Hot & Spicy Chili

I love chili!! I just made my first pot for the season last week. YUM!! I love being able to put it in the crockpot and smelling it as it cooks all day! :)

My mom has made chili with sausage for as long as I can remember...and it is YUMMY! Sausage puts a totally different spin on chili! I've taken my mom's recipe and tweaked it a bit to add some more flavor and spice. Last year I submitted it for a chili contest and it won runner-up!! :)

You will need:
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can light red kidney beans, drained
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained
8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 large can of tomato juice
1 small can mushrooms, drained
1 roll of hot sausage
1 T. chili powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 T. seasoned salt
1/2 t. onion powder
1 t. cumin
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. oregano

Brown sausage with green pepper & onions; drain and rinse off with hot water to get rid of grease. Combine meat and all remaining ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low all day. (You can also cook on the stove top and let it simmer for a while.)

We serve our chili with mozzarella cheese (it's what I grew up with and we grew to LOVE!)! I know...most think this is an odd cheese choice.

If you prefer a more toned down version (not so spicy), you can use a mild sausage. I've also toned down the spices to a couple of teaspoons of chili powder, salt & pepper, garlic powder and some basil.

Corn Casserole

You will need:
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
1 can creamed corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
8 oz. sour cream (I think I usually end up adding more...who measures!?)
2 eggs, beaten
1 Jiffy (off brands work well too!) cornbread mix
1 4 oz. can green chiles chopped & peeled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray 9x13 baking dish. In large bowl, combine all of the above ingredients and mix well. Pour into sprayed dish, spread evenly. Bake 40-45 minutes or until lightly browned.

ENJOY! :)

Zucchini Brownies

Here is another tasty recipe with zucchini. A while back, Tim's mom or sister gave me this recipe.

You will need:
2 c. flour
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/4 c. cocoa

Combine these ingredients in a large bowl.

Then add:
1 c. oil
2 t. vanilla
2 c. grated zucchini

Stir until mixed together well. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am starting to get quite a bit of zucchini from my little garden. I love being able to make fun things with zucchini...without my kids noticing! ;) One of our favorites are Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins.

You will need:
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. milk
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla
1 c. shredded zucchini
1/4 c. miniature chocolate chips

Combine egg, oil, milk, lemon juice and vanilla; mix well. Stir in flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until just moistened. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or till done.

*If you like walnuts, you could also add about 1/4 c. in when you add the zucchini & chocolate chips; I choose not to.

Roasted Potatoes

These are SO good!! My whole family LOVES them!

You will need:
6-8 medium sized potatoes, cut into cubes (I leave the skins on)
2 1/2 t. kosher salt
3-4 t. lemon juice
1 1/2 t. dill weed (dried)
3/4 t. paprika
3/4 t. black pepper
3 t. minced garlic
olive oil (I just drizzle this on but I'm guessing it would be about 1/8 - 1/4 c.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos

Last week in our small group we celebrated the completion of our Old Testament study with a veggie themed party. One of our group friends brought these stuffed jalapenos...they were DELICIOUS!! I didn't get the recipe from her but I went on a search online and found something either the exact same or very similar. I made them yesterday!!

You will need:

1# ground pork sausage (I used Bob Evans roll sausage, original flavor)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. shredded parmesan cheese (I used 1 c. of the grated kind)
approx. 1# large fresh jalepeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Brown sausage; drain off grease and rinse with hot water.

Mix sausage, cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each pepper half. Arrange peppers in a 9x13 baking dish.

I sprinkled about 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese over the top.

Bake 20 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.

They say you can serve them with ranch dressing...I did not try this as they are good enough just by themselves!

ENJOY!! :)


**Note: While working with the peppers, wearing gloves is beneficial!!

Asian Salad

I was looking online for a recipe to make this type of salad. I ended up taking ideas from a few different recipes to come up with this.

You will need:
1 bag of cole slaw mix (approx. 16 oz.)
1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced
1 pkg. chicken flavored ramen noodles, broken into small pieces
8 oz. cashews
2 T. butter
2 teaspoons of sesame seeds

Dressing:
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 T. soy sauce
1/4 c. cider vinegar


In a skillet, melt 2 T. butter and add cashews, noodles and the seasoning packet from the noodles. Toss around in pan until lightly browned. Add sesame seeds toward the end of browning. Once browned, remove from heat to cool.

In large bowl, combine slaw mix, green onions and noodle mixture.

For dressing, combine sugar, oil, soy sauce and vinegar. Mix well with whisk. Pour over salad and toss together.

Serve immediately.

ENJOY!!