lentil-sausage-kale soup

½ to ¾ bag of lentils (rinsed and sorted for any stems)
2 large containers of chicken stock
1 small yellow onion chopped
5-6 carrots peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 lb bulk Italian sausage tube (not the links)
1 bunch of kale (use leaves, cut them away from stem and rinse/chop)
¼ cup tomato paste
1 can diced or stewed tomatoes (not drained)

Seasonings (garlic salt, Italian seasoning, rosemary, cumin, nutmeg, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, seasoning salt….really whatever you like)
Pour a tbls or two of olive oil into pan and then brown the sausage in a large dutch oven or soup pot. When cooked add the onion, carrots, garlic and seasonings (except nutmeg). Cook 5-8 minutes till starting to soften. 

Add the kale, top with a dash of nutmeg and wilt. Add tomato paste and stir in for about 30 seconds. Add lentils and stock (can add water if you need more broth) and tomatoes. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for at least 40 minutes until lentils are tender. We add red pepper flakes to individual bowls (aka the adult bowls) if desired.

overnight french toast casserole

1 loaf french bread 

5 eggs lightly beaten

2 cups milk or eggnog

2 tbls. sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg and cinnamon

dash of salt

Slice the bread. Mix the rest of the ingredients together. Dip each slice of bread into the mixture.  Put into a well buttered 9x13 backing dish overlapping a bit in two rows  Get as many in the dish as possible.  Pour a little of the egg mixture over the bread, cover with foil and put in fridge over night.

In the AM preheat oven to 350.  Spread with topping and bake for 40 min.  Can serve with syrup but usually doesn’t need it.

Topping:

Combine 

1stick softened butter

1 packed cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tbls maple syrup (can substitute with light corn syrup if need to)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 

Ikea copy-cat Swedish meatballs

Ingredients
Meatballs
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1 egg
1/2 cup cream (half and half) or 1/2 cup milk
1 small sautéed onion, finely chopped and sautéed
1/4 cup breadcrumbs ( or toasted panko, crushed)
2 small cold boiled yukon gold potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
salt
pepper
1 dash allspice (optional)
Cream Sauce
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup low sodium beef broth
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon white flour
1 tablespoon butter
salt, to taste
white pepper


Directions
For Meatballs:.
Fry the onion till golden in a couple of tablespoons of lightly browned butter.
Mash the potatoes
Mix all the ingredients until meatball consistency.
Flavour with salt, white pepper and (optional) a little finely crushed allspice.
Shape the mixture into relatively large, round balls and transfer to a floured cutting board.
Fry them slowly in plenty of butter.

Cream Sauce:.
Melt butter in pan and add flour, whisk till golden brown and flour is cooked.
Add Beef Stock and Cream until desired thickness.
Season well with salt and pepper.

Serve the meatballs with the sauce, freshly boiled yukon potatoes, and lingonberry jam.

Bacon-wrapped, brown sugar glazed lil' smokies

Prep Time: 15


Cook Time: 35


Makes: about 22 servings (2 Lit’l Smokies each)


Recipe Details

Ingredients
1 pkg. (16 ounces) Hillshire Farm® Lit'l Smokies®
1 pkg. (12 ounces) Jimmy Dean® Thick Sliced Bacon
1 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Cut each bacon slice into 3-4 pieces. Wrap each sausage with piece of bacon; secure with a toothpick. Place on a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bacon is browned and brown sugar melts and forms a sauce. (mine usually take about 20 min if not a bit longer)
Tip: For a lower fat version, try it with Hillshire Farm® Turkey Lit'l Smokies® and turkey bacon
Try adding pineapple chunks

Cornbread Casserole

Ingredients

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

Pasta e Fagioli

Game plan: Traditionally, pancetta is included in pasta e fagioli to provide more intense flavor. If you want to use it, add 3 ounces of diced pancetta with the garlic. If you prefer some heat, add a few dried red peppers when you put in the herbs.

For a slacker solution, buy high-quality canned white beans instead of cooking the beans yourself. (THIS IS WHAT WE DID and used chicken broth instead for broth)

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried tubettini pasta (you can substitute ditalini, conchigliette, or small maccheroni)
• 2 cups cooked small white beans such as cannellini (we used canned)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 10 small fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
• Leaves from 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups reserved bean-cooking liquid or chicken broth if using canned beans
• 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
• Olive oil, for drizzling

Instructions

1. Fill a medium saucepan with heavily salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and boil until partially cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Combine 1/2 cup of the cooked beans and the water in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, sage, and rosemary and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in tomato paste and cook until it caramelizes and melts in with the other ingredients, about 2 minutes.
3. Thin tomato-paste mixture with bean-cooking liquid, add remaining 1 1/2 cups beans, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add pasta and bean purée to soup, and simmer until pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper if necessary, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of olive oil, and serve.

Crock-pot Pot Roast

Best one we've tried!

Crock-pot Pot Roast

Ingredients


One 4-pound beef chuck roast
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for coating
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 stalks celery, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
3 cloves garlic, mashed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
3 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup loosely packed parsley leaves, chopped

Directions


Sprinkle the roast all over with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Coat in flour and shake off any excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roast to the skillet and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes, turning as needed. Transfer the roast to the insert of a 6-quart slow cooker, along with the carrots, celery, onions and garlic.


Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and stir until the oil begins to turn brick-red, about 1 minute. Add the flour and wine and whisk until thick (it's OK if there are some lumps). Add the beef broth, bay leaves, thyme, allspice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and bring to a simmer, whisking, until the gravy is smooth and thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.


Pour the gravy into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. The roast and vegetables should be tender.


Remove the roast and let rest for a few minutes. Discard the thyme stems and strain the vegetables, reserving the gravy. Toss the vegetables with half the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Stir the remaining parsley into the gravy and season with salt and pepper. Slice the roast against the grain. Serve the meat and vegetables on a platter, moistening them with some of the gravy; serve the remaining gravy on the side.


Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/slow-cooker-pot-roast.print.html?oc=linkback