Recipes

Sausage Veggie Fry is a meal I make sporadically and it’s different every time I make it.  The type of sausage used makes a bit difference in the seasonings and veggies that I toss in.  Before my body revolted against cabbage type plants I often made it with broccoli florets, now-a-days I settle for peppers, onions and celery and if I have it on hand some zucchini or mushrooms.   The sausage I used today was a new one to us, it kinda tasted like hotdog with extra garlic or something interesting in it.  Didn’t have a regular sausage taste to it. It worked well in the fry today. 

What I used and how I made it

Four sausage precooked, choose what you like – sliced then cut in half. Plop them in the fry pan with the following diced veggies.

One pepper (we did red medium)
One good sized onion
One or two stalks of celery

Let them cook for a spell, then add

1/2 can diced tomatoes
Water (just enough to have a bit of sauce) Hubby likes to have more of a sauce than I do so depends on who I am cooking for. The lad is more like me with this dish.
Seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic) your choice YOU might like other seasonings. Depends a bit on the sausage too.

If cooking for myself I’d toss in a can of mushrooms but that causes revolt in this household. 🙁

Cook through, I generally let it simmer about 15 minutes. Less if I’m in a rush.

Serve over whatever you like, today I did rotini pasta, but often will do rice, mashed tater’s, orzo, or quinoa. When serving this way I will top it with parmesan cheese. You might find you like it as a hot sandwich topping as well (I do, the lad isn’t as convinced).

Don’t you just enjoy a good shepherd’s pie? Some like a gravy with it, others don’t. Here’s my most recent rendition of this tasty dish.  For another version check out Potato Crust Shepherd’s Pie.

Ingredients and Instructions

about 2 lbs ground beef, 
add onion soup (one package), and some wonton soup base (or chicken/beef bouillon if you’d rather)
Fry in pan until browned nicely
add one can mushroom soup

put in casserole
layer with veggies of choice (I used peas, hubby requested next time add carrots and corn as well)

Cook up mashed taters (I used a mix) layer over veggies

Cook in 400 oven for 35 minutes.  I used covered bowl and removed lid last five minutes.

You may have seen my rhubarb apple crisp in the past.   It’s a bit of a favourite around here.   Of course I drive the boys a bit batty as I’m quite happy to try out different recipes even if we have one that we like.  🙂

Ingredients and Directions:

Preheat oven to 350C

Mix together and let set a spell (about five minutes or so). Stir, and then let set until you have the topping made.
6 cups sliced fresh rhubarb
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tbsp water

Mix together the following.
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cold, cubed
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Place rhubarb mix in the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.
Bake at 350 for about an hour, you want it to be bubbling around all edges. Mine cooked about 55 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream or cool completely before serving.

Our Thoughts:

Son: I like it!
Dad: Hmm… something is off with this one.
Mom: Tastes best heated up, ice cream is an excellent addition.

Next one I make I’ll go back to our original recipe.  well..maybe… I might try another new one.  🙂

Ingredients:

1⁄2 cup butter
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1⁄2 cup peanut butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla (or more)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1/2 c butterscotch chips
1/2 c chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

This recipe is super easy to make.  

Mix all the dry ingredients together (sans the chips).  Let sit in a separate bowl.

I simply take a mixer and mix the butter and sugars together.  Then add the PB, egg and vanilla to that.  Mix it well.   To that had the dry ingredients.  Then add the chips.  Mix well.  

Drop onto a cookie sheet (or if you care to roll into balls) but seriously why make more work for yourself?

Bake for about 10-12 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes on sheet.  Or if you use silicone sheets, slide that sheet off the pan, put on a new sheet and make the next batch. By the time they are done, the first batch will be cooled down and you’ll have a boy stealing them off the sheet.  🙂

If you want a simple cookie that a child can easily make…. try Cow Pies.

They are so infinitely variable they are a breeze to make.

Start with 2 cups chocolate chips and 1 tbsp. shortening. 

Melt them in your microwave.   Slowly.. don’t rush it.  Takes me about 4 minutes to melt them down.

Tonight I added (these are very rough estimates). 

1/2 cup craisins  (cranberry raisins)
1/4 cup walnut bits
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1 cup of rice krispies.

Mix it altogether until everything is coated with chocolate.
Drop by spoonfuls on a piece of parchment paper/wax paper

Let the chocolate set. You can leave them out if your kitchen is cool or stick them in your fridge or freezer to set quickly.

Then you enjoy them. 🙂  If putting in a container to store, layer with parchment paper in-between (I just tear up what I used to chill them on).   If your house is warm they keep best in the fridge. 

In the past I’ve done them with slivered almonds and raisins.  The really small marshmallow bits with toffee pieces.  Cooking gummies.  What else… reese pieces, Cheerios, pretzel pieces.  So play around, see what you have in your kitchen and go on from there. When I do them with kids (especially multiple kids) I have a variety of toppings and they each get about 1/2 cup of melted chocolate to play with. Put their name on the parchment paper and let them go to it. 

The other day I finagled my hubby into helping me make a cookie that I grew up with, My Mom’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies .  I remember making and eating these cookies with my brothers and sisters.   It brought back memories of laughter and conversation.  🙂   I was so pleased hubby let me finagle him, as I enjoy baking with him in an unhurried environment and I’ve kinda missed him this week as he’s been working a bit again.  Woot woot!

Anyways, this is the only oatmeal chocolate chip recipe that uses milk that I have ever found, if you know of another let me know and I’ll give it a whirl too.  It adds a bit of a creamy texture which makes a nice cookie.

Ingredients and Directions

Cream together

 1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar

Add in order: (At this point, I use a mixer until I add the oatmeal, then I mix by hand)
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
4 cups quick oatmeal
6 oz chocolate chips

Drop by small spoonfuls onto a baking sheet.
Do leave room for them to spread. If you want them to spread less, chill the dough for while before baking.
Whenever I make them I get between 70-75 cookies. They do store decently but be prepared for them to be quickly devoured.

Bake for 9-12 minutes at 350. Depends on your oven and how you like your cookies. I prefer them to be somewhat brown on the edges and somewhat chewy in the centre, so I usually cook for 9-10. If my pan is still warm I bake for just shy of 9.