On the menu for this week: Black-Eyed Peas and Tomatoes with Smoked Sausage and Sweet Corn Cake; Vegetable Lasagna; Chicken Pot Pie; Pasta with Clam Sauce; and Crock pot Chili with baked potatoes. Yummy stuff!

Black-Eyed Peas and Tomatoes with Smoked Sausage

1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 Tbls (1/2 stick) butter
2 (15 ounce) cans black-eyed peas with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp minced garlic
¼ cup ketchup
2 tsp dry chicken bouillon
1. Saute bell pepper, onion, and celery in butter until crisp-tender.
2. Add black-eyed peas, tomatoes, garlic, ketchup, and bouillon.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 10 minutes.
I always add 1 lb smoked sausage (kielbasa, turkey sausage, etc), cut into bite-sized slices. I heat the sausage in a fry pan until heated through and slightly browned. They can either be served to the side of the black eyed peas or mixed in.

We also ALWAYS eat this with Sweet Corn Cake. They are really the perfect trio of Texas flavors. Yum! One of our family’s all-time favorites. Just don’t pay too much attention to the ingredients for the sweet corn cake (sometimes lovingly referred to as “Cowboy Corn Mush”). It’s not exactly on the healthy food list. ?

1 can corn, drained
1 can creamed corn, undrained
1 box Jiffy Corn Bread mix
2 eggs
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup mayonaisse
Combine all ingredients in medium sized bowl. Mix with fork and pour into 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until set and lightly browned on top. For a fun presentation, scoop the corn cake out with a large ice cream scoop.

Prep: 40 min., Bake: 35 min., Oven: 350 F
Makes 12 servings
10 dried lasagna noodles
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups cottage cheese
1 (15 ounce) carton ricotta cheese
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls olive oil
2 Tbls flour
1 ¼ cups milk
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed ad drained
1 cup shredded carrot
¾ cup shredded carrot
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; Set aside
2. In a bowl combine eggs, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and Italian seasoning.
3. In a large skillet cook mushrooms, onion, and garlic in hot oil til tender. Stir in flour and ½ to 1 tsp black pepper, add milk all at once. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach, broccoli, carrots, and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese.
4. In a greased 3-quart rectangular baking dish, layer one-thrid of the noodles, trimming or overlapping as necessary to fit. Spread one-third of cottage cheese mixture, then one-third of the vegetable mixture, then one-third of the mozzarella. Repeat layers twice. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan.
5. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until heated through.
6. If you want to freeze this for eating later, prepare through step 4. Cover unbaked lasagna with plastic wrap (first) AND foil, and freeze. If you don’t have an extra casserole dish or a disposable one, line the bottom of your baking dish with foil first and then lift the entire frozen lasagna out of the pan to keep in the freezer. Remember to take the lasagna out of the freezer and into the refrigerator the night before you want to cook it. Then, bake, covered, in a 375 F oven for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake about 20 minutes more.

(yes, this is really a picture of my apple pie, but I use the same crust, so they look the same form the outside!)

Pie crusts for bottom and top of pie (you can either make your own recipe or use frozen pie crust dough)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 ½ cup chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 to 3 cups cooked chicken (or turkey left-overs!)
2 cups frozen vegetables, thawed (ie—corn, carrots, and peas)

1. Heat oven to 425 F. Prepare piecrusts and place bottom crust in 9-inch pie pan.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add onion and cook 2 minutes. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk; cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly and thickened.
3. Add chicken and vegetables; remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan.
4. Top pie with remaining crust; cut slits in several places. Bale at 425 F for 30-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Start to finish: 30 minutes, Makes 4 servings

10 ounces dried linguine or fettuccine
2 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped or minced clams
2 cups half and half, light cream, or whole milk
½ cup chopped onion (1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls butter
¼ cups flour
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup chicken broth
¼ cup Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; keep warm. Meanwhile, drain canned clams, reserving the juice from one of the cans (should be about ½ cup). Add enough of the cream/milk to reserved clam juice to make 2 ½ cups liquid. Set clams and juice mixture aside.
2. In a medium saucepan cook onion and garlic I hot butter until tender but not brown. Stir in flour, dried oregano, salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Add clam juice mixture all at once. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Stir in drained clams, parsley, and broth; heat through. Serve over warm pasts. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

2 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 cove garlic, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (15-16 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil
I also sprinkle chipotle seasoning to taste

1. Brown beef, onion, green pepper, and garlic in saucepan. Drain.
2. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
3. Cover. Cook on low 5-6 hours.
4. Serve over baked potatoes with cheese, sour cream, bacon, and broccoli.

© 2008, Lolli. All rights reserved.

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