Category Archives: Everybody Ate It

November 22, 2010 · 11:53 pm

CrockPot Autumn Sausage Casserole

This is like autumn in a bowl. It’s so good and makes your house smell fantastic!

Ingredients:

1 pound sausage
1 large, or 2 small apples, chopped (no need to peel)
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3 cups already cooked long-grain rice
1/2 cup raisins
1 T dried parsley flakes
1 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup chicken broth or water

Instructions:
If you are going to use uncooked pork sausage, I’d recommend browning on the stove top, and draining before adding to the crockpot.

Otherwise, dump all the ingredients into the crock, and stir well.

Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4. You’re really only heating through, and allowing the vegetables to soften.

This will not stick together like a gloppy casserole; it has the consistency of fried rice. Use bowls to serve rather than plates.

The amount of ingredients fit nicely in a 4 quart crockpot. I’d say this comfortably feeds a family of 4-5 with a bit of leftovers. If you have a large family or teenagers, add more rice and sausage. It’s a pretty easy recipe to adapt to your needs.

What did the family think? This is SO delicious! Hubby and I couldn’t get enough of this. The boys liked the sausage…they aren’t big rice fans.

from crockpot365.blogspot.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Super Easy to Make

November 14, 2010 · 9:21 pm

Pumpkin Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting

The scones are good, but with the frosting…me oh my!

Scones
Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 14-16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Icing
Ingredients:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions:
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft. Add confectioners sugar and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Add enough milk to make a good spreading consistency. Frost the scones while they are still warm.

What did the family think? Anything with cream cheese on it is good, but when you put cream cheese on a pumpkin scone…yowser!

from whatscookingamerica.com and food.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

November 10, 2010 · 11:56 am

Magic Pretzels

I have made these for several years around Christmas time for teachers, neighbors, our librarian, etc. They are SOOOO good!!! They are the kind of snack that I don’t even take a teeny tiny nibble of because if I do, I will have another bite and then another and then another….

Ingredients:
1 cup corn or canola oil
1 envelope (1 ounce) dried ranch salad-dressing mix
1/2 of a 1-ounce envelope dried garlic-flavored salad-dressing mix (pour the envelope into a measuring cup and spoon out half)
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 pound hard sourdough “beer” pretzels, broken into pieces (“hard” or “beer” pretzels are in the snack section of your grocery store; if you can only find a 13-ounce box, that’s fine to use instead of 1 pound)

Instructions:
Put pretzels in a gallon-size ziplock back and break them into smaller pieces with a hammer…don’t hit them too hard. You still want them to look like pretzels, not pretzel dust.

Put oil, salad-dressing mixes, lemon-pepper seasoning, and dill into another gallon-size ziplock bag, seal it, then shake hard to mix. Add pretzels and toss until they’re completely coated. Allow the pretzels to “marinate” for at least 1 hour, giving them a shake whenever you think of it.

Heat oven to 300. Spread pretzels and their flavorings on a large, rimmed cookie sheet lined with foil and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for 30 minutes.

Let pretzels cool completely, while stirring often. Store them in an airtight container (they’ll keep for 4 to 6 weeks).

What did the family think? These are SOOOO good! They are especially yummy when they have been out of the oven for just a little bit…when they have cooled off, but they are still warm.

from Wondertime magazine

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

November 9, 2010 · 9:17 pm

Italian Sausage Baked Ziti

Warm, yummy and perfect for a chilly rainy night…

Ingredients:
1/2 pound Ziti pasta
1/2 onion, chopped
1 pound Italian sausage
1 jar spaghetti sauce
4 slices Provolone cheese
8 ounces Ricotta cheese
6 ounces Mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain when done.

Brown the meat and onion and drain fat. Return the meat and onion back to the pan and add the spaghetti sauce simmering for 15 minutes.

Layer ingredients in a square baking dish. Pour 1 cup of the meat mixture on the bottom of a casserole dish.

Next, put half of the pasta on top of the meat mixture. Top with provolone cheese slices and ricotta cheese spread over the provolone cheese. Then add the remaining pasta and top with to the remaining meat mixture making sure to cover all of the noodles.

Top with mozzarella cheese and parmesan.

Bake for 30 minutes and you may want to bake it on a cookie sheet to prevent splatters in your oven.

from bigoven.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian

November 4, 2010 · 10:46 am

Pumpkin Pancakes

Dad was out of town so we had breakfast for dinner last night.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt.

Stir the dry mixture into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

We had these with scrambled eggs. I also made some Buttermilk Syrup to go with them.

What did the family think? They loved it!

from allrecipes.com

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Filed under Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Vegetarian

November 3, 2010 · 2:31 pm

Calzones

We used Italian sausage and spinach, but you could use pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers… whatever you like to have on your pizza could go in this calzone.

Ingredients;
2 cans Pillsbury pizza crust
8 ounces Italian sausage
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan
1 egg
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Pizza sauce OR marinara sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook sausage in skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through using a wooden spoon to crumble.

Add spinach and water to skillet; saute 1 to 2 minutes until spinach is wilted; drain.

Combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and egg in a mixing bowl. Stir in Italian herb seasoning and garlic salt; set aside.

To make calzone, unroll one pizza crust on a non-stick cookie sheet. Use a knife to cut the pizza dough into four equal rectangles. Put 1/4 of the ricotta mixture in the center of each rectangle then put 1/4 of the sausage mixture on top of the ricotta mixture.

Place the second pizza crust on top of calzone fillings. Use a knife to cut it into four rectangles. Press the edges down with a fork or your fingers so the filling won’t leak out.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until dough starts to get golden.

What did the family think? This was a huge hit in our house.


image from yumsugar.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Vegetarian

November 2, 2010 · 10:08 am

Stuffed Shells

We are a pasta lovin’ and a cheese lovin’ house, so I knew these would be a hit!

Ingredients:
1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
2 eggs, beaten
1 (32 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce, divided

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and run cold water over them too cool them off.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan until well combined.

Cover bottom of 9×13 dish with thin layer of spaghetti sauce.

Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in baking dish.

Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over shells and then sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan on top.

Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

We had these with a salad, but I wish I would have made some nice warm yummy garlic bread to go with it, too.

Did I change anything? I actually ended up using two jars of sauce. I used just a little bit of the second one to finish off the top of the noodles. I just felt like it needed a little bit more sauce.

What did the family think? It was a hit! There was a little bit leftover and I was already dreaming about having the leftovers for lunch. Apparently, so was our oldest. He asked me if he could have the rest in his lunchbox for the next day. I reluctantly said yes. Next time I will have to make more. 🙂

adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

October 28, 2010 · 8:45 am

Cobb Salad Wrap

These can be served hot or cold. You can make them ahead of time, stick them in the frig and get them out when you are ready. They are very transportable too…make it, wrap it up in plastic wrap and take it with you for lunch or a picnic.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing
4 8- to 10-inch whole wheat or Southwest-flavored flour tortillas
4 romaine lettuce leaves, ribs removed
4 strips bacon, crisp-cooked and drained
2 green onions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces cooked chicken, shredded

Instructions:
Spread salad dressing over one side of each tortilla.

Top with lettuce, bacon, green onions, tomato, cheese, and shredded chicken. Roll up tightly.

Serve immediately or wrap in plastic wrap and chill up to 4 hours.

Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Did I change anything? The only thing I changed was that the kids only got chicken, lettuce and cheese in theirs.

What did the family think? Everyone liked theirs except for our youngest…the cheese was sticking to the chicken! Horror!!! He did finally manage to work his way around it and ate his dinner though.

from Better Homes and Gardens

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Filed under Chicken, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Sandwich

October 26, 2010 · 7:58 pm

Goulash

Hubby asked me if I would put this in our dinner recipe rotation this week. Our oldest son gave it “five stars”…it is a very “kid-friendly” dish.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken
2 cups shredded carrot
2 (10-3/4-ounce) cans condensed tomato soup
2 1/2 cups water
8 ounces dried cut whole wheat ziti pasta (about 2-1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil, crushed
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoongarlic powder
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)

Instructions:
In a 4-quart Dutch oven, cook ground beef and shredded carrot over medium heat until meat is brown. Drain off fat.

Stir tomato soup, the water, uncooked ziti, dried basil (if using), onion powder, and garlic powder into meat mixture in Dutch oven.

Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook about 25 minutes or until ziti is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in fresh basil (if using) and mozzarella cheese.

Sprinkle individual servings with Parmesan cheese.

Did I change anything? I used macaroni noodles instead of the ziti the recipe called for.

What did the family think? Our oldest son liked it so much he requested the leftovers for his lunch tomorrow. Everyone else liked it too…it was perfect for the chilly weather.

adapted from diabeticliving.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian

October 25, 2010 · 8:16 pm

Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

It’s been a while since I made this, but this is a staple in our house. It is perfect for a cold and rainy night like tonight.

Ingredients:
3/4 lb Italian sausage
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian diced tomatoes
1 cup red wine
2 cans chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pound dried tortellini
1-2 cups fresh baby spinach (depending on how much you like spinach)
grated or shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions:
In a Dutch oven, cook Italian sausage using a wooden spoon to crumble. When Italian sausage is cooked through, add tomatoes, wine, chicken broth and garlic. Bring to a simmer.

Add tortellini and cook until done.

Add spinach right before serving. Stir until wilted.

Serve and garnish with Parmesan.

Did I change anything? Sometimes I add a little chopped zucchini and/or some diced carrots.

What did the family think? We love this one. It’s definitely comfort food at our house.

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Stew/Soup, Super Easy to Make