Slow Cooker White Beans and Sausage

 I found this recipe when I was looking up how to use great northern white beans. I didn't take a picture--darn. Next time. 

1 1/2 lbs. smoked turkey sausage, sliced (or pork sausage--and I used bulk instead)

Oil (to saute)

1 small onion, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. dry white beans such as Great Northern, rinsed and picked over

32 oz. low-sodium chicken broth (I used stock)

1 1/2 cups water

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add sliced sausage (you can use oil if you want).

Cook until browned on both sides, stirring occasionally. (For the bulk sausage, I just browned it.) Remove sausage and add to slow-cooker. In the same skillet, add some oil and saute onion, pepper and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to slow-cooker. Add remaining ingredients to slow-cooker. Cook on low 7-8 hours, until the beans begin to break down. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Chicken Noodle Soup

 

This heart-warming soup is sure to delight on cool fall or winter evenings. It soothes the soul!

2 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil

1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced thin

1 cup celery, sliced thin (about 2 stalks)

1 cup chopped yellow onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

64 oz. (8 cups) regular or low sodium chicken broth + more for more soupy soup

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. pepper

12 oz. wide egg noodles

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used canned but a rotisserie chicken would be delicious!)

3-4 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

salt to taste

In a big pot or Dutch oven (or French casserole, they are sometimes called) saute carrots, celery and onion. Add garlic and saute 1-2 more minutes.  Add chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper and bring to a boil.  Allow to boil 5 minutes or until veggies are fork tender. Add egg noodles and boil 10 minutes until noodles are soft. Add chicken, parsley and lemon juice. Boil 1-2 minutes. Taste soup and add salt if needed. 

Notes: Since I used regular chicken broth, I didn't need to salt it much at the end. I found this to be less "soupy" than I like so I added extra broth. I suggest adding at least 2-4 more cups of broth if you like very soupy soup like I do for chicken noodle soup. I found this to be pretty thick, hearty and "noodly", which some may like more. 

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

These delightful meatballs are great for entertaining or for a delicious meal on the weekend.  

For the sauce:

3/4 c. grape jelly

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. spicy brown mustard

dash of bottled hot pepper sauce (optional)

For the meatballs:

1 egg lightly beaten

1/4 c. fine bread crumbs

1/4 c. finely chopped onion

2 Tbsp. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

8 oz. bulk pork sausage

8 oz. ground beef

Cooking spray or oil

Crushed red pepper (optional)

Sauce: In a small bowl, stir together jelly, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and hot pepper sauce. Set aside.

Meatballs: In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, egg, onion, milk, salt and pepper. Add sausage and ground beef; mix well. Shape mixture into 36 one inch meatballs. Coat large skillet with cooking spray or a little oil and heat to medium heat. Cook meatballs half at a time, until browned, turning to brown evenly. Drain off fat. Place meatballs in a 1 1/2-2 quart slow cooker. Pour sauce over meatballs. Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2-2 hours. Serve immediately or keep on warm for up to two hours. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper (optional).  

 

 

 

Chewy Large Sugar Cookies

 

 

2 ¼ c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 ½ c. sugar (plus 1/3 c. for rolling)

2 oz. cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces

6 Tbsp. melted butter, still warm

1/3 c. vegetable oil or melted coconut oil

1 large egg

1 Tbsp. milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Place cream cheese and 1 ½ cups sugar in a mixer and mix in melted butter. Mix in oil. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until smooth. Gently fold in flour mixture until soft, homogenous dough forms.

Place remaining 1/3 c. sugar in a bowl and roll dough balls of 2 tablespoons into the sugar until fully coated. Place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press the cookies flat (dipping in sugar also may help it not stick to the cookies). Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes. Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Let cookies cool completely before serving. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

For fun, substitute colored sugar for the 1/3 cup sugar for rolling.  

Easy Spritz Cookies

Cream in a mixer:

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/4 c. powdered sugar

Add and beat in:

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Combine together and then add:

2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Dough should be sticky. Load up the cookie press with dough. Press out cookies onto ungreased bare cookie sheet (I know, I know, I am a firm believer in the *gospel* of parchment paper, but unless you want to sharpen up on your sailor language, please just press them out on a bare pan--it hurts, I know, but it is by far easier than trying to press them out on to the parchment. Trust me!!). Bake for 6-8 minutes, depending on how dense the cookies are (solid shapes, closer to 8 and delicate thin wreaths, more like 6-7). Bake in a 375 degree oven. Do not brown. 

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These are pretty good. I am not a super big chocolate fan, but these are pretty darn good.

1 c. flour

1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter (or salted butter and omit the above salt)

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. mini chocolate chips

For rolling:

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 c. powdered sugar

Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Beat butter and sugars on medium  until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in egg and vanilla. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients; then mix in chips.  Cover dough and refrigerate 2 hours (up to 3 days). Always chill the dough. Remove from fridge and let sit 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls and roll lightly in sugar; roll generously in powdered sugar. Place 3 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 11-12 minutes. If they don't spread by 9 minutes, remove from oven and bang on the counter and return to the oven. Cool cookies 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack. This makes about 3 dozen.

 

Lace Cookies

These are simple and delicate cookies that taste a lot like brittle or candy! Yum! They happen to be gluten-free, too, in case that is important.

1/2 cup (1 cube) unsalted butter (or salted butter and omit the 1/8 tsp. salt below)

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup almond flour (you can buy this pre-ground or grind up almonds in small batches in a blender)

1/8 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter)

1 Tbsp. corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add brown sugar, almond flour, salt and corn syrup. Whisk until all ingredients are dissolved and completely combined--about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir to combine. Let mixture cool 5-10 minutes--you can preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you wait for it to cool. Drop onto parchment lined baking sheets THREE inches apart by scant teaspoonfuls. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes (6 minutes may make chewy cookies while closer to 8 minutes makes them more crispy--ovens vary). Cookies should be golden on the edges. Cool 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Can be made into sandwich cookies with chocolate or Nutella. Store up to a week in airtight container at room temperature.