Sausage Lentil Soup

This soup is the second recipe made using Sandy's Favorite Homemade Sausage Recipe updated on 10/20/2014. The first recipe was the Sausage Cheese Balls, pictured here, and posted on 1/30/2014.

The recipe for the soup is written for Italian sausage, and again, we thought the homemade turkey sausage was wonderful. The soup is very lean and low in calories and, quite flavorful and satisfying on a chilly day. Blessings...

Recipe:

1/2 lb. homemade sausage or mild Italian sausage
1 tbsp. olive oil if using turkey sausage
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup chopped carrot
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup lentils, rinsed and drained

1. In a soup kettle, brown and crumble sausage in olive oil if using turkey sausage (drain if using a pork product).
2. Add next nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Add lentils. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 60 to 70 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

Yield: 7-1/2 cups
115 calories per cup
6 gms. fiber per cup

Sausage Cheese Balls

Several years ago, at a former church, my husband and I were part of a hospitality ministry. An outgrowth of the ministry for me was inviting a group of ladies into our home for regular teas. This was such a special time of fellowship over good food, coffee and tea for each one of us. One of the young ladies brought these sausage treats to one of the beginning teas. I liked them so much that I asked her to bring them to other times that we gathered and I asked for the recipe. This recipe is very easy and makes a bunch, so it would be great for large gatherings, such as a Super Bowl party. Blessings...

Recipe:

3 cups Bisquick or other baking mix
1 lb. uncooked pork sausage (see note)
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used medium cheddar)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled or crushed
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease jelly roll pan.
2. Stir all ingredients until well mixed (use your hands). Shape into 1" balls. Place in pan.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brown.
4. Remove immediately. Serve warm.

Yield: 7 dozen
Note: I used the ground turkey sausage recipe updated and posted on 10/20/2014. With all the spices that the recipe called for and the spices called for in this recipe, we thought that the flavor was wonderful. The turkey sausage is dryer than pork sausage for sure but with the fat in the cheese, we did not think it was a problem.
 Note: I made half a recipe and we will have them at least four times. To reheat, place the balls in a pan, cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Oriental Anise Beef

This delicious Asian-style beef dish comes from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook. The beef is simmered in a fragrant broth until it is fork-tender, the sauce is thickened and the beef is served over rice. The anise gives this dish a very special Asian taste. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 bunch green onions
1/2 cup dry sherry (not cooking sherry)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsps. anise seed
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
water
1 boneless beef chuck shoulder steak , cut 1-1/2 inches thick (about 2 pounds)
2 tsps. cornstarch
hot cooked rice

1. Cut off roots from onions; cut onions into 1-inch pieces.
2. In 10-inch skillet, place half of the onion pieces; stir in sherry, soy sauce, sugar, anise seed, ground ginger and 1/4 cup water. Add the steak. Over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer steak 1-3/4 hours or until fork-tender, turning steak once.
3. When steak is done, remove to platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
4. In cup, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until blended. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into liquid in skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in remaining half of onion pieces. Spoon sauce over steak. Cut steak into thin slices to serve. Serve over rice with sauce.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Savoy Slaw with Raspberry Dressing

I found this delicious coleslaw recipe in a spice catalog and couldn't wait to give it a try. I don't use Savoy cabbage so I don't know how it would taste, but regular cabbage in this recipe is delicious. Blessings...

Recipe: 

2 cups finely shredded savoy cabbage or regular cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 crisp red apple, chopped (I used a Gala apple)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I used cashews)

Dressing:

1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt (I used Greek vanilla yogurt)
1-1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. raspberry jam
1/2 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. French Tarragon, crushed
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt or to taste

1. Several hours before serving, prepare the dressing by combining all of the dressing ingredients and whisking until smooth. Refrigerate.
2. One hour before serving, combine the cabbage, carrots, apple and cranberries. Stir in dressing to combine. Cover and refrigerate.
3. Just before serving, add the nuts and stir to combine.

Yield: 5 servings
70 calories per 1/2 cup using the ingredients original to the recipe.
Note: This recipe can easily be doubled to serve ten people.

Cream Cheese Frosting

This very tasty recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting comes from Betty Crocker's Cookbook. I've used it here on the Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake; the recipe was posted yesterday. This frosting is also wonderful on Banana Cake, and of course, the time honored Carrot Cake. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
dash salt
2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Blend cheese, milk, vanilla and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Gradually add sugar, beating until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. If necessary, stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Fills and frosts two 8- or 9-inch layers or frosts a 13 x 9-inch cake.

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

This tasty Bundt cake has eggnog in it, but the eggnog is not a strong taste, for those of you who don't care for the drink. The cake has a warm spicy taste and is very moist. The original recipe was written to be low in calories, but I changed that by adding a Cream Cheese Frosting. I know that the holiday season is over, but if you happen to have some eggnog left in your fridge, as I did, you might give this cake a try. The recipe starts with a box cake mix, so it goes together very quickly. Blessings...

Recipe: 

1 (18-1/4 oz.) box spice cake mix (without pudding in the mix)
1 (4-serving) box instant vanilla or cheesecake pudding and pie filling mix (I used French Vanilla)
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt (I used Greek)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup light eggnog (I used Vanilla Spice eggnog, full fat!)
1 egg
3 egg whites
1-1/2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped (you should have about 1-1/3 cups chopped pecans.)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, turning the nuts after 5 minutes. Cool and chop.
2. Coat a nonstick Bundt pan with cooking spray or grease a 10" tube pan.
3. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, yogurt, oil, eggnog, egg and egg whites in a large bowl. Mix until creamy, about 1 minute on medium speed.
4. Stir in pecans. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Remove cake from pan and dust with powdered sugar.

Yield: 16 servings
Calories using original ingredients, dusted with powdered sugar = 280 per serving and 2 gms. fiber. I didn't figure out the calories for my variation with frosting.
Note: I use Duncan Hines cake mix because it does not have pudding in the mix. If you use a mix that has pudding in the mix and add more pudding your cake will be extremely heavy. I did that once and the recipe was a failure. I'll post my Cream Cheese Frosting recipe tomorrow.
Original recipe by Holly Clegg and found in Relish Magazine

French Onion Burgers

When time is tight there is nothing easier than a skillet meal like these pan fried burgers. This recipe from CampbellsKitchen.com uses a can of French Onion Soup to enhance the flavor of the traditional cheeseburger. The recipe for the Frozen Cherry Salad was posted on 12/30/2013 and I cheated with the baked beans and opened a can of our favorite steakhouse beans. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 lb. ground beef
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell's Condensed French Onion Soup
sliced cheese of choice
4 hamburger or sandwich buns

1. Shape the beef into 4 patties
2. Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook until well browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the burgers from the skillet. Pour off any fat.
3. Stir the soup in the skillet and heat to a boil. Return the burgers to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for a minute or two until desired doneness. Top each burger with cheese and allow to melt. Serve the burgers on the buns with the soup mixture for dipping.

Note: I put the cheese inside very lean (4%) beef. This way the beef doesn't dry out and the cheese doesn't melt off and end up in the pan or if your grilling, down in the coals. I also topped the cooked beef patties with some of the soup mixture rather than having soggy buns. This worked great for us.

Yield: 4 burgers
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 to 20 minutes

Very Good Crab or Shrimp Dip

The original recipe for this dip was written for shrimp, which is wonderful, but I had a can of crab on the pantry shelf and decided to use it with some adjustments to the recipe. We thought the flavor was very nice, mild and delicious on Ritz crackers. The Super Bowl is coming and this dip would be a nice addition to the party menu if you have a crowd coming to your home.
Blessings...

Recipe:

1 6-ounce can crab, drained and picked over (or 6 ounces canned deveined shrimp)
1 8-ounce pkg. low-fat cream cheese
1 can 98% fat-free Cream of Mushroom soup
1 pkg. Knox unflavored gelatin
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Ritz Crackers

1. Soften gelatin in 3 tablespoons water. This will take about 5 minutes.
2. Heat soup to very warm and add gelatin; stir to thoroughly blend and dissolve gelatin. Blend in cream cheese with an electric hand mixer.
3. Stir in salt, pepper, celery, onion and lemon juice and blend well. Pour into a 4 cup mold and chill until set, about 3 hours.
4. Unmold onto a lettuce-lined plate and serve with crackers.

Note: To unmold, run a butter knife around the edge of dip and place the mold into a warm water bath. Let the mold sit for a few minutes to loosen, dry mold off and invert onto lettuce-lined plate.
Note: This dip lasts very well in the fridge. I've had leftovers, that we have been eating off of for two weeks, and the mold is still holding it's shape and the flavor is wonderful.

Sausage Potato Soup with Sage

This recipe for another wonderful soup is adapted from my favorite author of Amish cooking, Marcia Adams, and her book entitled New Recipes from Quilt Country. This is a very easy soup to prepare and is made from ingredients that are usually in the pantry, except the sausage, of course. We love potato soup and the addition of the sage- flavored sausage adds a real country flavor to an otherwise basic and humble ingredient like a potato. A thick slice of Irish Soda Bread is wonderful alongside a bowl of potato soup. I'll post my favorite recipe soon. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 pound lean pork sausage with sage such as Jimmy Dean rolled sausage
2 cups chopped onion
5 cups peeled and thickly sliced potatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. celery seeds
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
4 shakes hot red pepper sauce
3 tbsps. chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp. minced fresh marjoram, or 1/2 tsp. dried

1. In a stock pot, brown the sausage over medium heat until the juices are released, about 3 minutes. Add the onions and saute' the mixture until the onions are limp, about 8 minutes. Drain off the fat, and set the sausage aside in a bowl.
2. Add the potatoes, broth, salt, celery seeds, and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
3. Slightly mash the potatoes, leaving some in chunks for good texture. Add the reserved sausage, the milk, hot pepper sauce, parsley, and marjoram. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, about 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.

Yield: 8 cups

Hospitality

"Essential to hospitality is the open heart which results in an open home... be it a small room, a modest apartment, or a mansion- in which we can practice hospitality." Karen Mains

I love this quote, and I have had the privilege of practicing hospitality in all locations but the mansion. There was a time in our lives when we lived in a small rental, and because of unemployment most of our furniture was sold and we were eating our meals on a card table. When we had guests in for a meal another utility table was added to accommodate the numbers, but we always had guests, no matter what the circumstances. The meal might have been very frugal, but the fellowship was always wonderful and uplifting.

Sadly, hospitality is becoming a lost art. But I do believe the most important hospitality we will ever extend will be to our family at the end of a long day. This time is so important to the well-being of the family, especially to children. This is a precious time for each member of the family to share about the events of the day and draw close to one another after long hours of separation. The gift of love and laughter and the sharing of feelings as we talk about the day satisfies the soul like a bowl of warm soup on a cold winter night. May you and your family have many wonderful meals together in this new year. Blessings...