Smoked Sausage Hash

This is one of my family's favorite easy weeknight meals. It's tasty and fairly quick.

Smoked Sausage Hash:

Adapted from Allrecipes

1 package turkey smoked sausage

6 potatoes

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

2 Tbsp. butter

6 oz. cheddar cheese - shredded

Sprinkle sausage with garlic and onion powders and brown in a deep skillet. Once browned, remove to a bowl.

While sausage is cooking, peel and dice the potatoes into small cubes. Pour into skillet once sausage has been removed. Add the butter and turn often until the potatoes are cooked and starting to brown.

Add sausage back to skillet and stir to incorporate. Sprinkle cheese over top and mix to combine cheese throughout.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake:

From Hersheys.com

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9-inch round pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin.) Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans. Cool 10 minutes, remove to wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.


Birthday Cake Icing:
From my mom

2 lbs powdered sugar
1 cup Crisco
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Cut Crisco into powdered sugar with pastry blender until it makes crumbs. Add milk and combine until smooth. (It will be very thick). Add vanilla and stir until combined.

Sugar Free Apple Pie

My mother in law is a diabetic and I'm always looking for some sort of dessert to make for her. I normally get her a sugar free apple pie from Wal-Mart, but I figured why not make one from scratch. This wasn't hard and she really likes it!

No Sugar Apple Pie:

Adapted from Allrecipes

2 (9 inch) pie shell - recipe below

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

1 (12 fl oz) can unsweetened apple juice concentrate, thawed

6 cups sliced green apples (I used granny smith)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch, cinnamon and 1/3 cup of the apple juice concentrate. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, simmer apples with remaining apple juice concentrate until apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture and continue to simmer until thickened. Remove from heat. - I did add about 3 packets of Equal to sweeten it a bit

Spoon apple mixture into pastry-lined pie plate. Cover with top crust. Seal and flute edges. Cut steam vents in top.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Basic Flaky Pie Crust: (makes 1 crust - double ingredients for double crust)

From Allrecipes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup shortening, chilled

3 Tbsp. ice water

Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium sized bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle 2 to 3 Tbsp. ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together.

Gently gather dough particles together to form a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

Roll out dough and put in pie plate.

Au Gratin Potatoes

I had some potatoes to use up and I was already making ham for my main course. Au gratin potatoes came to mind. I had all the ingredients, so I decided to go for it. I didn't allow enough time in the oven, but otherwise they came out really well.

Au Gratin Potatoes:

My own recipe

4 medium potatoes

6 Tbsp. butter

8 Tbsp. flour

2 cups milk

1 tsp. garlic salt

12 oz. colby jack cheese

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and garlic salt to form a roux. Add milk and whisk until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in colby jack cheese.

Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and slice into thin slices. Layer them in a greased casserole dish. Pour completed sauce over potatoes. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours. (I only had about an hour, so I finished them in the microwave)

Candied Ham Steak

My family always makes candied yams for holidays and I love them. I thought the flavoring would be good as a glaze on ham as well. I tried it and it was really tasty!!

Candied Ham Steak:

My own recipe

1 ham steak - cut in two

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Melt butter and brown sugar together in a skillet until brown sugar begins to caramelize. Add ham steak to skillet and simmer for about a half hour to bring the flavors out.

Homemade fettucini and tomato sauce

My mother gave me a pasta maker for Christmas and I had yet to use it. I had time today and decided to give it a try. I decided to make fettucini and my mom's recipe for homemade tomato sauce. It came out pretty well and was much easier than I thought it would be.

Fresh Pasta:

Courtesy of Mario Batali

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

4 extra large eggs (I used 2 jumbo eggs and 2 large eggs)

Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the eggs. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape. (I had a dam break, but still managed!) The dough will come together in a shaggy mess when about half the flour is incorporated.

Start kneading the dough with both hands, primarily using the palms of your hands. Add more flour, in 1/2 cup increments, if the dough is too sticky. Once the dough is a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up any left over dry bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board with flour when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. Roll and form as desired.

Note: Do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe. They are essential for a light pasta.

I made mine into fettucini and cooked for about 5 minutes in boiling water. I like my pasta very well cooked. I served it with my mom's quick tomato sauce.

Mom's Quick Tomato Sauce:

1 26 oz can tomato sauce

1 can tomato soup

1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together and simmer until pasta is ready.

I hope you enjoy!!

Italian Herb Bread

I was in the mood for some homemade bread, so I searched Allrecipes to find something good. I found this recipe. It baked up really well and the taste is subtle, not overpowering at all. I had it with homemade fettucini and tomato sauce. The recipe calls for kneading the dough by hand, but I let my bread maker do the hard work. I let it rise in an oiled bowl and did bake it in the oven as written. Enjoy!!

Italian Herb Bread I: (The recipe is for two loaves. I halved everything to only make one.)

1 (0.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

2 cups warm water

2 Tbsp. white sugar

1/4 cup olive oil (I used canola oil)

1 Tbsp. salt

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (I used parmesan)

6 cups bread flour

Mix yeast, warm water and sugar together in a large bowl. Set aside for five minutes, or until mixture becomes foamy.

Stir olive oil, salt, herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, cheese and 3 cups flour into the yeast mixture. Gradually mix in the next three cups of flour. Dough will be stiff.

Knead dough for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and rubbery. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to cover the surface of the dough with oil. Cover with a damp linen dish towel. Allow to rise for one hour, or until the dough had doubled in size.

Punch dough down to release all the air. Shape into two loaves. Place loaves on a greased cookie sheet, or into two greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Removed loaves from pan(s) and let cool on wire racks for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Creamy Crockpot Pork Chops

My mother made some amazing looking pork chops the other day at her house and I wanted to try and create them myself. These ended up really tasty and tender.

2 butterfly pork chops

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Place chops in the base of the crockpot. Season with garlic salt, paprika, seasoned salt and pepper. Layer the cream of chicken soup directly on the chops. Pour the chicken broth around the edges of the base. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until fork tender.

Baker's One Bowl Brownies

I had some leftover unsweetened chocolate in my cupboard that I wanted to use up. This recipe came from the side of the carton of the Baker's chocolate. They came out so fudgy and rich.

4 squares Baker's Unsweetened Baking Chocolate

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of butter or margarine (I used butter)

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup flour

1 cup coarsely chopped Planters pecans (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13x9 baking pan with foil; with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil. (I used cooking spray)

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add flour and nuts; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan; using foil handles. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container.

Macaroni & Cheese

I had a craving for some creamy macaroni & cheese tonight, but it's just me, so I didn't want to make an entire pan of it. I decided to just make a single serving. I boiled up about 1/4 quarter of a box of penne (it's what I had on hand) and made a cheesy sauce to pour over it.

3 Tbsp. butter

4 Tbsp. flour (I use heaping tablespoons because I like my sauce very thick)

1 cup milk

6 oz. American cheese

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Stir for a little while to cook the flour taste out. Pour in the milk and stir often until it starts to thicken. Make sure to pull the flour/butter paste in from the sides of the pan. Once it begins to thicken, add the American cheese and remove from the heat. Stir until cheese melts. Pour over cooked pasta.

This made enough cheese sauce for a couple of more dishes as well. I just refrigerated it and will use it tomorrow on something. So good!!!

Saturday Waffles

I didn't have many breakfast options in the house this morning, so I decided to make my husband waffles. He just bought me The Joy of Cooking for my birthday, so I decided to make that recipe. They turned out pretty well.

Waffles:
Courtesy of The Joy of Cooking

Preheat your waffle iron. Whisk together in a large bowl:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Thoroughly blend in another bowl: (I didn't use a different bowl)

3 eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter
1 1/2 cups milk

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Combine with a few swift strokes of the whisk.

Pour about 1/2 cup batter onto the waffle iron surface. Close lid. Wait about four minutes. Waffles should be done when steam stops emerging around the lid. (Mine took about 10 minutes to get them close to crispy)

All in all...not bad!

First Entry!

I'm beginning my venture into blogging. I'm a 32 year old new mother and a wife of 2 1/2 years. I have always enjoyed cooking and especially baking. I love to try new recipes, but I'm also a very simple cook. Very rarely will I fix anything that is considered gourmet. I use simple ingredients and love to cook down home country cooking. My goal is for my little boy, and any future children, to remember my cooking growing up fondly and wishing to get food like "his mom used to make." He makes me want to be a better cook. Welcome to my blog!