Chicken-Andouille Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 12 ounces chicken apple sausage, andouille, or other smoked sausage, diced (i used andouille and it is delish!)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 cup diced cooked chicken
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 to 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning blend
• salt to taste
• dash ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
  
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8 ounces cooked penne pasta, drained

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrease. Grease a 2 1/2 quart baking dish
2. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter; add onion, red bell pepper, and sausage; saute, stirring, until tender. Stir in the garlic and chicken; cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in the flour until blended. Add chicken broth and stir, cooking, until thickened. Add the cream, spinach, basil, Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and the mozzarella cheese and heat through. Combine the sauce mixture with the pasta, spoon into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and bake for 25-35 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Serves 6.

ENJOY! Also great reheated!

Homemade Candy Corn

- makes about one pound of candy corn -

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup salted butter
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/3 cup powdered milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
red and yellow food coloring

Procedure

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine the sifted confectioners' sugar and powdered milk. Set to the side.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup and butter. Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Once it reaches the boiling point, reduce heat to medium and continue stirring for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the vanilla extract and remove from heat.

3. Add the confectioners' sugar and powdered milk mixture to the wet ingredients; stir well until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated and smooth.

4. Let the dough cool until it is firm enough to handle, about 30 minutes to an hour (I just let it cool in the saucepan).

5. Divide the dough into three equal parts and set each third into a separate bowl. Add 2 to 3 drops of yellow food coloring to one dish, one drop of red and two drops of yellow to another dish, and leave the remaining dish uncolored. Knead the dough to which you have added food coloring until the color is even (you may want to use gloves to ensure that you don't stain yourself). If the dough is feeling very soft or sticky, you may want to chill the dough for about 20 minutes in the refrigerator before proceeding with the next steps.

6. On top of a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper, use your hands to roll each color of dough into a long, slender rope. You can roll it out to your desired thickness: for larger candies, make each rope thicker; for smaller candies, make each rope thinner.

7. Line the three ropes of dough together: white, orange, and yellow. To ensure that they will stick together, lay a piece of waxed paper on top and give them a very gentle rolling with a rolling pin. You just want to adhere them, not to flatten them.

8. Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough into triangles. Keep a damp cloth nearby so that you can wipe off the knife if it begins to get a candy residue. This method will result in half a batch of traditionally colored candy corn and half a batch with yellow tips (it's OK—they taste the same). Let the finished kernels sit for an hour or two (do not stack them on top of one another as they will stick together!) to become firm.

Stole this from a friend on Facebook :) thanks Misty!

Haven't tried making this myself yet, might have to give it a try sometime...if anyone does, please let me know!

ENJOY!

Beer Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 12 oz. beer (any kind)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions


Mix all dry ingredients together first, then add the beer in. This batter will be VERY sticky. Grease a loaf pan with spray and pour batter in. Then top with melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

ENJOY!

Easy Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup oatmeal, uncooked (i use soda crackers)
• 2 small onions, chopped finely
• 2 cups ketchup
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and then form in a loaf pan. Cover with 1/2 cup ketchup.

Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and serve.

Tuna Noodle Casserole with Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni (i used egg noodles, same amount)
• 12 ounces of tuna in spring water
• 2 small cans of concentrated cream of chicken soup
• 1 small can of sweet green peas (optional)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 small pack of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions


In a medium pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, add noodles. Let cook until noodles are tender.

Preheat oven to 350.

Flake tuna in a casserole dish. Then add in soup, peas (if desired) and milk. Mix all ingredients till they are well blended. Then add an even layer or cheese across the top.

Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Quick and Easy Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions


Preheat over to 375 degrees F (190 C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients

• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup marshmallow cream
• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Mix together the peanut butter and marshmallow cream in a bowl; set aside. Lightly grease a square glass dish with butter.
2. Stir together the sugar and milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat; stirring occasionally, bring to a boil at 234 degrees F (110 degrees C) and then immediately remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter mixture and the vanilla; poor into the prepared dish and allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

ENJOY!