Mushroom and Turkey Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
5 links of turkey italian sausage, removed from casings
8 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 15 oz low fat ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded (plus extra for garnish)
1/2 cup of fresh spinach, chopped
5-6 fresh basil leaves, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
3 cups of mushroom marinara (or store bought sauce)
12 jumbo pasta shells, cooked per instructions (I had left over filling so I cooked for shells)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skilled over medium heat.
3. Once hot, add the turkey italian sausage, and cook until crumbled.  Add the mushrooms and onions then saute until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes.
4.  Add the minced garlic and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and let cool.
5.  In a large bowl combine the ricotta, the mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, spinach, fresh basil, nutmeg, salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
6.  Mix thoroughly then add the sausage, mushroom, and onion saute then combine.  Taste mixture and re-season if needed.
7.  Pour 1 1/2 cups of marinara in the bottom of a baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.
8.  Place the 12 cooked shells in the pan.  Stuff each shell with the ricotta mixture.
9.  Pour the remaining sauce over the stuffed shells.
10.  Cover with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes. Top with fresh chopped basil and parmesan.

Found at: http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Barbecue Chicken Pizza Braid

Ingredients: 
Cornmeal
Pizza dough
Barbecue sauce
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Roasted chicken, chopped
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Red onion, sliced thinly

Directions:
1. Place the pizza dough onto a floured surface and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3. Place a silpat mat (or large baking tray) on the counter and coat with cooking spray and sprinkle the top with a bit of cornmeal. Roll (or spread) the dough out on top of the silpat mat into a rectangle. Drizzle a bit of sauce on top of the chicken and mix until evenly coated. Spoon some of the barbecue sauce down the center of the pizza dough, add slices of chopped mozzarella to the sauce followed by the chicken, cilantro, and red onion. Note: Don't use too much sauce or your pizza braid will be a bit soggy.

4. Cut even slits on both sides of the filling with a pizza cutter. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling.

5. Once you have completed the braid, carefully place the slip mat onto a baking sheet.
6. Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Found at: http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients:
8 hard-cooked eggs, diced
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup onion, chopped finely
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp mustard powder
1/8 tsp paprika
Bread

Directions:
1. In a bowl, gently mix the eggs, mayonnaise, onion, celery, garlic powder, pepper, dill weed, mustard powder, and paprika.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
3. To serve, spread equal amounts on a slice of bread. Top with another slice of bread to make sandwiches.

Funeral Potatoes

Ingredients:
32 oz bag of frozen shredded hash browns
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 c chopped onion
2 cups finely crushed corn flakes
2 Tbsp butter/margarine melted

Directions:
1. Grease 9 x 13 baking dish and preheat oven to 350
2. In large bowl combine soups, sour cream, cheese, onions, and the 1/2 cup of melted butter.
3.  Gently fold hash browns into mixture.
4.  Pour mixture into pan
5. Combine crushed corn flakes and the 2 Tbs of melted butter and sprinkle on top of potato mixture.
6.  Bake for 30 minutes.

If wanting to, you can use cubed potatoes instead of hash browns but you will need to 

increase time to 55 minutes.

Cherry Bars

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup margarine, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-4 TBS milk
4 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Cherry pie filling

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 350 and grease a sheet cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, margarine, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Combine the flower and baking powder and stir into the creamed mixture. Reserve 1/3 of the dough and spread the rest into the bottom of the prepared pan. Cover this layer evenly with cherry pie filling. Drop the rest of the dough by spoonfuls on top of the cherry layer and spread to cover the best you can.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven, until top is golden. Let cool slightly and drizzle with the glaze mixture. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

Won Ton Wrapper Appetizers

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) pkg wonton wrappers
1 lb sausage (cooked)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (we used about two cups)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped black olives, drained
1 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
(we spiced it up with a little can of green chilies chopped finely)

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 400 degrees.  Spray a miniature muffin pan with cooking spray.
2.  Insert wonton wrappers into the muffin pan so as to form small cups.  Bake 5 minutes in preheated oven. Allow the baked wrappers to cool.  Lightly grease the inside with vegetable oil.
3.  In a medium bowl, mix the sausage, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, black olives, and ranch dressing together.  Fill the baked wonton wrapper cups with mixture.
4.  Bake the filled wonton wrappers 10-15 minutes (start with 10, and watch each minute so they tips don't burn.)  The mixture will be bubbly and slightly brown.

Lime Sherbet Punch

Ingredients:
2 quarts lime sherbet
2 liters ginger ale
1 (46 oz) can pineapple juice
Lemon Slices
Lime Slices
Maraschino cherries

Directions:
1. In a punch bowl, add quarts of lime sherbet (wait till it's pretty well melted)
2.  Add ginger ale and pineapple juice.
3. Decorate with lemon and lime slices and some maraschino cherries.