More snow in H-town!!!

Wouldn't this soup be perfect for the cold weather headed back our way?! This recipe comes from Pine Cove's Crier Creek Cookbook. We went there this past October for a CBS retreat!!! We girls had so much fun and the food there was wonderful. This was my first time having lentils, can you believe it?!?! lol... I'm so sad I waited so long. You definitely need to give this recipe a try!

Lentil Soup with Knockwurst

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. knockwurst or kielbasa, sliced in 1/4" thick
2 med. sized carrots, peeled & chopped
1 lg. yellow onion, chopped
1 med. sized stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (I'm sure I used more)
1/4 cup minced parsley (I omitted this)
8 oz. dried lentils (1 1/4 cup) sorted and rinsed
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel (I used mild)
1 whole bay leaf
2 cans beef stock
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat for one minute. Add knockwurst and brown lightly, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Drain on paper toweling, remove all but 1 Tbs. for fat from pan. In the same pan, saute the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and parsley over medium-low heat until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the lentils, tomatoes, bay leaf, stock, water, knockwurst, salt, pepper, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover anc cook for 40 minutes or until lentils are tender. Discard bay leaf. Serves 4-6.

I know you wanna kiss my grits!!!! :-*

I've never liked grits until the last couple of years. If you're not big on grits either - then you have to give this recipe a try! You will become a grit-lover too!!! I promise!!!

Grits-n-Sausage Casserole

3 cups water
1 cup quick-cooking grits
3/4 tsp salt, divided
2 lbs. bulk pork sausage, cooked and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Pepper to taste

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Slowly whisk in the grits and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a large bowl, combine grits, sausage and 1-1/2 cups cheese. Beat the eggs and milk; stir into grits mixture. Add the butter, pepper and remaining salt. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.
Yield: 10-12 servings

* we halved this recipe and used 2 eggs and it turned out great!

Dinner tonight...

I made this for dinner tonight and it was super yummy! I'm not that great of a photographer, so this picture doesn't do it justice!!! Happy cooking!

Italian Sausage Pasta

1 pkg (16oz) bow tie pasta (or whatever you like)
1 lb Italian Sausage (you can buy the links and cut into small pieces and brown like meatballs or chop up like hamburger)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I omitted this because we don't like spicy stuff)
2 cans (14-1/2 oz) Italian stewed tomatoes
1-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (I only used 1 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 pkg shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile in a dutch oven, cook the sausage, onion, garlic and pepper flakes over medium heat for 4 - 5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; drain well, stir in tomatoes, cream, salt and basil. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, toss with sausage mixture or serve separate. Garnish with cheese!!

Today is National Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day...

I know this is not your typical Pigs-in-a-Blanket, but it's close and it was a nice change!!! It's also from Paula Deen, so there's no way you can go wrong!!! This was very good, especially with a spoonful of Mayhaw jelly on top! yummm...

Sausage Bicuits

* Hickory Smoked Link Sausage, cut in 1/4" slices
* 1 can refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits per can)
* orange marmalade or any other preserves


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 20 muffin tin cups with vegetable oil cooking spray. Remove the biscuits from the package and separate each one into round halves. Place the halves into the muffin cups. Press 1 slice of smoked sausage into each biscuit, pressing down so that the biscuit comes up around the edges of the sausage. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove the biscuits from the tins and place on a serving platter. Add a spoonful of marmalade or preserves on top!



For those of you not familiar with Mayhaw jelly...

Mayhaws are native to the swamps and lowlands of the Gulf Coast states in the US. They have been collected from wild trees by deep-southerners since antebellum times, and are rarely cultivated in orchards still today. Mayhaws are called berries, but technically they are members of the haw or apple family. In May, the red berries are gathered by hand or scooped out of the water in fishnets. The berries are boiled, then squeezed, to get clear coral colored juice that is made into “the best jelly in the world”. The Mayhaw Jelly dates from the Civil War era arid has been a traditional Southern treat. Here's a photo to show you what the Mayhaw berries look like...

Texas Jambalaya

I orignally found this on AllRecipes, but of course we made some minor changes to it. The kids weren't too crazy about this meal, but No1here and I loved it!!! I think the reason they weren't licking their plates was because it was still a tad bit spicy. Definitely a "keeper" for us big kids! ;)

Texas Jambalaya

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced celery
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 cup converted long-grain white rice
4 ounces smoked sausage, cut into slices
4 ounces cooked ham, cut into bite-size pieces
1 (10 oz) can Rotel, mild
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 (15 oz) can Ranch-style beans, undrained

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, green pepper and celery, until onions are soft and translucent. Stir in garlic, and cook another minute. Add rice, sausage, and ham. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, to coat the rice with oil, stirring frequently. Pour in Rotel, can of diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Season with thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in the beans, mix well and heat through.

Recovering from a Heart Attack!!!

Man, I have been looking for this recipe for weeks!!! I have been so upset that I lost it, I've been asking everyone I could think of if I had ever emailed it to them. I could have kicked myself for never blogging about it! I mean come on - isn't that why we started this blog!?! ;) lol... Anyway, here is a wonderful recipe that is sure to make your "keeper" list and hopefully not clog too many arteries!!!

Warm German Potato Salad with Kielbasa

1 1/2 lb. red potatoes, sliced into 1/4"-thick rounds

1 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb. smoked kielbasa, sliced into 1/4"-thick rounds
1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 T. olive oil
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. Dijon mustard
2 t. minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup celery, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450° with rack in lower third. Coat baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper on the prepared baking sheet. Arrange in a single layer and roast for 10 minutes. Stir potatoes and continue roasting until browned and cooked through, about 10 more minutes. Saute kielbasa in 1 T. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Add onion and saute until soft and lightly browned, 3 minutes. Stir in vinegar, 2 T. oil, sugar, mustard, and thyme; simmer 3–4 minutes. Keep warm while potatoes roast. Add celery, salt, and pepper to kielbasa mixture just before potatoes are done—not too soon or celery will lose its green color. Drizzle warm dressing over potatoes and toss gently with a spatula to coat. Serve salad warm.