Sausage 'n Sage Butter Top Stuffing ~ by D'Lynn

Sausage n Sage Butter Top Stuffing

1 Bag of bread crumbs (I used seasoned Marie Callendars)

2 rolls of Jimmy Dean SAGE Sausage (or if you like it spicy use 1 of sage and 1 of HOT Spice)

1 cup butter

2-3 cups of chicken or turkey broth

1 cup of chopped celery

1 cup of chopped onion

1 Tbsp Olive oil

2 – 3 Tbsp of Sage

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp of freshly minced garlic

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 

In a medium pan brown the sausage with the minced garlic.

In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil and sweat the onions and celery.  Sprinkle the sage, salt and pepper over the veggies and then add ¾ cup of butter to melt.   Add the sausage and garlic to the veggies and mix.  Start with adding a couple cups of broth and mix until moist, add more broth to get the right texture.

Spoon mixture into a 9x13 baking dish, do not pack.  Seal with foil.

Bake for 40 min at 350 degrees.

Take out and remove the foil, add remaining butter in pats over the top, return to oven for another 5-7 minutes.

ENJOY!  Gobble Gobble

Healthy Waldorf Salad~by Kelsey

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It is actually really good (even though it is healthy) and very easy.  I used non-fat plain Greek yogurt, and thought I would have to add sugar or honey, but it was actually just fine without it.

Ingredients:

• 4 apples, cubed 
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup raisins 

Pea Salad ~ by Sarah

Mom makes a pea salad that I have always loved.  She gave me her recipe and a different recipe she had seen and then I combined them with others I had seen to make this one.  It was yummy!  All amounts are general--you decide based on what you like!

Ingredients:
two bags frozen peas
two stalks celery, finely chopped
green onions, finely chopped
cheddar cheese, cubed in small cubes
peanuts
bacon bits
water chestnuts
homemade ranch dressing
boiled eggs--I didn't do this this time due to time

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except ranch, in large bowl.  Add ranch dressing, a little at a time, until you get a consistency you like.  The longer before serving you can make it to let the flavors meld, the better!

Chicken Pot Pie ~ by Sarah

This is a Pioneer Woman recipe and you must make this.  If you like pie you must make this.  If you like chicken you must make this.  If you like pot...oh, wait.  But still, you must make this!

Molly and Kelsey, you don't know what you're missing!

Ingredients:
3 celery stalks
3 medium carrots, peeled
1 large onion
4 T. (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 c. frozen peas
2 c. cooked chicken
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. chicken broth
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/4 c. white wine (optional)
1 c. heavy cream
1 t. thyme
1 t. kosher salt, or more to taste
black pepper to taste
pie crust (This link goes to a recipe for Mom's pie crust.  I used Pioneer Woman's pie crust recipe, but they are very similar...)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Begin by finely dicing the vegetables.

Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrots, celery, and peas.  Saute until the vegetables start to turn translucent, a couple of minutes.  Add the chicken and stir to combine.  Here's how I did the chicken: I boiled a young whole chicken, cooled it, removed the skin, and then picked off the meat until I had two cups.

Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and chicken and stir to combine.  Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.  Pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly.  Stir in the bouillon cube and wine, if using.  Pour in the cream and stir.  Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes.  Season with thyme, salt, and pepper.  Remove from heat.  Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. 

Pour the chicken into a deep pie pan or small casserole dish.  (This made enough for me to fill two pie plates, so I made two and then covered one and froze it for later.) 

Roll out the crust so that it's 1 inch larger than the pan.  Place the crust on top of the chicken mixture and cut small slits in the top.  Press the crust gently into the sides of the dish to seal.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

You can't believe how delicious this is!  The filling is so creamy and savory.  I loved it!

Roasted Lemon and Garlic Bird ~ by D'Lynn

I have no pictures, cause I forgotted....Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Buy a *Bird. I usually get Foster Farms 5-6lb cause they aren't injected with salt water like their Arkansas cuzins....

Wash the *Bird with a clean cool water, pat it dry with a paper towel, and make sure you take the gizzards and pieces out of the inside. I usually cut some of the fat off it also.

Rub EVOO on the outside of the *Bird. Salt and pepper, and season with Garlic, Thyme, parsley, etc, the inside and outside heavily.

Cut a whole GARLIC bulb in half and a medium sized lemon in half. Shove all sections inside the *Bird.

Prepare WHITE or YUKON GOLD POTATOES. I prefer these over Russet because they don't disintegrate once they're cooked. Cut into quarters.
Quarter a bulb of ANISE.
Quarter a LEMON.
Add any other carrots, celery, etc....whatever veggies that you like roasted...Drizzle with EVOO and season with salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, etc....The garlic and lemon become very sweet thru the roasting process.

Put the *Bird in a roasting pan, dump veggies around the outside of it.

Roast for 1 hour with the *Bird uncovered or until it is browned nicely. Then cover the *Bird with foil and bake an additional 30 minutes.

*Bird is commonly known as a Chicken, but for Kelsey and Molly's benefit, we don't use that word!

Spicy Bean Soup ~ by Molly

This is a delicious recipe--but some of the ingredients are a little hard to find in The Dalles. I've used other kinds of beans when I couldn't find cannellini, and used other colors of lentils and it worked just fine.
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis (Food Network)

Prep Time:
20 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
45 min
Level:
Intermediate
Serves:
10 servings
Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper, optional
• 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 (11 1/2-ounce) can tomato juice
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (3-inch) piece Parmesan cheese rind, optional
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup dried green lentils
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 2 zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rounds
• 2 yellow crookneck squash, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rounds
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Heat the oil in a heavy large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic, and saute until the onions are translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the chili powder, coriander, cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, tomato juice, tomato paste, cheese rind, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the broth, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, and lentils. Stir in the broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are tender and the mixture thickens slightly, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Season the stew to taste with more salt, if desired.

Ladle the stew into bowls. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese and basil, and serve.