Italian Turkey Sausage Grinders

This recipe is from the Taste of Home Magazine. It was yummy and easy to make. My husband can't wait to make these for his next football tailgate. So much flavor! (We had extra sauce left over and I used it the next night over spaghetti.)

Ingredients:
5 Turkey Sausage Links (I used the hot ones but sweet works too)
3 TBS Olive Oil
1/2 cup water
1 can (6oz) tomato paste
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce (I used the sauce with italian seasoning already added)
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp each dried basil, oregano, and parsley flakes
5 sub rolls, split and toasted
1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

How to make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large skillet, brown the sausages in the olive oil. Drain well. Stir in the water, tomato paste, tomato sauce, garlic, sugar and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sausages are no longer pink.

Meanwhile, split the sub rolls and put them directly on oven rack to toast (usually only takes a few minutes).

Serve the sausages on the rolls with sauce. Then sprinkle with the Mozzarella Cheese.
Enjoy!

Balsamic Pork Scallopine

This has become an instant favorite in my family, including my picky 5 1/2 year old! It was my first time making it and we were so very pleased. It would be a great meal to impress guests with also because it is very light tasting and nothing is overwhelming about it all.

(I also liked that I could reserve a handful of the egg noodles and keep them plain for my 8 month old daughter to eat with just a tiny bit of butter on them and some butternut squash mixed in.)

Made dinner for the whole family very easy! This seems like A LOT of ingredients but actually I had every single thing on hand except the pork and the roasted red pepper so don't be discouraged by the long list!

From start to finish, it was only about 30 minutes. It's very filling!

INGREDIENTS:
4 lean cut pork sirloin cutlets
1 cup flour
3 TBS Olive Oil (I used EVOO)
2 TBS Butter (I don't use real butter in anything but my "I can't believe it's not butter! worked perfect too! )
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped roasted sweet red peppers (I used the jar ones, just drained first)
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 can (1/2 of a 14oz can) of reduced sodium chicken broth
2 TBS dried basil
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette (I used Ken's Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)
1/4 TSP ground black pepper

Noodles:
1 package egg noodles (I bought a store brand that was 12oz, more than enough for the 4 of us)
1/4 cup fat free half & half
2 TBS grated low fat Parmesan or Romano Cheese
2 TBS butter (again, no real butter for me so anything works)
1/4 TSP fresh ground black pepper
1/4 TSP Garlic Powder

HOW TO MAKE:
Coat the pork cutlets in flour. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add pork and brown slightly on each side. Set the pork aside.

Add onion and red peppers to the the pan and saute until the onion is tender (this is a pretty quick process). Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the broth, basil, balsamic vinaigrette and pepper. Return the pork to the pan.

Cover and cook on low-low/medium heat for about 15/20 minutes or until the pork is cooked through. Meanwhile, cook egg noodles as directed on package. Drain and add the 1/2 & 1/2, butter, grated cheese, black pepper & garlic powder. STIR WELL.

Serve the pork with some sauce over the noodles on a plate.


*recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

Ham Sandwiches

My friend Dawn made these for a party and I HAD to get the recipe. They are some of the best ham sandwiches I've ever had!


Ingredients:
2 packages of martins potato slider rolls (i think there is 12 in a pack)

2 sticks of butter

2 tablespoons of Worchestershire

2 tablespoon prepared mustard

4 tablespoons of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of sesame seeds

1 3/4 lbs of deli ham

1 lb of swiss cheese

Instructions:
Prepare mini sandwiches with 11/2 to 2 pieces of ham and 1 slice of swiss

Place on cookie sheet.

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. Add worchestershire, mustard, brown sugar, and sesame seeds. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Pour over rolls and set aside for two hours.

Then bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts.

Apple Pie Bars

I got this recipe out of Family Fun magazine. These bars have all of the yummy goodness of a slice of pie! Yum!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter

1 egg

milk (about 2/3 c)

For the Filling:

1 3/4 cups cornflakes

8 cups peeled and sliced apples (i used Gala)

1 C sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp nutmeg

For the topping:

2 TBS sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 C confectioners sugar

2 TBS milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly. Separate the egg yolk and white, reserving both parts. Beat the yolk in a liquid  measuring cup, then add enough milk to measure 2/3 c and blend well. With a fork, stir together the yolk-milk mixture and the flour-mixture until the ingredients form a sticky dough. Halve the dough and flatten each half into a 3/4 inch thick disk. Cover the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate them until well chilled, at least 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350. Pour the cornflakes into a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to lightly crush them.

On a sheet of waxed paper, roll one portion of the dough into a 10 1/2 inch rectangle. Transfer the dough into an ungreased 10x13 dish. Sprinkle the crushed cereal over the dough, then layer on the apple slices.

Roll out the remaining dough as in Step 3. In a small bowl, mi x the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg for the filling. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples, then lay the dough on top. Use the tines of a fork to seal the dough edges.

In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the reserved egg white until foamy, then brush it over the dough. In another small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle it on the crust.

Bake the pasty until lightly browned, about 50 to 55 minutes. Let it cool for an hour, then mix the confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla to make a glaze and drizzle it over the top. When the dish is completely cooled, cut it into bars and serve.

Six-Layer Mexican Dip

I got this recipe out of Parents magazine. It is absolutely delish and I will never make another "taco" salad again. 

This recipe used a 6 cup clear glass bowl - I used a larger one and increased some of the ingredients

Ingredients: 

2 avocados chopped (i used 4)

3 TBS lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 15-oz can low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 C salsa (I used a whole jar)

1 15-oz can low sodium Great Northern or cannelli beans, rinsed and drained

1 C light sour cream (I used an entire 16oz container) I added 1 TBS taco seasoning to sour cream. 

1 C shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions:

Place avocados, lemon juice, garlic and pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Knead to mash.

In a glass bowl, spread black beans in an even layer. Spread with avocado mixture, then Great Northern beans, salsa, sour cream, and cheese.

Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Serve with tortillas.

Extra Sweet Potato Fries

Simple & yummy. My mom gave me this recipe and all of us absolutely love it! So easy to make too!

Ingredients:
3-4 large sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1" spears
4 TBS EVOO
1 TSP ground black pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBS ground cinnamon

How to make:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until the sweet potatoes are completely covered. Pour all contents of the mixing bowl into a baking dish.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until tender. Drain before serving. I usually add a small dash of ground cinnamon on top before serving but that is optional!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

My husband loves all things pumpkin and my son loves all things cheesecake so this is a perfect dessert for all. :)

INGREDIENTS:
2 packages (8oz each) Cream Cheese softened (we usually get the low fat or fat free)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon (I added a bit more because we would eat anything with cinnamon in this house but 1/4 tsp is what the recipe calls for).

Dash ground nutmeg (I was heavy on my dash - recommend)

Thawed Cool Whip
1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust

HOW TO MAKE:
Heat oven to 325 degrees.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended. Remove 1 cup batter; place in medium bowl. Stir in pumpkin and spices.

TOP the pie crust with layers of plain and pumpkin batters. Bake 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 3 hours. Serve topped with cool whip.


*recipe courtesy of Kraft