Lip Smackin' Ribs

Who needs a grill when you've got a crockpot to make those ribs tender and juicy!  These ribs were tasty and VERY easy to prepare.  They are a perfect 4th of July picnic dish, because while your slow cooker is doing the work, you have time to prepare some yummy side dishes and visit, PLUS you end up with "Lip Smakin' Ribs" in the end. Yum!
Happy 4th!

(I know this is probably a crime to admit, but I actually don't much care for ribs.  Yes, the meat is great, so much work to get to-- and so messy.  It just seems like a lot of fat, bone, and tendon.  I think when I try this recipe again, I will get a boneless cut of pork and enjoy it a whole lot more.  Mind you, this is just between you and me. :)

Lip Smackin' Ribs (Simple and Delicious)

3 tablespoons butter

3 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs

1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup prepared mustard

2 tablespoons honey

3 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons dried savory

1 teaspoon salt

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Brown ribs in batches; transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Facts

1 serving equals 474 calories, 20 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 109 mg cholesterol, 1,117 mg sodium, 43 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 31 g protein.

Pinto Bean Soup with Cajun-Style Sausage

So Happy {late} Valentine's Day!  I have been busy with sick kids lately, and so instead of making sweets, I've been making soups. How sad is that?  Except that this was a soup that made my hungry crew happy.  I made a big batch of pinto beans in the crockpot.  We used them for beans and rice tacos, but I used the other half in this soup. Dried beans are pretty cheap.  I liked that the beans weren't all that was going on in this soup.  The addition of some fresh veggies and spices made it much more exciting and tasty than a typical bean soup.

Pinto Bean Soup with Cajun-Style Sausage (Diana Rattray)

1 tablespoon olive oil

12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced (I just used ground sausage)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped, red, green, or other color

(I also added chopped zucchini)

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes

1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning blend

salt and pepper, to taste

1 quart chicken broth

2 cans (about 15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage, onion, and celery and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the bell pepper and continue cooking, stirring, for 3 or 4 minutes longer. Add the diced tomatoes, seasoning blend, salt and pepper, and chicken broth. Add the drained pinto beans. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the green onions and parsley and continue cooking for 2 minutes longer.

Serves 6.

Lyd's Tip: I mentioned recently how I sometimes make my ground beef stretch using a grated potato, but I also like to make my sausage stretch. Are you shocked? :) I add a chopped onion, and sometimes I just don't use as much in the recipe.  I set a little bit aside and refrigerate it.  It's perfect in omelets, quiche, casseroles, or other soups.  Saves me time too, because I can just throw it in.

Butternut Squash and Sausage Bake

Butternut Squash is my new best friend!!!  I'm trying to convince my family of it's wonders, but they just weren't buying it... until this dish!  It was SO GOOD!  You know it is getting bad when after your 6 year old would ask, "What we are having for dinner," it was immediately followed by, "Does it have squash?"  And it was't a happy, "I'm looking forward to that!" kind of question.  I must admit that it has been showing up in MANY of my dishes lately. :)  But this was a dish to celebrate, because everyone liked it, it was quick and easy to prepare, it packed lots of yummy comfort-food flavor, but was lite on the meat and heavy on the veggies.  You could almost go meatless, but I think the sausage really adds some flavor.  A definite winner in my book!

Meat Lite: Butternut Squash and Sausage Bake

Joy Manning, Serious Eats

1/4 pound Italian sausage (I used regular.)

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

3 onions, quartered and sliced

5 thyme sprigs (I just used dried, ground thyme and sage.)

2 teaspoons dried sage

 salt and pepper

1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1/2 cubes, (about 6 cups) seeds and scrapings reserved

(I also added 1 or 2 yellow summer squash I had.  They went well in it.)

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup shredded smoked mozzarella

3/4 cup chicken stock

3 slices white sandwich bread, cut into cubes (Just used bread crumbs- saved myself some time.)

2 tablespoons melted butter, optional, plus a little extra to prepare baking dish (Didn't need it.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 9-by-12 inch baking dish.

Remove sausage from its casing and cook in a large skillet over medium heat until just browning, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Remove cooked sausage and refrigerate until ready to use.

Add enough olive oil to the rendered fat in the skillet to equal two tablespoons, and then add the onions, thyme and sage. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen brown bits. When onions are thoroughly soft, remove and set aside.

While the onions cook, simmer the squash seeds and scrapings in the chicken stock for 10 minutes, strain and keep the stock warm over low heat.

Add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet. Toss the squash with the flour and arrange in a single layer in the skillet. (If the skillet isn't big enough, you'll need to do this in two batches.) Let the squash brown, undisturbed, for 4 minutes then stir the squash as it cooks for the next 4 minutes. Season liberally with salt and pepper and set aside.

To assemble the casserole, layer the onions in the buttered baking dish. Dot the onions with the sausage bits evenly, and then top with the squash. Sprinkle the smoked mozzarella over the top, and the pour the stock into the baking dish. Press the top of the casserole with a spatula to evenly distribute the liquid. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

While the casserole bakes, pulse the bread crumbs with the melted butter (if using) in a food processor until you have coarse bread crumbs.

After 30 minutes, pull the baking dish out of the oven, remove the foil, top casserole evenly with breadcrumbs and bake uncovered an additional 20 to 30 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the top is nicely browned.

Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Oh- I love Autumn and the yummy comfort food that comes with it!  I've made this a couple times (Stuffed Squash & Stuffed Squash for Two), but I always felt like it took too long, so I added my own practical tip (found below) to really speed things up.  Plus it is always fun to try out different versions.

*I was also thinking this could make a good meatless meal-just saute some extra veggies and leave out the sausage... and then come up with a new name. :)

Lyd's Tip:  Turn this 70 minute meal in to a 30 minute meal!  If you're short on time for cooking your squash, you can really speed up the process by slicing it in half, and putting the squash cut side down on a glass baking dish in just a little bit of water in the microwave for about 10 minutes.  You could even do what I did...  I'm kind of a cheater, but I microwaved my squash and prepared the stuffing, put it inside and served it.  I skipped the baking process altogether.  And nobody knew but me... until now. :)

SAUSAGE - STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

2 (1 1/2 lb.) acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeded 3/4 lb. pork sausage 1/2 c. sliced celery 1/2 c. chopped onion 1 egg, beaten 1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese 3 tbsp. brown sugar 1 sm. apple, chopped Place squash, cut side down, in a large baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until just tender. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage, celery, and onion until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain well. Combine egg, cheese, brown sugar, and apple; stir into sausage mixture. Turn squash halves, cut side up. Mound sausage mixture into squash shells. Cover and bake for 20 to 25 minutes more or until sausage mixture is heated through. Makes 4 servings.

(Recipe from cooks.com)

Asian Pork Soup

 

This was a great way to give the pork chop felt-overs new life.  You don't even need that much.  A tasty, healthy soup with lots of flavor!  I even considered trying to cut out the pork next time and just making it a meatless soup... leaving me with "Asian Soup"?  Hmmm.  Either way- quite lovely!

Asian Pork Soup (Everyday Health)

cooking spray

12 ounce(s) pork, lean boneless, cut into thin bite-size pieces (This is a good meal for pork left-overs.)

2 cup(s) mushrooms, shiitake, sliced

2 clove(s) garlic, minced

3 ounce(s) broth, chicken, less sodium (I used ramen noodles and the broth mix it came with.)

2 tablespoon sherry, dry (I used apple juice.)

2 tablespoon soy sauce, less sodium

2 teaspoon ginger, fresh, or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon pepper, red, crushed (Don't get too liberal with the flakes!)

2 cup(s) cabbage, napa (Chinese), thinly sliced

1 scallion(s) (green onions), thinly sliced

1. Coat an unheated large nonstick saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat saucepan over medium heat. Add pork to hot saucepan  cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly pink in center. Remove from saucepan; set aside. Add mushrooms and garlic to saucepan; cook and stir until tender.

2. Stir in chicken broth, sherry, soy sauce, ginger, and crushed red pepper. Bring to boiling. Stir in pork, Chinese cabbage, and green onion; heat through.

Curly Spiral Hotdogs... because you can!

You don't have to be a hotdog lover to think that this is cool.  I can only handle dog pretty much annually, but even I succumbed to these curly-meaty-locks.  There is something all-together facinating about a hotdog to begin with; its astounding that pink fat can hold together so well, but when it still holds it's shape after intense spiral cuts... that does beat all!  Just one of those things I had to blog about.  So here she be, the curly dog.

Curly Spiral Hotdogs
hotdogs
kobob scures
knife

Scure the hot dog with the kabob stick, and spiral cut from one end of the hot dog around to the other.  Grill and eat... if you dare. :)

Here is a link to the tutorial: http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/06/30/video-how-and-why-spiral-slice-your-hot-dogs

Creamy Sausage Tomato Pasta

Italian Sausage is quite a treat- it comes pre-packed with lots of flavor.  I'm to cheap to buy it often... plus I want to live. :)  But I picked some up that had been reduced, and when I saw the heavy whipping cream sitting next to it in the fridge, they both said, "You knew what we were when you picked us up." And I figured I might as well finish the job by putting them in the same dish... no regrets, just creamy goodness... and a rigorous workout in the morning.

Creamy Sausage Tomato Pasta (food.com)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage link , casings removed,crumbled

1/4 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper flakes

1/4 cup diced onion

1 1/2 cloves garlic , minced

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes , drained,coarsely chopped

3/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 ounces pasta

1 1/2 tablespoons minced parsley

grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add sausage and crushed red pepper.

Cook until sausage is no longer pink, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes.

Add onion and garlic to skillet and cook until onion is tender and sausage is light brown, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes.

Add tomatoes, cream, and salt.

Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.

(Can be prepared one day ahead. Cover and chill.).

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water.

Drain.

Bring sauce to a simmer.

Add pasta to sauce and cook until pasta is heated through and sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.

Divide pasta between plates.

Sprinkle with parsley.

Serve, passing Parmesan separately. 

Brats in a Bun

It's my Dad's birthday, so it seems appropriate to post something "manly" that reminds me of he and my brothers.  I remember the boys heating up a "Polish-dog" or "brats" many a time.  When all the boys were home, Dad would get those really big economy packs, and I never believed they would get through them, but amazingly enough, they did.  Can you tell that this is something that I've never quite acquired a taste for?  Hot dogs and polish sausages rarely excite me.  Mr. Stumme and A.P. History ruined hot-dogs for me after the class reading "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair just before a school lunch of hot-dogs, so I felt I was being generous to give them a second chance.  I bought a package on sale and gave it my best shot, and.... not too bad.  I could almost join in with the big boys if it tasted like this... almost. :)
Happy Birthday Dad!

Brats in a Bun (by Lyd)

1 onion, roughly chopped

1-2 garlic cloves minced

1 T olive oil

1 tsp vinegar

2 T apple juice

1 package of brats

toasted buns

Pull out "George" or if you have a real grill, use it. :)  Throw on the brats (and no, I'm not recommending the naughty children, however tempting it may be, abstain.) Cook about 7-10 minutes until cooked through.  Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in oil until transparent.  Add vinegar and apple juice and simmer for a minute or two.  Toast your buns (not yours, the bread buns, silly!)  Slop it all together on a bun and eat it like a man.

Potato Sausage Casserole

I'm back after a bit of silence.  Hope you had a nice holiday-- good luck beating my dream Disneyland vacation!  Not to brag- but it was AWESOME! And hope you are ready for some yummy things to come this year.  This certainly doesn't seem like the "light" way to kick off the new year, but lets just start with delicious and go from there, shall we?  This was a delicious casserole that wasn't as time consuming as I thought it would be.  This one is kind of a "Man Food" recipe.  Doug loved it. :)  Need I say more?

Potato Sausage Casserole (Taste of Home)

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups sliced peeled potatoes
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• Minced fresh parsley, optional

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer
• pink; drain and set aside. Combine the soup, milk, onion, salt and
• pepper.
• In a greased 2-qt. baking dish, layer half of the potatoes, soup
• mixture and sausage. Repeat layers.
• Cover and bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until potatoes are
• tender. Sprinkle with cheese; bake, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or
• until the cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley if desired. Yield:
• 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 430 calories, 29 g fat (15 g saturated fat), 77 mg cholesterol, 1,130 mg sodium,

Beef Stroganoff

This is a favorite at our house (particularly with my hubby), so to find a recipe (on the back of a plain yogurt container) that still gives you the rich flavor, but spares you the fat and calories made me a happy cook! Yogurt stands in for the sour cream.
You won’t even miss it.

*Lyd’s Tip: This is a great way to use up left over beef or pork from that Sunday roast or slow cooked shredded meat – I even like to save some of the drippings because it adds so much flavor (there went all the calories I just saved... but it was worth it, right? Don’t worry that it has a different flavor profile. For example, sometimes I use the shredded pork from my South Carolina Pork Sliders, and I use the drippings. It create a whole knew version of flavorful stroganoff that you just couldn’t achieve any other way. :) You can kind of substitute that for the beef stock, too.

Beef Stroganoff (mountainhighyogurt.com)

• 1½ pounds beef tenderloin,
  cut into thin strips (Time to repurpose that roast I was talking about.)
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons grated onion
• 1½ cups beef stock
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste (How strange is that? I know, and who has 3 tablespoons handy—I hate opening a can for that, but it did give it a cool flavor. Don’t panic if you don’t have it though.)
• ½ teaspoon chopped fresh basil
• ¼ cup sherry (I don’t use alcohol, so this is when I either throw in apple juice or those roast drippings I was talking about in Lyd’s Tips.)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms (I don’t always have fresh mushrooms—my daughters would like it if I didn’t have any, but I drain a can and it works pretty well.)
• 1 cup Plain Mountain High Yoghurt
• 2 cups cooked rice or noodles
• I sprinkle with Parmesan.
  

Season beef with salt and pepper to taste, then dust with the flour, tossing until all surfaces are coated.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm oil, then add beef and onions. Cook until beef is browned but still pink on the inside, about 6 minutes.

Add beef stock, tomato paste, basil, sherry, and mushrooms. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in yoghurt, and serve over rice or noodles.

Makes 6 servings.

Never Underestimate the Power of 4-H... whence came My Microwaved Egg McMuffin

I am a proud previous 4H'er. However, while my friends were shearing sheep and raising up baby pigs, I was taking "Microwave Cooking." No... I'm not making that up, there really was a microwave cooking class. (Which I completely loved, by the way, so keep your thoughts to yourself. :) I don't remember all the "nuked" goodness I produced, but there was one in particular that stuck with me... and aren't you lucky, because I'm going to share it with you. :) This was what I had for breakfast pretty much EVERY DAY during my college experience. It was quick, easy and delicious, and made all my room-mates jelous. But it has been quite a while, and the other morning, I remembered my little microwaved gem... never to forget again! :)

*I'm going to give a recipe for 1 serving, but you can crank as many out as you please. :) This is a really handy technique if you are just making 1 or 2, but if you are mass producing, you might just want to scramble up some eggs, unless you have several microwaves handy. :)

Microwaved Egg McMuffin
1 English muffin or prepared biscuit (I like to use whole wheat English muffins)
1-2 eggs
A little mayo and mustard
1 big slice of cheese
ham, bacon, or sausage patties

Cook meat of choice and have other ingredients ready for fast assembly. Spread mayo and mustard on toasted English muffin.

Spray a hot chocolate/coffee mug with pam-spray to lightly coat the bottom and sides. Crack 1-2 eggs in and stir well with a fork until yoke is ruptured (Am I allowed to use that word with regards to cooking?) and incorporated. Microwave for 1 minute if you are doing 2 eggs and about 40 seconds if you are making one (but they cook fast, so watch it close and don't let it explode. :) Let it cool for a second and use a spoon to loosen the edges.

Place cooked egg on a toasted English muffin with cheese and meat. I like to microwave for another 20-30 seconds to melt cheese and make sure it's hot. Enjoy your EASY, YUMMY breakfast!

Pizza Bombs a.k.a Calzones

We're starting a new tradition at our house: Pizza Bomb Thursdays... or Fridays... or Saturdays. (I needed some flexibility on the day, because sometimes I just can't "deliver"- no pun intended.) Basically, the tradition is that we will have these at least once a week! They were so good, and surprisingly easy to whip up! I have tried several pizza crust recipes, and some have even been pretty good, but so far, I've had the most success with this one. It is just hard to beat a "Betty Crocker." This is also fun, because the family can assemble their own, and everyone gets a "personal" pizza bomb... it makes you feel special. We filled ours really full- can you tell! :) I'm thinking we might make this for our Christmas dinner... would that be too non-traditional? Do we even care? ... It's just good stuff. :)

Pizza Crust (Betty Crocker's "Big Red" Cookbook)
2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package regular or quick active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 cup very warm water (120 degrees to 130 degrees F)
In large bowl, mix 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast. Add oil and warm water. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is soft and leaves sides of bowl. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead 5 to 8 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.
Also, a side note, Betty Crocker has a great tasting pizza crust mix in a pouch as well.

Pizza Bombs (a.k.a. Calzones) also from Betty
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
1/4 lb salami (pepperoni), cut into thin strips
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (cottage cheese works great)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I didn't have fresh so we sprinkled in some pizza seasoning, Italian seasoning, oregano, and basil.)
2 roma tomatoes chopped (I was more traditional, and we just used tomato sauce)
freshly ground pepper
1 large egg, slightly beaten

Make dough for pizza crust; let rest for 30 minutes. (This give you a minute to gather the other ingredients.)
Heat oven to 375. Grease 2 cookie sheets.
Divide dough into 6 equal parts. Roll each part into 7-inch circles on lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin.
Top half of each dough circle with mozzarella cheese, salami, ricotta, basil, and tomatoes to within 1 inch of edge. Sprinkle with pepper. Carefully fold dough over filling; pinch edges or press with a fork to seal securely.
Place calzones on cookie sheets. Brush with egg. Bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Lyd's Ulitimate Chili

Well... it happened... brace yourself... I won first place at the bi-ward chili cook-off! :) No, really, you don't know how exciting this is. I actually WON something! I seriously never win, and I have to admit, it felt great! I was pretty tickled with myself. I won a golden bowl of chili... I'm not even making that up! I need to take a picture. I was excited for this challenge from the beginning. I already love chili, so I tried to think of what to add that would make me love it even more. I will be the first to admit that this is kind of a crazy modge-podge of ingredients... I was really getting creative, but I think it worked! This was officially the very last bowl... I finally remembered to take a picture, and I had smothered it is cheese and sour cream, so I don't know if this is the most authentic bowl, but I do know it was darn good! :) You should be pretty grateful that I'm sharing my secret recipe! :)

Lyd's Prize Winning Ultimate Chili
1st Place at the Chili Cook-Off

1 lb spicy sausage (or regular depending on taste preference)
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, diced
3 celery stalks
1/2 packaged pepperoni, sliced (about 20)
1/2 South Carolina BBQ Pork Roast, shredded (with all the drippings- that was really important to the flavor and consistency.)
1 small can diced green chilies (mild)
2 Mexican Fiesta diced tomatoes
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 T chili powder
pinch of cayenne
1 packet dry chili seasoning (Was that cheating? I hope not. :)
1 T Worcestershire
1/2 cup salsa
3 bags beans, soaked and cooked (I used black, kidney, and black eyed pea because that is what I had, but any will work.)
1-2 8oz. can tomato sauce (might add more sauce or a little water if it is too thick)
1 T brown sugar

Cook up your sausage, drain most of the grease, and return to pan. Add bell pepper, onion, and celery and cook until tender, stiring occasionally. Add pepperoni and shredded pork and heat through. Stir in all remaining ingredients until fully heated and incorporated. Simmer on medium-low heat until ready to serve. Top with sour cream and cheese.

A Bit About the Beans: I soaked the beans in two big bowls over night. I mixed them all together, but I wouldn't do that next time, because the black beans just kind of took over the color and turned them all gray. :) It wasn't a big deal though. Like I said, I soaked them over night, and then I cooked them in the crockpot with about 1-2 inches of water above beans on high for about 4-6 hours or low for about 6-8 hours. I made sure they were soft enough, then I drained and rinse the really well. Then they are ready to toss in your chili. I actually didn't end up using all of them, but if you are making a huge batch- do it! I set about 2-3 cups of beans aside and made another meal with it, but I did use most of them.

Creamy Beef & Mushrooms with Noodles

This is kind of a fun "zesty" twist on typical beef stroganoff. It's fun to throw a few extra veggies in there, too! I cut corners a bit and used some of my left-over BBQ pork, so I didn't have to cook the meat and I saved myself a few steps. You've gotta love those time savers.

Creamy Beef & Mushrooms with Noodles (kraftfoods.com)
1 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak (3/4 inch thick), cut into strips
3 cups yolk-free whole wheat egg noodles, uncooked
1/4 cup KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Dressing
2 onions, chopped
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
3 Tbsp. paprika
3/4 cup fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream
1 small tomato, chopped

HEAT 1-1/2 tsp. oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add half the meat; cook and stir 1 to 2 min. or until evenly browned. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining oil and meat.
COOK noodles as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, heat Italian dressing in same skillet on medium heat. Add next 4 ingredients; cook 12 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth and peas; simmer 2 min. or just until peas are tender. Add meat; cook 1 to 2 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream until well blended.
DRAIN noodles. Serve topped with meat mixture and tomatoes.

Kraft Kitchens Tips
Garnish with chopped fresh parsley just before serving.

Gyoza Japanese Potstickers

I made gyoza a while back with a lot of help from my friend Jill. I thought I would see if it was something I could actually do on my own and I wanted to experiment with a different recipe. I added quite a bit more cabbage and some grated carrot as well. It seemed like a good mix. I like gyoza because you steam them rather then deep fry them. They were quite tasty, but let me tell you... it was a labor of love. These guys take FOREVER to make. I'm am used to throwing a meal together pretty quick, but this was a ton of scooping and sticking together, and simmering, etc. It was a bit tedious, but it was worth it, because Doug came home THRILLED and couldn't stop popping them into his mouth. He thought they were perfect, so I guess all that hard work paid off. :) Sorry Doug, but it is going to be quite a while until I make these little beauties again, but they were delicious while they lasted... which wasn't very long, unfortunately. :)

Gyoza Japanese Potstickers (About.com)

• 1/3 cup chopped cabbage (boiled)
• 2 Tbsp chopped green onion
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsps soy sauce
  
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 20 gyoza wrappers
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• *For dipping sauce
• soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot pepper oil

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients other than oil in a bowl and mix well by hands. Place a teaspoonful of filling in a gyoza wrapper and put water along the edge of the wrapper by fingers. Make a semicircle, gathering the front side of the wrapper and sealing the top. Heat oil in a frying pan. Put gyoza in the pan and fry on high heat until the bottoms become brown. Turn down the heat to low. Add 1/4 cup water in the pan. Cover the pan and steam the gyoza on low heat until the water is gone. Serve gyoza with dipping sauce on the side. For the dipping sauce, mix a 1:2 ratio of soy sauce to rice vinegar and add some hot pepper oil if you would like.

Harvest Tortellini Soup

This soup is so easy to make and tastes so delicious! I've made a similar soup before, (this is a lot like the Garden Minestrone Soup) but I thought it would be fun to try a few different veggies and throw in some tortellini. This is my favorite soup to make when I have produce in the fridge that needs to be used up- you can throw just about any vegetable in there and it tastes great! It is perfect for this time of year with all the fresh produce from the garden!

Lyd's Tip: Soup is a great meal when you are in a hurry. You can just throw things in a pot and pretty much heat and simmer, so why add time to your schedule cooking meat? Save yourself several minutes or more by just using left-over meat you might have on hand. For example, I had just a little left over from the South Carolina Pork Sliders, and it added a yummy flavor, and all I had to do was throw it in. Maybe a little bit of your Sunday roast left over, or cooked chicken from the night before. You can cook up just a bit of hamburger too, but it's a good way to save time. You can also be brave and go meatless, and it will still be delicious.

Harvest Tortellini Soup (By Lyd)
Meat (Refer to Lyd's Tip above.)
1-2 bell peppers, chopped
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped broccoli or cauliflower
1 (14-15 oz.) can stewed or diced tomatoes
3-4 cups water
3-4 tsp bullion (you could always use beef broth instead)
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp basil (I like to throw in fresh basil if I have it)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cups dried tortellini
Parmesan cheese

In about 1 cup of water, add vegetable and let them simmer on medium heat until they get tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients and continue to simmer on medium low and stir until tortellini is soft and flavors are absorbed, adding more water and bullion if needed. Serve warm with grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Savory Sausage and Rice

This made a yummy casserole, and gives you some good left overs. (This was what I made, and set aside some extra sausage for the breakfast burritos.

Savory Sausage and Rice (Afton Richards)
1 lb. ground sausage
1-2 cups chopped celery
1/2 cup onions
1 package chicken noodle Lipton soup
1 1/2 cups boiling water

Combine water soup and rice. Cook until tender. Brown sausage; add celery and onions; cook until tender. Combine in baking dish. Toss slivered almonds with 1/4 cup of melted butter. Pour over mixture. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Breakfast Burritos for Two (or FIVE)

This was easy to mix together and it has a good flavor. Doug loves stuff like this in the mornings. I'm an oat-meal and fruit kind of gal, but we have to make things fair, right?

Lyd's Tip: Make this the morning after you had sausage with your dinner. When you are cooking it up that night, just save a little bit for the next morning. It will save you that cooking time and hassle! All you have to do is throw it in.

Breakfast Burritos for Two (or 5 if you are like me and make it stretch. :)
(Simple and Delicious Magazine)
2 ounces bulk pork sausage
2 eggs (I added more eggs.)
2 tablespoons chopped tomato
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 teaspoons canned chopped green chilies
Dash pepper
2 slices process American cheese
2 flour tortillas (10 inches), warmed
3 tablespoons salsa
3 tablespoons sour cream

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, tomato, onion, chilies and pepper. Add to the skillet; cook and stir until set.
Place a cheese slice on each tortilla. Spoon filling off center on each tortilla. Top with salsa and sour cream. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up. Yield: 2 servings.

South Carolina BBQ Pork Sliders

OK... here it is! My NEW FAVORITE way to slow cook pork. I have made it twice since I discovered it. Dare I say that I like it as much as, if not more than my "Famous" Cafe Rio Pork... DARE I??? Indeed, I do. (Which is saying A LOT because I STINKIN' LOVE the Cafe Rio Pork!) But much of my love for this new recipe is a result of the SHEER SIMPLICITY involved in it's preparation. SUPER EASY and SUPER SENSATIONAL! Love this recipe, and dare I say that you will too??? Indeed, I do.

Lyd's Tips: Get a good size inexpensive pork roast and you can either freeze some of the left-overs in a zip-lock bag to heat up on a busy night, or it makes a great meal for a friend or neighbor. Super easy with some fresh rolls. I whipped up a batch of Afton's Easy Dinner Rolls and they went great together. (I also thought melted cheese would be happy on these sliders, in case you were wondering.) We have also used it in kind of a "nacho" form with cheese and chips and that was really good too.

South Carolina BBQ Pork Sliders
By Woman's Day Kitchen from Woman's Day; June 2, 2009 June 2, 2009
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 8 hours

1 slow-cooker liner (Slick clean-up, but not nessessary.)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp each paprika and dried minced onion
1 1/2 tsp salt-free chili powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp allspice (optional)
4 lb bone-in pork shoulder roast
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sliced scallions
24 small dinner rolls, split
Accompaniments: hot pepper sauce, coleslaw

1. Line a 4-qt or larger slow-cooker with liner. Mix 1 Tbsp of the brown sugar, the paprika, minced onion, chili powder, salt, garlic powder and allspice. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp into bottom of slow-cooker. Rub remaining mixture over pork. Add vinegar and remaining brown sugar to slow-cooker; stir to mix. Add pork.
2. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours until pork is fork-tender. Remove pork to cutting board and pull into shreds. Return to slow-cooker; add scallions and toss to coat.
3. Put about 1/4 cup onto each bun bottom. Top with bun tops.

Fabulous Fried Rice (Amy Jo Style)

And I thought my fried rice was good!!! Just wait until you try this!!! Amy Jo (my sis-in-law) and creator of Edible Experiments came up with this while they stayed with me and I can't even tell you how competely delicious it was-- and PACKED with veggies! (Great way to sneak them in- the kids loved it!) This is Amy's take on "Our Best Bite's" take on Disneyworld's Ohana Restaurant. :) Got that straight? This is what Our Best Bite's had to say:

"This fried rice is inspired from the same restaurant as our Sweet and Spicy Honey-Grilled Shrimp. It's not your typical Chinese restaurant-type fried rice; it's a bit milder and has a little more Polynesian flair. It goes great with Teriyaki Chicken or it's slightly naughtier cousin, Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Bites. Or try it with Asian BBQ Chicken or the ever-popular Spicy Honey Chicken. Or toss in some leftover Fauxtisserie Chicken or ham or shrimp (or hey, live on the wild side and add all three) and it can be a meal in and of itself. And guess what? My kids love it and I love that they're getting all sorts of "nasty," good-for-you veggies like cabbage."

Fried Rice
Recipe by Our Best Bites, adapted from Disneyworld's Ohana Restaurant

2 c. white rice + 4 c. water (OR 4 c. cold, leftover rice, which is actually better)
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. minced red onion

2 Tbsp. chopped green onions
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms
8 oz. (1/2 bag) of coleslaw mix (just cut up a head of cabbage)
3-4 generous Tbsp. soy sauce
Amy also added zucchini and celery and some cooked pork and it was really good!

SEASONING:
1 Tbsp. dried onion
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 ½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. celery salt
1 ½ tsp. sugar

Boil water and add rice. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. This step can be done even up to 2-3 days in advance (and for some reason, fried rice tastes better when the rice is cold). Heat butter over medium heat and saute onions, carrots, and cabbage until carrots are tender. Add cooked rice, soy sauce, and seasoning to taste (you won't even come close to using all of it; save the rest for future fried rice or use as you would seasoning salt.)

OPTIONAL ADD-INS:
--Peas, snap peas, or pea pods
--Ham
--Shrimp
--Leftover Fauxtisserie Chicken