or 12 to 15 chicken tenders
•1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray’s or Sweet and Sassy Famous Daves)
•1/2 cup Italian salad dressing plus 2 Tablespoons
•1/2 chicken broth
•1/4 cup brown sugar
•1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
•Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions
1.Clean and wash chicken thoroughly. Place frozen or thawed chicken in a slow cooker. Cover chicken with chicken broth and 1/2 cup Italian Salad Dressing. Cover, and cook chicken in broth until chicken breasts or tenders are almost done, but not quite. (Breasts take longer). They will continue cooking after you add the BBQ Sauce.
2.In a bowl, mix the barbeque sauce, 2 Tablespoons Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper to taste. Pour over the chicken.
3.Cover, and cook on low for about 1 hour or until chicken is fork tender and pulls apart easily. Serve as whole breasts, or shred for Sandwiches, or put over steamed rice.
HINT: **Each Slow Cooker cooks differently. Chicken tenders cook quickly, and breasts require a longer cooking time. When the breasts are almost fork tender, I pour the sauce over the top, cover again, and simmer slowly in the slow cooker until the meat is fall apart tender. Cooking the chicken in the broth and italian dressing at the start ensures that the chicken will be juicy and tender. Over cooking the breasts is what makes chicken tough!

*If I’m in a huge hurry, and can’t be home to add the sauce, simply put the frozen breasts or tenders in the slow cooker, then top with all the sauce ingredients . . . including the chicken broth, then cover and cook for 4 to 6 hours on low heat. Before serving, turn the heat to high, and crack the lid slightly, so that the steam and be released and the sauce can thicken a bit more.

*You can also do a pork roast with this same sauce. Brown a pork roast on both sides, and then place in a slow cooker. I cover my pork roast with 1 pkg. of au ju, and enough water so that only about 2 inches of the roast are out of the water. Cook on high for 5 to 8 hours until roast is fork tender. Remove the roast and slice or shred. Pour juice from the slow cooker and save to dip bbq pork sandwiches in, or discard. Put the meat back into the slow cooker. Mix BBQ sauce (usually double this for a big roast), and pour over the top of the slices or shredded pork. Mix until well combined. Cover again and continue cooking until sauce has had a bit of time to thicken and the flavors can blend together. YUM!

Dutch Oven Pizza

This is so yummy and definitely a Bigler camping favorite!  Thanks Ann!

 Dutch Oven Pizza


1 Package active dry yeast (1 Tbs)
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oil
2 1/2 cups flour

Mix all together ingredients together and spray the cold dutch oven with pam, then mash the dough in the bottom. Add the toppings and cheese and cook with 12 coals on the bottom, and 15 on the top for about 15 minutes.
Makes 2 (12 inch) pizzas.

Sandwiches for a Crowd

These have been a favorite lunch at the lake for the last few years!  Thanks Natalie!

Sandwiches for a Crowd

{You will need}

2 unsliced loaves French bread

2 lbs. thinly sliced ham, roast beef, turkey, chicken

12 to 14 thin sliced pickles (stackers)
lettuce

{The Spread}
1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

2-3 TB diced (really small) green onion

1 TB Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Cut the bread in half lengthwise.  Hollow out a little of the top and bottom of the loaves.  Combine ingredients for 'the Spread' and then spread over the cut sides of the bread.  Layer deli meat on bottom halves.  Place pickles on top.  Gently press halves together.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cut into 1 1/2" slices.  

From Heather Gwynn, Riverside 1st Ward