Italian Sausage & Vegetable Soup

1 lb. Italian Sausage (either Hot or Sweet)
1 large onion, diced
8 C. chicken broth
2 small zucchini, chopped
4 C. frozen mixed veggies (beans, carrots, corn & peas)
(I have also used one can of each before)
1 box frozen chopped spinach (or 2 C.aa fresh)
28 oz can diced tomatoes
28 oz can tomato sauce
2 T. Italian Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

Cook sausage & onion. Drain
Add chicken broth, veggies, tomatoes & seasonings. Cook until tender. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese

Simple Broccoli Cheese Soup

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
9 cups chicken stock
9 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
5 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 1/2 pounds processed cheese, shredded
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, and mix in the flour. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Mix in the chicken stock and milk, and season with salt and white pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer about 10 minutes.
2. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place the broccoli in the boiling water, and cook 2 minutes, or until just tender. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
3. Gradually mix the processed cheese and Cheddar cheese into the large pot until melted. Mix in the broccoli. Continue cooking about 5 minutes. Serve with Lion House rolls.

Cheeseburger Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 lb baby carrots

3/4 cup chopped celery

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

4 T butter

1 quart chicken broth

5-6 large potatoes, cubed

1 t salt

1/4 cup flour

2 cups cheese, shredded

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a frying pan, melt 1 T butter over medium heat. Add beef & onion & cook until beef is done.

2. Add broth, carrots and potatoes to a crockpot. Stir in basil, parsley & salt. Add beef mixture.

3. Cook on low 4-5 hours or until veggies are soft. 

4. Melt the remainder of butter and stir in flour. Add the milk, stirring until smooth.

5. Gradually add milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly until thick. Stir in cheese. When cheese is melted, add sour cream and heat through. Do not boil. Great with Lion House Rolls.

Taco Soup

1 lb. hamburger
1 Qt. tomatoes
1 can corn w/liquid or frozen with 1/4 c. water
1 can red beans with juice
1 pkg. taco seasoning or 1/4 c. mix

Cook hamburger in large pot. Add remaining ingredients. Heat 20 minutes. Serve in bowls. Top with grated cheese, sour cream & crushed up tortilla chips. Also good with our Golden Sweet Cornbread

Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips

  

2 kiwi, peeled & diced 

2 Golden Delicious apples -

peeled, cored and diced

8 ounces raspberries

1 pound strawberries

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3 tablespoons fruit preserves,

any flavor

 

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas

Avocado oil cooking spray

2 cups cinnamon sugar

 

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350⁰.

Coat one side of each flour tortilla with cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.

Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

White Trash

  

8 oz. vanilla candy coating
2 c. pretzels
4 c. chex cereal, any variety
1 c. nuts, any kind

1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Mix pretzels, chex & nuts in large bowl. Melt candy coating over low heat until melted or in microwave. Pour over cereal mixture. Spread mixure out onto wax paper. Let cool slightly & break into clusters. Store in airtight container.
I use whatever I have on hand. Just make sure you don't have more than the 7 cups of whatever for the 8 oz of candy coating. I sometimes use cheerios, dried cranberries, more nuts or white chocolate chips instead of all of the cereal or pretzels. You can also add holiday sprinkles while it cools or M&M's for whatever the season is. Drizzle with chocolate, if desired.

Sugar & spice pecans

1 egg white

2 T. water
3/4 C. sugar (or splenda)
1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. ground cloves
8 C. pecan halves

Place pecans in large bowl. Set aside. In medium bowl, beat egg white until frothy. Add water & stir. Add remaining spices. Pour over pecans & stir to coat evenly. Spread pecans lightly on greased foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool.

These are a great low carb snack, if you use Splenda. Also, try this with Almonds & cashews. Pecans are my favorite though.

Brown sugar carrots

1 lb. baby carrots
1-2 T. butter
1-2 T. brown sugar

Steam carrots until tender. Turn off heat & drain water. Add butter & brown sugar to carrots. Place lid on pan & let melt. Stir together to coat & Serve! This in one way my kids WILL eat cooked carrots!

Green Chile Rice

1 can cream of celery or chicken soup

1 c. sour cream

1 can diced green chiles

1 c. shredded cheese

1 1/2 c. uncooked instant rice

In a bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, chiles & cheese. Stir in rice. Transfer to a greased shallow 1 1/2 qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until rice in tender. Yield: 4-6 servings

*I usually double this because we like leftovers. Great with Fajitas.

Cheesy Twice-Baked Potatoes

These are SO good served with steak or grilled chicken!!

6 large baking potatoes
8 T. butter, divided
1/4 lb bacon, diced
3 green onions, diced
1/2 C. milk

¼ C. Sour cream
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. white pepper
1 C. cheese, shredded

Scrub & pierce potatoes. Rub each with 1 t. butter. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 375⁰ for 1 hr, or until tender.
In a small skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat, reserving 1 T drippings. In the drippings, saute onion until tender, set aside.
When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut a thin slice off the top & discard. Scoop out the pulp, leaving a thin shell. In a bowl, mash pulp with remaining butter. Stir in the milk, sour cream, egg, salt & pepper. Stir in the cheese, bacon & onion.
Spoon into the potato shells. Place in a 9X13 pan & bake at 375⁰ for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Honey Butter

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/3 c. honey

Stir together, store at room temperature

Tartar sauce

1 c. light mayo
1/4 c. dill relish,drained
1T. finely chopped onion
1 T. diced pimento (I never add this, but you can!)
1 t. lemon juice
1 T. parsley

Mix all ingredients together & chill for 2 hours. We have eaten this after 1/2 hr, & it's just fine.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 bag of fresh baby spinach
1/2 lb. strawberries, sliced
Dressing:
1 lemon, juiced
1 t. poppy seeds
2 T. white wine vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
1 T. oil
1/2 t. lemon zest

Pour spinach in a bowl. Add sliced strawberries. Mix dressing ingredients & pour over salad. Only add dressing when ready to serve, otherwise it will turn soggy. My kids love this salad!

Sirloin Steak with Garlic Butter

Ingredients
1/2 c. butter
2 t. garlic powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 lbs beef top sirloin steaks
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over med-low heat with
garlic powder & minced garlic. Set aside.
Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt & pepper.
Grill steaks 4-5 minutes per side, brushing with garlic butter as it cooks. When done, transfer to plate & brush again with butter. Let rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Grilled Marinated Shrimp

Marinade:
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley or 2 T. dried
1 lemon, juiced (or 3 T lemon juice)
2 t. hot pepper sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. tomato paste or ketchup
2 t. dried oregano
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled & deveined with tails attached (thawed if frozen)
Skewers

In mixing bowl combine marinade ingredients. Reserve a small amount for basting later. Pour remaining marinade into a large zip bag with the shrimp. Seal & marinate for 2 hrs.
Preheat grill for medium-low heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail & once near the head. Discard marinade.
Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp for 5 minutes per side, or until opaque, basting frequently with reserved marinade.