Sweet Italian Sausage Sandwiches

• 5 pretzel long rolls (I find them at Cub Foods)
• 5 sweet Italian sausages in casings (I found them at Kroger’s)
• 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (the refrigerated kind in a jar)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion
• 1 green bell pepper

1. With a fork, poke holes in the sausage casings to prevent the casings from splitting.
2. Place sausages in  a large skillet.
3. Add one cup water.
4. Braise until the liquid from the sausages evaporates and then brown on all sides.
5. Split the rolls lengthwise.
6. Mix the lite mayonnaise, mustard and garlic together well.
7. Spread the mixture on the inner surfaces of the rolls.
8. On aluminum foil, toast roll surfaces in a regular oven at 400 degrees, watching closely.
9. In a small skillet, saute coarsely chopped onion.
10. When slightly browned, add the chopped green pepper and saute a few minutes more.
11. Assemble the sandwiches.
12. Serve and enjoy.

Crockpot Turkey Breast

• 4 lb. turkey breast
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Dutch oven filled with cold water for brining
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/4 small container of poultry seasoning
• 1/4  teaspoon of pepper

1. Fill Dutch oven 1/3 of way full of cold water.
2. Add salt and sugar and mix.
3. Remove covering from turkey breast and put in the water mixture.
4. Fill dutch oven with water until it covers the turkey breast.
5. Put in refrigerator for 24 hours.
6. To Prepare for Crockpot:
7. Remove the turkey breast from the refrigerator and Dutch oven.
8. Place the turkey breast in the Crockpot.
9. Rub all over the turkey breast with butter.
10. Mix poultry seasoning and pepper to use as a rub.
11. Apply the rub to the turkey breast.
12. Add 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the Crockpot.
13. Place lid on the Crockpot and cook on low for 10 hours.
14. Remove from pot and let set for 15 minutes before slicing.
15. Use drippings and juices in the Crockpot to make pan gravy if desired.

Ellen Thompson's Chili Recipe from Aunt Sara

This is a good recipe if you want a chili with a little spice to it and no beans.  Thank you, Ellen, for sharing it with me.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it and now it is all gone.  

• 1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves crushed garlic (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds (not powder)
• ½ cup chili powder
• 1 – 4 ounce can chopped green chiles
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 – 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
• 16 ounces of water

1. Brown ground beef, while stirring.
2. Add onion and cook until clear.
3. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, chiles, salt, pepper, tomato sauce , and water.
4. Simmer on low heat for one hour, stirring frequently.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

• Seeds separated from the pulp of one pumpkin
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Melt butter in the microwave.
2. Stir the salt into the butter.
3. Rinse and drain the seeds in a colander.
4. Mix all in a mixing bowl.
5. Spread in a pizza pan.
6. Roast at 300 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes.
7. Roast to the degree of brownness that you prefer.  

Nancy's Chili with Brown Sugar and Beer

This is my chili cook-off recipe from 2006 for people who liked beans and a chili that was not too spicy.   It didn't win (a fiery hot one did), but it got a lot of votes.  

1 lb. ground beef

2 T. onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

½ teaspoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules dissolved in 1 cup warm water

3  15.5 oz. cans light red kidney beans, drained but not rinsed

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1  46 oz. can tomato juice

2 tablespoons regular chili powder

1 tablespoon white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

6 oz. beer

Brown first group of ingredients.  Add second group of ingredients.  Bring to boil and simmer for 45 minutes. 

Add brown sugar and beer and cook 15 minutes more, stirring frequently.

Snickerdoodles

My granddaughter, Sydney, and I decided on a rainy fall day to make snickerdoodles since it was too ugly to be outside.  When I saw a recipe that did not use butter or eggs, I had my doubts, but we decided to try them anyway.  It uses mayonnaise instead.  And to our surprise, they were delicious.  And I promise that you would never know that mayonnaise was used. 

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Cookies:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Mixture for rolling cookies in:

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup sugar

Remove a tablespoon of the sugar from the ½ cup and set to the side.

Mix the rest of the half cup of sugar and cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, vanilla extract, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and baking soda.

When thoroughly mixed, shaped into 24 balls. 

Flatten balls slightly and roll into the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat, and bake 12 at a time for 12 minutes or until lightly brown.

Once out of the oven, sprinkle with the reserved sugar.

Let cool for 2 minutes only. 

Remove with a spatula to a cooking rack to continue cooling.

Enjoy.

Vegetable Beef Soup

The inspiration for this soup comes from my friend, Janine, who was generous enough to share her technique for making this soup.  I have searched for a great tasting vegetable soup for years, yet never was quite satisfied with any of the recipes that I had tried.  Janine never really had exact measurements, but I kept a record of amounts of ingredients that I used.  Her big secret for this soup was twofold.  Do not leave the cabbage out of the soup, even if you think that you do not like cabbage.  It is so fine, it just sort of disappears and the flavor of it is not overwhelming.  And although they are often a challenge to find, it is really important to use the beef short ribs.  Apparently, the marrow from the bones, adds a great flavor to the soup, and it will not be nearly as flavorful if you do not have this item in the soup.   Thanks Janine, for helping me cross one of my bucket list items off my list.                         

Part One: 

• 1 ½ lbs. beef stew meat
• 1 ½ lbs. beef short ribs
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

1.  In a plastic bag, put flour, salt, and pepper.  Shake to mix. 
2. Put the stew meat chunks in the bag and shake. 
3. Start heating the olive oil in a Dutch oven. 
4. Brown the stew meat in the oil. 
5. Add the beef short ribs.  It is not necessary to brown them.  In fact, the soup will be more flavorful, you don’t.
6. Add 10 cups of water to the meat mixture, and bring to a boil. 
7. Reduce and simmer with the lid on for 2 hours.
8. Remove the ribs only and let cool.

Part Two:

• ¼ head cabbage, finely grated or finely chopped with a food processor
• 3 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 3 medium potatoes, diced into 1 inch cubes
• ½ cup pearly barley
• 3-8 oz. cans tomato sauce
• 8 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 tablespoon dried basil

1. Add the grated cabbage, chopped carrots and celery, cubed potatoes, pearl barley, and beef bouillon cubes.
2. Let cook for about 15 minutes with the lid on.
3. Pick the beef of the ribs and discard the fat and bones. 
4. Return the beef of the ribs to the soup mixture.
5. Add the tomato sauce and basil.
6. Cook for about 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
7. Serve and enjoy.