Zuppa Toscana Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 lb Italian sausage 
2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half,and then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups kale or swiss chard, chopped
2 cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS
Cook sausage.  Drain, set on plate covered with paper towels.  Set aside.  Place onions, potatoes, garlic, water and chicken broth in pot and heat until potatoes are done.  Add sausage and cream.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Heat through and serve.

Pan Seared Scallops and Sesame Sauce

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces cellophane noodles
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 pound large sea scallops, about 12
Ground black pepper
1/4 cup scallions, chopped

DIRECTIONS
Soak cellophane noodles in hot water for 10 minutes, until tender. Strain and set aside.  While the noodles are soaking, in a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops and season the tops with black pepper. Cook 2 minutes, until golden brown. Flip with spatula and cook 2 more minutes, until second side is golden brown. Add soy sauce mixture to pan and bring to a simmer, for 2 minutes, until sauce thickens and scallops are cooked through and have an opaque color.

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

INGREDIENTS
1 (32 oz.) container low sodium chicken broth
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 (10 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 (10 oz.) can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
3 carrots – diced
3 celery ribs – diced *we both hate celery and excluded this

DIRECTIONS
Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.  Increase heat to medium- high; return to a low boil.  Place biscuits on a lightly floured surface.  Roll or pat each biscuit to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.  Drop strips, 1 at a time, into boiling broth mixture.  Add carrots and celery.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 – 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent dumplings from sticking.

Black Bean Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 (15 oz.) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup chunky salsa
1 tsp. ground cumin
DIRECTIONS
In an electric food processor or blender, combine beans, broth, salsa and cumin.  Blend until fairly smooth.  Heat bean mixture in saucepan over medium heat until thoroughly heated.

Margherita Pizza

INGREDIENTS
1 pizza crust
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes, undrained (1-3/4 cups)
1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
16 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
Fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Prepare Pizza Dough as directed, using the Thin-Crust Pizzas directions. Drizzle dough with olive oil. For sauce, in a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, snipped basil, garlic, and tomato paste. Spread a thin layer of sauce over dough in each pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove pizzas from oven and place mozzarella in single layer on top of the sauce. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes more or until crust bottom is crisp and brown. Top with basil leaves. Cut pizzas into wedges and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Jenny's Buffalo Chicken Dip

INGREDIENTS
2 pkg pre-cooked chicken
2 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup ranch dressing (you could use blue cheese instead, but Joe and I don't care for it)
3/4 cup bottled buffalo wing sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray pie plate with Pam cooking spray.
In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, dressing, and sauce.
Fold chicken into mixture.
Spread mix into pie plate.  Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake for approx. 15 minutes.
Serve with crackers or tostito chips.
***I've made this before by dumping all the ingredients in a slow cooker and it's still really good.

Veggie Pizza

INGREDIENTS
2 large pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls
2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
2/3 cup mayo
1 1/8 tsp. dill weed
dash of seasoning salt
1 tbs. chopped onion
green onion
tomatoes
peeled cucumber
shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
Roll out crescent rolls and press seems together.  Bake at 400 for 10 – 15 min. and cool.  Mix cream cheese, mayo, dill weed, season salt and onion until smooth.  Spread on cooled crust, top with chopped veggies and then add the cheddar cheese.

Chicken Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS
16 ounce bottle of can of enchilada sauce
6 tortillas
1 jar of salsa
2 cans refried beans – I always leave this out b/c I don’t like beans
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup olives
1 jalapeno

DIRECTIONS
Heat over to 400. Pour the can of sauce into a pie dish. Dip tortillas in the sauce to soften them. On a cutting board, gently spread beans on one side of tortilla. Add enough chicken to cover beans. Sprinkle cheese onto chicken.Add olives and salsa if you’d like. Roll up the tortillas and place seam-side down in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Blend sour cream into remaining sauces and pour over enchiladas. Cover with cheese. Cover and bake for 25 – 30 minutes at 400 until heated through.

French Toast

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup whole mike, heavy cream or half and half.
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
6 slices white bread of Texas toast
2 Tbs. butter

DIRECTIONS
Wisk together ingredients in a shallow bowl. Dip bread into ingredients and fry in plan with melted butter until brown.

Sweet Corn with Zucchini

INGREDIENTS
2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
3 Tbs. butter
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1/4 cup fresh chopped chives
2 tsp. taco seasoning mix

DIRECTIONS
Saute zucchini and sweet onion in butter over medium heat for five minutes. Add corn kernels, chives and taco seasoning. Saute five minutes or until tender.

Toffee Gooey Butter Cake

INGREDIENTS
Cake 1 (18.2- ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 large egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
Filling 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (1 pound) box confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup toffee bits

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. In the bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and set aside. In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, confectioners' sugar and butter. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Fold in the toffee bits with a spatula. Pour the filling over the cake mixture and spread it evenly. Bake until the center is just a little bit gooey, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into pieces and serve.

Chocolate Caramel Brownies

 INGREDIENTS
1 can evaporated milk
1 pkg. caramels
1 box German chocolate cake mix
1 6 oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)

DIRECTIONS
Mix a 1/3 cup evaporated milk with caramels in the top of a double boiler until melted. Mix 1/3 cup evaporated milk with cake mix and butter with mixer until just mixed. Spread 1/2 cake mix in bottom of 9 x 13 pan (grease and flour first) – bake 6 minutes – then sprinkle with chocolate chips then drizzle melted caramels on top of the chips and cake mix. Then drop spoonfuls of remaining cake mix on top. Bake 18 – 20 minutes at 350 F.

Buttery Spinach, Leeks and Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced portobello mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced leeks
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the leeks and garlic, and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, cream, lemon juice, and salt; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach, and lower the heat, stirring frequently, until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the cheese and stir to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

INGREDIENTS
For crust 3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
10 tablespoons (about) ice water
For filling
3 1/2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices trimmed rhubarb (1 1/2 pounds untrimmed)
1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled, halved (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

DIRECTIONS
Make the crust and the filling.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Toss gently to blend.
Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim excess dough, leaving 3/4-inch overhang.
Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Cut into fourteen 1/2-inch-wide strips. Spoon filling into crust. Arrange 7 dough strips atop filling, spacing evenly. Form lattice by placing remaining dough strips in opposite direction atop filling. Trim ends of dough strips even with overhang of bottom crust. Fold strip ends and overhang under, pressing to seal. Crimp edges decoratively.
Brush glaze over crust. transfer pie to baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake pie until golden and filling thickens, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely.

Roasted Asparagus with Basil Gremolata

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small lemon
1 small shallot, minced
4 large basil leaves, chopped
About a cup of crustless, day-old bread pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with a tablespoon of the olive oil, a large pinch of salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Place in the oven on the center rack, and roast for 15-20 minutes, giving the asparagus a toss once or twice while they are cooking.  Meanwhile, take the bread pieces and put them in a blender or food processor and give them a few whirls until they turn into coarse, small crumbs. Set aside.  In a small skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and add the shallots, sauteing until they are starting to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add the bread, and stirring constantly, cook until the bread turns golden and toasts a bit. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl. Add the basil and the zest from the whole lemon to it. Season to taste with salt and stir together thoroughly.  When the asparagus is ready, place it in a serving dish and squeeze the juice from half a lemon over it. Spoon the gremolata over the top and serve.