Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini (Kristee Watts)

Ingredients:

1 lb Pound Sweet Italian Sausage, casings removed

1 Cup Chopped Onion

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

5 Cups Beef Broth

1/2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Red Wine

4 Large Tomatoes (peeled, seeded and chopped)

1 Cup Thinly Sliced Carrots

1/2 Tblsp Packed Fresh Basil Leaves

1/2 Tsp Dried Oregano

1 Can (8 oz) Tomato Sauce

1 1/2 Cups Sliced Zucchini

8 Oz Fresh Tortellini Pasta

3 Tblps Chopped Fresh Parsley

Directions:

In a 5 quart Dutch oven, brown sausage. Remove sausage and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings.

Sauté onions and garlic in drippings. Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce, and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Skim fat from the soup. Stir in zucchini and parsley. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.

A few changes I make - I think it’s too greasy when the onions are sautéed in the drippings. I just drain all the grease before adding onions. Instead of red wine I add a little more water or broth and ~ ¼ cup balsamic vinegar. I add up to 19 oz. of tortellini.

It takes me 2 hours from when I start this to have it done (you might chop faster!).

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Emily Heaps)

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts (Cut up and cooked in oil, garlic and lime juice)

½ Onion, Chopped

3 Tblsp Butter

1 Can Chicken Broth

2 Cans Rotel Tomatoes

1 Cup Frozen Corn

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 Can Black Beans

1 Can Diced Green Chilies

1 Tsp Ground Cumin

½ Tsp Garlic Salt

¼ Tsp Black Pepper

Directions:

Cook chicken and remove from pan. Cook onions in butter and then add flour. Slowly add chicken broth until it thickens and is blended with the flour. Add the rest of the ingredients. And chicken back into the pan and heat until warm.

Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese, salsa and avocados.

Portuguese Sweet Bread (Marie Sansom)

Bread Machine Recipe

It really helps the bread turn out best if all the ingredients used are room temperature to start.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Milk

2 Eggs

2 Tblsp Butter

1/3 - 1/2 Cup Sugar

3/4 Tsp Salt

3 Cup Bread Flour

2 1/2 Tsp Yeast

Instructions:

Dump ingredients into bread machine in the order in which they are listed above. Remove from bread machine when done cooking and allow pan to cool before releasing bread from pan.

Enjoy!

Pizza Dough (Shaunelle Trenholm)

Ingredients:

1 Cup Warm Water

1 Tblsp. Yeast

1 Tblsp. Sugar

2 Tblsp. Oil

1 Tsp. Salt
2 1/2 Cup Flour (you may need a little bit more)

Instructions:
Sprinkle yeast and sugar in warm water and let it proof (bubble) for about 15 minutes. Then add oil, salt and flour.

Mix until well blended. Turn onto floured surface and knead till smooth. Let rise for 5 minutes more while you preheat the oven. Bake 500 degrees for about 10 minutes. Makes 1 very large or 2 small pizzas, depending on how thick you like the crust.

Peerless Cornbread Muffins (Kristee Watts)

From: The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham

Yield (12 muffins)

Ingredients:

1 Egg, Room Temperature

½ Cup (1 Stick) Butter, Melted

¼ cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Milk, Warmed

1 Cup Cake Flour (Or Regular Flour)

2/3 Cup Yellow Cornmeal

1 Tblsp. Baking Powder

½ Tsp Salt

1 Tblsp Sugar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease the muffin tins.

Beat or whisk the egg, melted butter, and oil in a mixing bowl until well blended. Stir in the warm milk. Combine the cake flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar in another bowl and stir with a fork until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until well blended. This is a light, medium-thick batter.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins so each cup is three-quarters full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges of the muffins are slightly golden and a straw comes out clean when inserted into the center. Remove form tins and cool a little on racks, or simply service in a basket, hot from the oven.

Swedish Cinnamon Twists (Emily Heaps)

Ingredients:

1 Pkg. Dry Yeast

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1/4 c. Warm Water

1 c. Buttermilk

1/4 Tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 c. Butter, Melted

2 Eggs, Beaten

4 to 5 Cups Hot Roll Mix

Cinnamon Filling:

1/2 c. Brown Sugar

1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 c. Chopped Nuts

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

1/2 c. Powdered Sugar

1/2 Tbsp. Butter

1 Tsp. Hot Water

Preparation:

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Set aside. bring buttermilk to a boil in a small saucepan; buttermilk should curdle. In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, baking soda, and 1/2 cup melted butter. Add eggs. When mixture is lukewarm, add dissolved yeast mixture. Gradually stir in 4 cups Hot Roll Mix until a soft dough forms a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add additional mix if need to make a soft, but not too sticky dough. Lightly butter bowl. Put dough in bowl and turn to butter top. Cover dough with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Generously grease 2 baking sheets. Punch down dough and roll out to a 12x20 inch rectangle. Brush dough with 3 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle cinnamon filling lengthwise over half of dough to within 1/2 in of long edge.

Fold rectangle in half lengthwise to cover filling. Seal dough edges with the edge of a plate. With a pizza cutter, cut dough into 24 strips, about 3/4 inch wide. Twist each strip twice and place strips 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30-40 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 deg. Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

Brush on Powdered Sugar Glaze while rolls are still warm. Makes about 24 twists.

Garden Vegetable Bites (Shaunelle Trenholm)

Ingredients:
2 pkg. Refrigerated Crescent Rolls

1 pkg. Cream Cheese, Softened

1/2 Packet Ranch Dressing Mix

Vegetables: Carrots, Broccoli, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Finely Chopped

Directions:
Roll out crescent rolls in a sheet and bake 375 for about 11-13 minutes. Let cool completely. Meanwhile, mix ranch dressing mix with cream cheese. When crust is cool, spread with cream cheese mixture, then top with chopped veggies. Cut into bite-size pieces. Chill in fridge for 1 hour before serving. Note: Do not let sit longer than about an hour, or the crust will become soggy.

Gorilla Bread (Shaunelle Trenholm)

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

3 Tsp. Cinnamon

1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

1 (8-oz.) Package Cream Cheese

2 (12-oz.) Cans Refrigerated Biscuits (10 Count)

1 1/2 Cups Coarsely Chopped Walnut

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside. Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

Sopapilla Cheesecake (Shaunelle Trenholm)

Ingredients:

2 Cans of Crescent Rolls

2- 8 oz. Cream Cheese (room temperature)

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 Stick of Butter

Instructions:

Spray 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Unroll and press one can of crescent rolls into bottom of dish pressing seams together. In separate bowl blend cream cheese,1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla. Spread across dough in pan. Unroll second can of dough and place on top of cream cheese mixture pressing seams together. Melt butter and pour on top of dough in pan. Mix remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tsp. of cinnamon and top dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and bottom crust is slightly browned.