Butternut Squash Soup

-I go this recipe from Aileen! Its so tasty and delicious! Serve with warm bread and maybe a salad!


Butternut Squash Soup

2lbs butternut squash
2 cups chopped onion
2 TBSP olive oil
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp each ground nutmeg, white pepper, ground ginger
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup Land o'lakes fat-free half and half

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
2. Place in casserole dish cut side down in about 1 inch of water.
3. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove skin and cut into chunks. (Prepare other ingredients while the squash is baking).
4) Saute onion in olive oil until transparent, about 3-4 minutes, over medium heat. Stir in the chunks of squash, chicken broth, an seasoning. Bring to a boil in a suitably sized pot, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaves and blend the soup in a food processor in batch. Return to pot, heat through and add half and half.

Jambalaya

Got this recipe from Southern Living. My Louisiana man loveeees this. OUEEE! ;)

Jambalaya

1lb andouille sausage
2 TBSP canola oil
2 cups diced sweet onion
1 cup diced celery
1 large red bell pepper, diced and seeded
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. Creole seasoning (Tony's)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
2 (10oz) cans of MILD Rotel, drained
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (optional/could use Deli-roasted chicken)
1 lb peeled, medium-size raw shrimp, deveined (optional)  use either chicken or shrimp or both.
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Garnish with chopped green onions

1/ Cook sausage in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until browned. ( I like to do it longer and basically make the sausage crispy). Remove with a slotted spoon.
2. Add diced onion and next 7 ingredients to hot drippings, saute for 5 minutes or until veggies are tender. Stir in tomatoes, next 3 ingredients and sausage. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes or until rice is tender (typically 15 min for my stove).
3. Stir in shrimp, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the shrimp is done and turns pink. Stir in parsley. Serve Immediately.

French Toast

This is my husbands favorite breakfast! 

French toast

      3 whole Eggs

            1 cup Milk (I sometimes do half milk half cream if I have it)

            2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar

            1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

            1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

            ¼ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg

            ¼ teaspoons Ground Cloves

            10 slices Texas Toast

                        1 teaspoon Butter, For Frying

1. Break the eggs into a tin or large Tupperware container, add the milk, cinnamon and vanilla, then beat with a fork.


2. Set a griddle or wide frying pan over medium heat. Drop 2 tablespoons of butter in and move the pan around to grease the whole bottom.


3. Dip the bread slices into the egg mixture, and turn them over. Don’t to soak them, just get them wet.


4. As the bread slices come out of the batter, put them onto the griddle or frying pan immediately, and cook both sides until golden brown. Use your spatula to look underneath to make sure you don’t burn it. You may need to add some butter in between batches to keep them from burning.


5. Serve with whipped cream, syrup, powdered sugar or nutella! 

Apple Turnovers

Fast Apple Turnovers
(Old magazine clipping)

2 C peeled, finely-chopped apples
1/3 C sugar
2 TBSP flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)
Dash nutmeg (opt.)
Two 8 oz. cans refrigerated crescent rolls

Glaze:
1/2 C powdered sugar
2 to 3 tsp water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together first 5 ingredients; make sure apples are well-coated. Separate dough into 16 triangles. Spoon about 1 rounded TBSP of apple mixture into the center of each. Fold 3 corners of dough over the filling, overlapping. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min. Remove from pans to cool. Combine glaze ingredients and mix till smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls.

Cowboy Lasagna

This is a great and yummy version of the classic "Tater Tot Casserole." Its super easy too! I got this recipe from my bestie Molly!

Cowboy Lasagna

1lb of ground beef

minced onions- 4 TBSP

Worcestershire sauce- generous sprinkling

Parsley- roughly 3 TBSP divided

Can of tomato soup (10 ¾ ozs)

Can of corn (15.25 oz)

Dried ground mustard- 3 TBSP

Tater tots (32 oz)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mozzarella cheese (4 cups)

Directions

1)   brown ground beef with spices- drain. Add can of soup and can of corn, simmer for about 10 minutes.

2)   In a greased 9x13 baking dish, arrange tater tots in a single layer. Cover with 2 cups of cheese. Our ground beef mixture over top and cover with remaining cheese and 1 TBSP of parsley.

3)   Place in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

4)    

Loaded Baked Potato and Chicken Casserole

I recently made this and it is GREAT!  My husband loved it! So its definitely a keeper in our family!
There were a few times when I was following this recipe and I thought, "Really? Hmmm...well if the recipe says to do that..." and believe me- it was worth it!

Loaded Baked Potato and Chicken Casserole

Ingredients
2lbs chicken breast (or tenderloins)
10-12 potatoes (I used the red potatoes that come in the red bag)
1/2 cup Olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP fresh ground pepper
1 TBSP paprika
2 TBSP garlic powder
3 TBSP Hot Sauce

Topping mixture
2 cups Shredded Cheese ( I used Colby jack)
1 cup crumbled bacon, I used real bacon, it was worth it.
1 cup diced Green onion

1) Preheat oven to 500 degrees
2) In a large bowl mix olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and hot sauce.
3) cube the potatoes and add to the bowl
4) coat a 9x13 dish with cooking spray
5) add potatoes, allow for excess sauce in the bowl
6) bake the potatoes for 45 minutes, stir every 15 minutes (DONT FOR GET TO STIR!)
7) meanwhile, cube the chicken and add it to the bowl with the left over sauce.
8) cook your bacon and crumble it after it has cooled
9) mix together cheese, bacon and green onion in a small separate bowl.
10) once the potatoes are done, add the uncooked marinated chicken and layer the topping mixture over the chicken.
11) Bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.  (I do just a tad longer.)

Dig in!

Best Cinnamon Waffles and/ or Pumpkin Spice Waffles

We love these. End of story. Its the only waffles we make. My husband especially loves the pumpkin spice version!

Cinnamon Waffles- makes 4 large waffles, this recipes easily doubles if you're feeding a crowd :) 

2 tsp baking powder


1 3/4 cups self rising flour       *if using all purpose flour: Start with 1 cup of all-purpose flour and subtract 2 tablespoons. Then add 1½ teaspoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt."

 2 tbsp granulated sugar


2 tsp ground cinnamon powder

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract


2 tbsp melted and cooled (unsalted) butter


1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

*If making Pumpkin Spice Waffles add:

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/3 cup pumpkin puree 

1. First, grease the plates of your waffle maker (with butter or oil spray), switch it on and choose whichever setting the instructions suggest for this type of recipe.


2. Sieve your baking powder and flour into one bowl, adding the sugars, salt and cinnamon powder afterwards.
 (and pumpkin spice and pumpkin) 

3. Beat the eggs, milk, vanilla extract and butter together in another bowl and then fold into the dry mixture.


4. Pour the mixture evenly into the heated waffle iron and cook as required.

Breakfast "Wreath"

Sometimes we like to have breakfast for dinner, and when we do we like to have this......

Breakfast Wreath

Ingredients:

1 can of crescents 8count

5 large eggs- scrambled and cooked

1 cup of shredded Colby and monterey jack cheese

8 slices of fully cooked bacon- and crumbled

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.   2) Scramble your eggs on stove top.   3) Lay out crescent dough like the picture below:

4) layer 1/3 of your cheese (this is the bottom layer)  5) Add your eggs  6) sprinkle bacon and remaining cheese over the eggs 7) fold over the crescent dough over your eggs/cheese/ bacon.

8) bake for 17 minutes or until crescents are done and golden brown. YUM!