Sausage and Potato Casserole

Sausage and Potato Casserole

4 brats or mild sausage

1/2 cup crumbled Bacon

4 potatoes

1 onion diced

6 strips of bacon diced

2-3 carrots 1/4" slices (optional)

⅓ cup Olive Oil

1½ tsp salt

1 TBS fresh Ground Pepper

1 TBS Paprika

4 cloves Garlic

For the Topping

1 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 cup diced Green Onion (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven 450 degrees

1) In a large bowl mix Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, Paprika

2) Cube the potatoes & add to the bowl

3) Coat a 9x13 dish with cooking spray

4) Add potatoes to the bowl and toss in the sauce. Remove the potatoes from the bowl and put them in the pan. Try to leave some of the sauce because you will use it later.

5) Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes, stir every 15 minutes

6) While the Potatoes are baking, slice the sausages into bite sized pieces and add it to the bowl that had the potatoes with the left over sauce and stir it around .

7) Cook the diced bacon, until crisp, add the onion and cook unit browned, then for 1 minute add the garlic. 

8) Mix together cheese,  green onion in a small separate bowl

9) Once potatoes are done, add the uncooked sausage, and the bacon onion mixture and carrots if using them.Cover with the cheese mixture topping.

10) Bake for 15 minutes or until the sausage is cooked.

Pork Tenderloin Sliders

One carefree way to serve these cuties is to slice the tenderloins on a large cutting board, set out fresh rolls and homemade condiments, and let guests build their own sandwiches.

• Yield:

• Makes 20 sliders

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloins (about 2 1/2 lb.), trimmed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 20 slider buns or dinner rolls, split
• Italian-Style Salsa Verde
• Blackberry-Honey Mustard Sauce
• Bacon-and-Sweet Onion Jam

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Rub pork tenderloins with 1 Tbsp. oil, and sprinkle
with salt and pepper.Stir together sugar and next 3 ingredients; rub over pork.

2. Cook pork in remaining 2 Tbsp. hot oil in a skillet over medium-high heat
5 minutes, browning on all sides. Place tenderloins on a wire rack in a
jelly-roll pan.

3. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in
thickest portion registers 155°.

4.Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes. Slice and serve on slider buns
with sauces, or wrap tenderloin whole and refrigerate up to 3 days.

Barbecue alternative.
Cook pork on grill at  400°. Plan on 20-25 minutes total cooking time.  Turn
each tenderloin 1/4 turn every 5 minutes.When meat thermometer inserted
in thickest portion registers 155 you are done. (Finish with step four above).

Honey Custard with Berries

If you don't have white balsamic vinegar, substitute Champagne vinegar or apple cider vinegar. I used the apple cider vinegar option and it was wonderful. 

• Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc use something good tasting you will taste this in the final product)
• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 6 to 8 cups mixed fresh berries (such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries)
• Garnish: fresh mint

Preparation

1. Beat cream in a medium bowl at medium-high speed with an electric
mixer until soft peaks form. Cover and chill until ready to use.

2. Whisk together egg yolks, honey, wine, and balsamic vinegar in top
of a double boiler. Bring water in bottom pan to a light boil. Cook egg
yolk mixture, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until thick and foamy.

3. Remove from heat. Fill a large bowl with ice. Place top of double boiler
containing egg yolk mixture in ice, and whisk 5 minutes or until completely
cool. Remove from ice bath, and fold in whipped cream. If desired, cover
and chill up to 24 hours. Spoon berries into bowls, and serve with custard.

Bacon and Sweet Onion Jam

This recipe from Southern Living magazine is not much to look at but on pork it is absolutely wonderful.  They recommended it for pulled pork, or pork tenderloin sandwiches but we liked it so much we had the left over on pork chops which was really good as well.

Ingredients

• 4 uncooked thick applewood-smoked bacon slices, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 medium-size sweet onions, chopped
• 4 large shallots, chopped
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Preparation

1. Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in skillet.

2. Add butter to drippings, and stir until butter melts. Increase heat to medium; add onions, and sauté 10 to 12 minutes or until tender. Add shallots, vinegar, sugar, and kosher salt, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves.

3. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 to 25 minutes or until onions are very tender and brown. Remove from heat; stir in chives, thyme, and bacon. Cool completely (about 20 minutes), or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Ron's Lasagna

Ingredients

1 8oz cream cheese
1 16 oz package of shredded mozzarella
1 12oz package of Ricotta
1 lb of hamburger
1 sweet onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 jar of favorite spaghetti sauce we like Prego Tomato Basil and Garlic
1 package of lasagna noodles (you will need 10)
1 package of shredded Asiago cheese.
Salt, Pepper and Italian seasoning blend

Mix the cream cheese and Ricotta together in bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brown the hamburger in a skillet and when browned add the onion until translucent.  Then add the garlic and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. I recommend a teaspoon of salt and pepper at this time. Add the Spaghetti sauce and lower the heat to low or simmer.

Boil the noodles in a large pot for 12 minute or whatever is recommended on the package. Drain the noodles and rinse them in cool water to stop the cooking process.

Add 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning mix to the hamburger sauce.

In a 13 x 9 inch pan place about 2 teaspoons of the sauce at the bottom and spread around to grease the bottom of the pan. Place three of the cook lasagna noodles over the bottom of the pan, then coat with one third of the cream cheese mixture, then 1/3 of the meat sauce, sprinkle with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Then repeat with noodles, 1/3 of meat sauce, and 1/2 of the mozzarella.  For the last layer use the last three noodles (one was extra just in case you damaged them while cooking). the last of the cheese mixture and the last of the meat sauce. Sprinkle a layer of shredded Asiago cheese on the top.

Bake for 25 minutes, then remove and let cool for another 10-15 minutes.  If it is too warm the cheese layers will be runny so be patient.

Lemon Squares

We have an abundance of lemons on the lemon tree this year.  So tried this Lemon Squares recipe and decided it was a keeper.

Lemon Squares 

(from My Nepenthe, by Romney Steele) 

Crust

1 cup flour

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Lemon Filling

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup of flour

4 eggs

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Confectioners' sugar for dusting. 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a 9 inch square baking pan with overlapping foil. 

For the crust, combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a processor.  Add the butter in pieces and pulse until it resembles coarse meal.  Scrape into the pan and press evenly onto the bottom.  Bake until the crust is golden brown and thoroughly cooked. (20 minutes) Remove from the oven and cool 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300. 

For the filling, whisk the granulated sugar and flour in a medium bowl.  Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth.   Stir in the lemon zest and juice. 

Pour the filling onto the still-warm crust.  Bake for 25 minutes, until the filling sets and no longer jiggles in the middle. Cool completely in the pan and on a rack.  Gently life out the foil liner and trasfer to a board.  Cut into small squares using a sharp knife.  Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.