Main Dishes

Roasted Sausage & Veggies

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I love easy one dish meals. This is super easy to prepare and is very satisfying and filling.
 
 
 
1 lb. all beef smoked sausage or sausage of your choice, chopped
2 large green bell peppers, sliced or chopped
1 medium yellow, sliced or chopped
6 medium potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
pam
olive oil
salt
pepper
aluminum foil
large cookie sheet, or roasting pan
 
Prepare all of the veggies and the sausage and place then into a big mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the mixture and then toss to coat.  Cover the bottom of your pan with aluminum foil and spray pam over it generously. Pour the bowl of sausage and veggies onto the aluminum foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Serve and enjoy!
 


Baked Macaroni and Cheese

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Baked Macaroni and Cheese
    Who doesn’t love a good old Mac n’ Cheese? I certainly haven’t met anyone who doesn’t! This is supposedly the original version of the recipe that Thomas Jefferson brought back from Europe along with the first Macaroni machine. Feel free to fact check me on this. 
Macaroni and Cheese
1/2 lb Macaroni
1 Tbsp butter
1 egg
3 cups cheddar cheese
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of Paprika
Cook macaroni, add butter, 1/2 to 3/4 of the cheese to hot macaroni. Mix. To make milk mixture warm milk (not too hot), add egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Put pasta in 13×9 inch baking dish. Pour milk mixture over pasta. Top with remaining cheese (or extra if desired). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 
Optional: top with buttered cracker crumbs or panko.
Source: Kim Anderson

Best Venison Chili Recipe

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Here’s a great recipe for hunting season.  The kiddos will never know you used deer meat instead of hamburger.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground venison
2 15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 t. ground cumin
2 T. chili powder
1 T. hot pepper sauce
1 t. salt

Directions:

1.  Saute onions and garlic in a pan over medium heat.  Add ground venison and brown.

2.  Add spices to mixture and transfer to crockpot.  Place remaining ingredients in crockpot.  Stir.  Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours.  (I recommend the low setting.)

Source:  id-rather-be-deer-hunting.com

Full-Flavored Beef Stew

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This is a quick crock pot recipe.  It makes your house smell wonderful all day long!

Ingredients:

2 lb. beef roast or stew beef, cubed
2 c. sliced carrots
2 c. diced potatoes (I like to leave the skins on)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 1/2 c. peas
2 t. quick-cooking tapioca
1 T. salt
1/2 t. pepper
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. water
1 T. brown sugar

Directions:

1.  Combine beef and vegetables in slow cooker.  Sprinkle with tapioca, salt and pepper.

2.  Combine tomato sauce and water.  Pour over ingredients in slow cooker.  Sprinkle with brown sugar.

3.  Cover. Cook on Low 8 hours.

Source:  Stacy Petersheim, Mechanicsville, PA

Summertime Quiche

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Summer is quickly coming to a close here in Idaho. But before I start posting my fall/winter recipes, I gotta post another recipe that uses zucchini and squash. I think this will be the last one with either of those ingredients for a while, at least I hope.
Oh and another thing. I am all about home made. I am kind of a snob when it comes to home made vs. store bought items. However, I have been trying to simplify and one way that I have, is to buy pre-made pie shells for this recipe (cringe!) I have the best home made pie crust recipe but I have accepted the fact that it is okay to buy pre-made pie shells every once in a while.

I love quiche. So versatile. This was a good way to use up some zucchini that I had lying around. You can also use summer squash, etc. Here is how I made this one:

Summertime Quiche 

1 deep dish pie crust
4 eggs
1 C. Half and half
1 C. Shredded zucchini 
1/4 C. chopped green onion
1/4 C. Crumbled bacon
1- 1 1/2 C. Shredded Cheese (I used half monterey jack half swiss)
Salt and Pepper to taste 
Fresh grated nutmeg (optional) 

Preheat oven to 450. Lightly cover the pie shell with foil. Bake 8 minutes, remove foil and back another 5 minutes or so. Remove from oven.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, beat eggs and half/half. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour into the warm pie shell. Use a pie saver or foil to cover the edges of the crust. Place in the oven, reduce temperature to 350 and bake until a knife inserted comes clean, about 30-45 minutes. Let rest little bit before cutting. 

Grilled Pizza

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Last summer I decided to try making my pizza on the grill. I think I saw some chef on the Food Network make some grilled pizza years ago. I didn’t look up a recipe. I just used my favorite dough recipe and added the toppings I liked. I made it again this summer and realized that I really really love it. You might just find me firing up my grill come January and going out in my winter clothes to grill my pizza! 

Start with your dough. Here is the recipe I use (makes about two thin crust pizzas)

Easy Pizza Dough

1 Tbsp. Yeast
1 C. warm water
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
2 1/2 C. flour

Dissolve the yeast in water and oil. Stir in salt, sugar and flour. Mix until ball forms. Allow to rise for 5 or 10 minutes. 
Get all your favorite pizza toppings ready (our favorite pizza was the olive oil, tomato, sauteed onion, mozzarella and fresh basil pizza.) 
Meanwhile heat your grill to med.high heat.

At this point I spread my dough out on a greased cookie sheet (normally I would use corn meal, but this is going on the grill)


Take your dough out to your hot grill and throw it on there. I just made a rustic rectangle dough shape.
 After just a few short minutes you will want to turn your crust over.
 Then, working quickly, add your desired toppings. Also, sprinkle a bit of kosher salt over the top of your pizzas. It just boosts the flavor. Close the lid to your grill and give your pizzas 3-7 minutes or until the cheese melts. If you think your crust is going to burn, go ahead and lower the grill heat.


Remove from the grill, cut up and enjoy!


Summer Garden Vegetable Soup

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    As summer winds itself to a bounteous close, I wanted to share this recipe while the veggies in it are still in season. It is a GREAT way to use up some of that zucchini and those tomatoes I never have quite enough uses for. My kids (who hate zucchini and said tomatoes) even like it. Win-win!

Summer Garden Vegetable Soup
     Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

  • 3 medium zucchini, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 4 medium tomatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped)
  • 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
  • 1 ½ cups frozen or fresh corn kernels
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or more 🙂 to taste
Directions
  1. In a large pot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add the zucchini, basil, parsley and onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes (I always do it longer, until it is pretty tender). Add the flour, salt and pepper and stir and cook for one minute to remove the raw flour taste. Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking or stirring constantly. Add the lemon juice; mix well. Bring the soup to a simmer, stirring to prevent sticking, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the zucchini is tender but still has some bite to it (it will continue cooking for a few more minutes). Add the tomatoes, evaporated milk, and corn.
  2. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the soup and simmer until the corn and zucchini are tender. Stir in the cheese just before serving.

Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Yogurt Sauce

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I am not kidding when I say that we have been eating a lot of zucchini around here. If you are friends with me on FB you might have seen a picture I posted of my counter full of zucs! It has been good though because it has given me the opportunity to try new recipes. This is one that I got from Ezra Pound Cake. I followed the sauce recipe but I cut my zucchini differently and used some yellow squash from my garden as well. 
Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Yogurt Sauce 
8 ounces pasta of your choice 
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt 
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
3 medium (8-ounce) zucchini, cut however you like them. (Here I used 2 zucs and 1 squash)  
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 
1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook according to the package directions. Remove 1/4 cup of the cooking water, and set it aside. Drain the pasta. Set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, Parmesan, lemon zest, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
  3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, (and squash, if using) and cook just until wilted
  4. Use a spoon or spatula to push the zucchini aside so a space on the bottom of the pan is clear. Add the garlic, and cook for 15 to 30 seconds, until golden but not really brown.
  5. Mix the garlic into the zucchini.
  6. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. 
  7. Add the zucchini mixture to the pasta and add the yogurt sauce. Toss to combine. Add the reserved pasta cooking water a tablespoon at a time, if necessary, to thin it. Divide among four bowls and serve.

Itsa Pizza!

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My friend, Saren, posted a recipe for Southwestern Pizza that got me motivated to throw one together myself.  She just used ingredients she had on hand and that is pretty much what I did except I did pick up some black beans and Queso Fresco at the store since I had to go anyway.  This is a great, easy, quick dinner and pretty healthy as well.  You can find Saren’s recipe HERE, but I will show you what I used to make mine.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Tomato sauce
Cholula sauce
Minced garlic
Green chilies, chopped
Black beans, drained well
Canned corn, drained well
Green bell pepper, chopped
Jalapeno, seeded and sliced thin
Pulled pork (because I had some left over  from supper earlier in the week)
Queso Fresco
Onion Salt, to taste
Salt, to taste (balance with the onion salt
Crescent Roll Dough (you can use homemade or ready-made pizza dough, pita bread, whatever…)

1.  Open 2 cans of Crescent Rolls. Keep the dough together for the eight rolls in the first can.  Spread out on your pizza stone or rectangular cookie sheet.  Pinch the dough together at the perforations to form one crust.  Take half of the second can and add to the dough you have already formed, so that you have a pan-size pizza.

2.  Mix tomato sauce, Cholula Sauce, and minced garlic (I would have used salsa instead, but we were out).  Spread evenly over dough.

3.  Add all of your toppings in layers, as desired.  Top with the cheese.

4.  Sprinkle with salt and onion salt.

5.  Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until dough is done in middle.  Watch your exposed crust so it doesn’t get too brown.

Source:  Original recipe idea from Saren Loosli, Five Kids in Five Years.

Chicken Tortellini

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    A friend made this for me years ago and we all instantly fell in love! Creamy, flavorful, hearty, it is comfort food at its finest. It freezes very well, so it is a great one to take to neighbors who need a meal or to make ahead for yourself. I prefer using frozen tortellini over dried, I think it is more tender. Enjoy!

Chicken Tortellini

5 T. margarine or butter
6 T. flour
3 C. chicken broth
1 C. light cream or milk
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
Dash nutmeg
7 C. cooked tortellini
1 C. cooked chicken, diced (I use one breast)
1/2 C. parmesan cheese
1 C. mozarella cheese

Combine chicken and tortellini in a 9×13 pan, set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt butter, blend in flour and cook for one minute. Stir broth into mixture; add cream or milk and cook until mixture thickens and bubbles. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour sauce over chicken and pasta; Sprinkle cheeses over the top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until bubbly and golden. I like to broil it for a minute or two at the end to give the cheese a nice brown crust. You can obviously add more cheese to your taste.

Source: Katie Konold