Sausage, Potatoes, and Banana Peppers

1 package turkey smoked sausage

1 pkg small red potatoes, quarterd

1 small jar banana peppers

1 large onion, sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, spray with nonstick olive oil spray.  Slice sausages into thin rounds.  Quarter the potatoes and slice onions.  Place all ingredients on baking sheet and drizzle oil over.  Use your hands to toss everything together in the oil, making sure everything feels coated.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Top with sliced banana peppers.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 30-35 minutes until potatoes are tender.  Enjoy!

Cheesy Beef Bundles

1lb lean ground beef
3 gloves of garlic, minced
1 jar of prepared spaghetti sauce
1 cup of mild cheddar cheese
2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Brown ground beef and drain fat.  Add minced garlic and cook for another two minutes.  Add spaghetti sauce and cheese, stir.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Then separate crescent rolls into squares on a cookie sheet.  Pat the squares out so they are slightly bigger.  Place two spoonfuls of the meat mixture in the middle of the square.  Bring each corner of the square to the middle and twist.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

My mother-in-law made this recipe with hot roll mix.  I loved the recipe but waiting for dough to rise and kneading etc. didn't fit in my schedule.  I was standing in the grocery store one day with all of the ingredients for this in my cart and trying to figure out what night of the week I had enough time to make it.  Then I saw crescent rolls, I didn't know if they would work but it was worth a shot.  I made them that night and it worked!  I also hold this recipe dear to me because I made these the night my son was born.  My Mom had come to my house to help me get things ready and Hank decided that he would come 10 weeks early.  My Pampered Chef stone still has four round spots on it from those cheesy beef bundles that night.  I love recipes that bring back good memories.  I hope you Enjoy and make your own memories.

Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze

Cake:

1 package lemon cake mix

1 package instant lemon pudding mix

3/4 cup vegetable oil 

4 eggs 

1 cup Sierra Mist

Glaze:

2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.  In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix, then stir in the oil. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the Sierra Mist.  Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. For glaze: Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl; stir in lemon juice and zest (glaze should be thick, yet pourable). Add more sugar or lemon juice, as necessary, to achieve desired consistency. Remove cake from pan.  Pour glaze over the cake.  Allow to cool.

I love, love, love lemon, especially in the spring time.  Lemon awakes your taste buds, it's like coming out of a long winters sleep.  So why put it in a bundt cake, only Grandmas in the 1950's make bundt cakes.  SO NOT TRUE!  Bundt cakes are good and really versatile, not to mention pretty.  So try this making this for your next family gathering, Enjoy!

Grape Salad

4 lbs green seedless grapes
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, to taste

Topping

1 cup brown sugar, packed, to taste
1 cup crushed pecans, to taste

Wash and stem grapes.  Set aside.  Mix sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla by hand until blended.  Stir grapes into mixture, and pour in large serving bowl.
For topping: Combine brown sugar, and crushed pecans.
Sprinkle over top of grapes to cover completely.  Chill overnight.

I went to a Christmas party and enjoyed greatly a grape salad that was served.  I didn't get a chance to get the recipe but this is close.  It was really light and perfect for spring.

Pizza Casserole

1 (16 ounce) package uncooked pasta (shells, rotini)
1 lb ground lean ground beef
1 (24 ounce) jar spaghetti or pizza sauce
1 container ricotta cheese
12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package sliced pepperoni

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13 casserole dish.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place pasta in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly brown, drain grease. Mix in the cooked pasta and sauce. Pour into prepared casserole dish.

In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Spoon the cheese mixture over the ground beef and pasta mixture. Top with pepperoni slices.

Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Busy Day Cake

This is one of the best and most simple cakes I have ever made.  This is also a quite old recipe.  When strawberry season starts I will make at least two of these a week, strawberries and whip cream make the best topping for this cake.
1 2/3 cup sifted flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Sift flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together in a bowl.  Add shortening, milk, unbeaten egg and vanilla.  Beat well.  Pour in a greased and floured 9in pan.  Bake 35 minutes at 350 degree.  Serve with whip cream and strawberries. Enjoy!

Strawberry Salad

Salad:

1 package ramen noodles, crushed, flavor packet discarded
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and dried
One 5-ounce bag baby spinach
1 pint strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
1 cup grated Italian cheese

                                                                   Dressing:  

 

6 Tbsp sugar

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cloves garlic, minced

For the salad: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix the ramen noodles, almonds, sunflower seeds and melted butter. Transfer to a baking sheet and toast in the oven, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Tear the lettuce and combine with the spinach, strawberries and cheese in a large salad bowl.

For the dressing: Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar. Combine the oil, paprika, salt and garlic and then add to the sugar-vinegar mixture. Mix well and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Just before serving, sprinkle the crunchy topping over the salad green and toss the salad with enough dressing to coat the greens.

This recipe is really fresh and a lot less sweet than you would think.  The paprika in the dressing gives it an almost smokey quality.  I did half the sugar in the dressing from the original recipe, it was just too much.  The dressing is really good and i poured some over asparagus last night.  I also think you could substitute pecans for the almonds if you wanted to.  Enjoy!

 

Original recipe:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/strawberry-salad-recipe/index.html

Asparagus Bundles

This recipe is addictive if you love asparagus and bacon.  I would also recommend using the sauce on brussel sprouts, I think it would be delicious.  Asparagus always reminds me of spring and I made this for Easter (although it didn't feel like spring).  If you prefer to not use the sauce you could drizzle this with olive oil or balsamic vinaigrette and still get the same results.  But you really need the bacon. Enjoy!

2 pounds fresh asparagus, ends trimmed
12 slices bacon
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Divide the asparagus spears into 12 bundles. Carefully wrap 1 piece of bacon around each bundle, starting about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the tips. Secure the bacon-wrapped spears with a toothpick. Lay the bundles in a low-sided casserole dish.

In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, soy sauce, garlic salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the asparagus bundles. Transfer the dish to the oven and roast until the spears have begun to wilt and the bacon looks fully cooked, about 25 minutes. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

Original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/asparagus-bundles-recipe/index.html