New Blog!

This is a group of 13 friends and neighbors that get together once a month to enjoy good food and share recipes. Each month a different girl hosts and does all the cooking. Every few months we have a "couples night" which means we get to bring our husbands and two girls work together to host the increased crowd. By the years end, each of us has only had to cook one great meal and in exchange you get to enjoy 9 others!


Thursday, October 29, 2015

Angela Miller's Asian night

Stir­fry Sukiyaki Udon
recipe adapted from Lovely Lanvin
 Ingredients
1 Pound Thinly sliced Beef (if using as a side dish, this recipe works fine to skip the meat)
1 medium sized Yellow onion
12 Shiitake Mushrooms stemmed and sliced
4 servings of Udon Noodles, fresh or dry cooked according to package instructions and drained
6 green onions
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
Sauce:
1 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Rice Vinegar
2 Tablespoon Gochujang
Instructions
1. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a large Wok or Skillet over medium high heat add the oil.
3. When pan is hot add the meat and onions and brown them
4. When meat and onions are nicely browned lower heat to medium and add Shiitake mushrooms and the sauce mixture and cook together until blended well, about two minutes.
5. Add the cooked udon noodles, stirring carefully. Do not over mix, let noodles simmer in the sauce for about 2 minutes making sure the sauce is completely coating the noodles.
6. Mix in green onions



Crockpot Cashew Chicken

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/10/slow-cooker-cashew-chicken.html


My favorite fried rice recipe

http://www.food.com/recipe/best-copycat-benihana-japanese-chicken-rice-514982

Friday, September 25, 2015

Cafe Rio Night at Monica's September 25th

The recipes for the Barbacoa Pork, Lime Cilantro Rice and Creamy Tomatillo Dressing came from the following blog:




Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

  • 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
  • 2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
  • 8 ounces raspberries
  • 1 pound strawberries
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  •  1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
  • 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
  • butter flavored cooking spray
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar
Directions

  1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  1. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
  1. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.



Mint Limade

Syrup:


1 3/4 cups white sugar
2 cups water
2-3 sprigs fresh mint (just mint, not peppermint or spearmint)


Limeade:

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lime juice
8-10 cups cold water
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
Ice

Garnishes (optional):

Fresh mint sprigs
Fresh lime slices
1/2 cup sugar + freshly grated zest of 1 lime combined (for sugaring the rims of the glasses)


Instructions:
Combine the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and strain the mint leaves. Allow to cool at room temperature or place in the refrigerator. The syrup can be made a few days ahead of time.

When ready to serve, place the chopped mint leaves in the bottom of the serving pitcher. Add the syrup, freshly squeezed lime juice, and 8 cups of cold water. Taste and add additional water to taste (if necessary). If serving over ice, you might want to make it a tiny bit sweeter than you would normally like to account for the dilution from the melted ice.

To make the lime sugar for the rims of the glasses, mix the zest of one lime with 1/2 cup sugar. Using a damp paper towel, wipe around the rim of each glass and then invert the glass into the lime sugar. Carefully fill the sugar-rimmed glasses with ice cubes and pour the limeade into the glasses to serve.
Makes 12-14 servings.

Strawberry Mint Limeade: After pouring into glasses, add a spoonful or two of strawberry sauce to taste. Other berries like blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries can be substituted for strawberries in the sauce to make other variations.

Pico De Gallo

Ingredients



  • 1 medium tomato, diced ( I used 4 Roma)
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 2 sprigs fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 green onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine tomato, onion, jalapeno pepper (to taste,) cilantro and green onion. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir until evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.


Fried Ice Cream


Ingredients

1 quart vanilla ice cream

1 cup crushed frosted cornflakes

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, or 1 cup chopped walnuts, or 1 cup cookie crumbs

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons sugar

Vegetable oil, for frying

Hot chocolate sauce, optional

Whipped cream, optional

Directions:

With an ice cream scoop, form 4 large balls of ice cream. Place on a waxed paper lined sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

In a bowl, combine the cornflake crumbs with either the coconut, walnuts or cookie crumbs (or any combination). Spread the mixture in a shallow dish.

Dip the ice cream balls in the crumb mixture and freeze for 30 minutes.

In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar. Dip the coated ice cream balls into the eggs, then roll in the crumb mixture, coating completely. Freeze for 1 hour. (If necessary, or for a thicker crust, roll again in eggs and crumbs until the balls are completely coated.)

Heat the oil in a large pot or fryer to 400 degrees F. One at a time, lower the balls into the oil and fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the oil and place in a dessert bowl. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, as desired. Repeat with the remaining ice cream.


Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Kimberly's Mac n' Cheese night

Mac & Cheese Tips:
Choose a good curvy noodle. Thin noodles will not grab the cheese sauce. Boil plenty of water, add some salt and noodles and stir. Cook noodles to al dente, then shock in cold water to end the cooking process. They continue to soften in the cheese sauce; you don’t want them to go mushy.
Decide if you want your mac regular or baked. Baking it just turns it really creamy inside and a bit crispy on top. Bake your mac & cheese at 4000 for 10 -15 mins, with or without breadcrumbs. 
If you want to put breadcrumbs on top, Panko is best. It remains crunchy! Toast them in the oven first on a cookie sheet until golden brown, as they don’t toast during the mac baking process.
Choose your cheeses and add ins – I’ve had great success with expensive aged cheeses and a regular cheddar brick. Some of the best add ins are:
  • Chicken
  • Spinach
  • Mushrooms
  • Broccoli
  • Tuna 
  • Sriracha
  • Bacon
  • Hot dogs
  • Sausage
  • Artichoke hearts
  • Roasted butternut squash 
  • Asparagus
  • Garlic
Start with a basic béchamel sauce -
Béchamel Sauce (Mac sauce)
  • 3 c whole milk
  • ½ c unsalted butter
  • ½ c all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp kosher salt  (if using table salt always halve the amount asked for in kosher salt)
Heat milk over medium heat until it starts to bubble, remove from heat. (Do not scorch!) 
Melt butter in separate sauce pan over medium heat. When melted, add flour and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to brown, 3 to 4 mins.
Slowly add the warm milk into the butter mixture while whisking constantly. Once all milk is in, set pan back on medium-high heat and continue to whisk for a couple of minutes until the sauce thickens and becomes silky smooth. Take off heat and add the salt. 
Classic Mac & Chesse
½ lb dry pasta
2 c mac sauce 
1 ½ c cheddar cheese (Can go extra sharp or aged if you’d like)
½ c grated pecorino romano cheese
Add cheese to the sauce and melt over medium heat until barely melted. Stir in noodles and continue cooking until pasta is hot.  If you’d like to bake

Garlic Mac
4 lg garlic cloves minced
3 tbsp unsalted butter
½ lb dry pasta
2 c mac sauce
1 ½ c grated gouda
½ c grated pecorino romano 
Combine garlic and butter. Cook pasta. Add sauce, cheeses and garlic butter in heavy bottomed pot and cook over medium heat stirring until cheese is barely melted. Add pasta and continue cooking until pasta is hot. 

Greek Mac
½ lb dry pasta
1 c crumbled feta
½ c grated jack cheese
½ c grated pecorino cheese
2 tsp minced shallots
½ c thawed from frozen chopped spinach, drained
½ c artichoke hearts
2 c mac sauce
½ c panko crumbs
Cook pasta, heat oven to 4000. Add cheeses and spinach and artichokes and stir until cheeses begin to melt. The feta will remain lumpy. Add cooked noodles, stir until hot and pour into baking dish and top with panko. Bake until bubbly, about 10-15 mins. 
Spicy Mac
½ dry pasta
2 c mac sauce
2 c grated pepper jack 
2 tsp pepper flakes
Kosher salt to taste 
Add cheeses to sauce, melt and stir in noo
Gluten Free
Substitute quinoa pasta and tapioca flour where called for pasta and flour.

Roasted Veggies 
Wash and cut out the stems of Brussel sprouts (that is where brussels can be bitter) and cut in half. Wash baby carrots or cut full carrots into 1 inch pieces.  Place on a large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.
Roast in a 400oven until tender but not mushy, usually about 20 mins.
*Tasty addition to the brussels -  toss them in a bacon vinaigrette dressing.
Cook ½ lb bacon until crispy. Use ½ c or less of bacon fat, ¼ c cider vinegar and 2 tbsp shallots. Top with bacon bits. SUPER YUMMY!


Citrus Salad
Layer salad greens like Romaine, sliced oranges, sliced avocado, and soaked shallots
Soaked shallots
¼ c red wine vinegar
¼ c apple cider vinegar
¼ c sugar
3 shallots, thinly sliced
Peel shallots, slice very thin. Mix thoroughly the vinegars and sugar (I like to use my immersion blender to make sure the sugar is distributed well.) Let the shallots soak in the vinaigrette for at least an hour in the fridge so they pick up the flavor. Then layer on top of salad, drizzle whole salad lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and cracked pepper. 


Crème Brulee

Buy the boxed mix! So easy and creamy, all you need is whipping cream and the mix. 

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Amy's Breakfast dinner night

Appetizer -
Maple Candied Bacon
The author is right - the bacon needs the full 30-35 min. cooking time.  The pieces of bacon against the sides cook faster so you may need to remove those at 20 min, then keep checking the remaining pieces every few minutes.  Watch it like a hawk!

Glazed Apple Crumb Muffins

Award Winning Zucchini Bread
you only need 1 recipe of topping for 2 breads.  Just put the topping on then bake for 1 hour.


Main Course-
***On Both of these baked french toast recipes I recommend not using the "American version" of french bread, buy a bakery bread that has some density to it, otherwise the dish ends up very soggy.  You can even let the bread sit out for a day, or slice and bake it for a few minutes to let it stale/crisp a bit so that it soaks up the egg nicely.
Personally I think there is nothing to be gained "flavor" wise by soaking it in the egg mixture over night.  It does make things easy in the morning - but you run the risk of it being soggy.  These dishes can be made and immediately cooked (just press the bread down real good with your hands in the egg mixture and toss a few times to help it soak in).  You could also assemble it the night before but add the egg mixture the next morning before cooking.

**For the Gluten free version I found a 2pack of small french baguettes in the freezer aisle at Harmons by all the other gluten free frozen breads.

Strawberry Rhubarb Baked French Toast (I only used 1 1/2 C. of milk and I used lemon zest instead of orange)
*Tip: Rhubarb can be chopped up and frozen for later use in recipes like this!

Berry Baked French Toast
use 1 sliced round "authentic" french loaf of bread (don't use the heel)
dip both sides of the bread in this egg mixture:
4 eggs
1/2 C. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

then spread this mixture onto both sides of each slice
Melt together
1 C. butter
2 C. brown sugar
2 T. corn syrup

Place one layer of egg-dipped bread slices in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle a frozen blend of berries on top then Layer with more french bread slices.  You can spoon some of the remaining egg mixture over top- just don't do too much or it will be soggy!  (You can also use pears, peaches, apples, etc. between the slices).  You can bake immediately, or let it sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Bake at 350 for 25 min.

Carmel Syrup
1 C Buttermilk
2 Cubes Butter
2 Cups Sugar
1 tsp. Soda
2 Tbsp. Karo Syrup

Boil this for 5 min stirring occasionally. This will expand so use a very large soup or stock pot.

Then add-
2 tsp vanilla

I keep this in a jar in the fridge. It hardens, but you just pop it in the microwave for a minute or two (stir in between if needed).
Coconut Syrup
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coconut flavoring

Bring to boil, take off heat add vanilla or coconut flavoring.

Dessert:
Just a scoop of lemon gelato (I found some in the ice-cream isle at Harmons) with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over top, sprinkle with Kosher Salt, then drizzle with honey.




Saturday, March 14, 2015

Michelle and Britt's Tour Of Italy Couples Night

Brittany's Food:

Chicken Parmigiana Rollatini 
serves 6 (if you use big chicken breasts it serves double that) 
(recipe inspired by skinnytaste.com)
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 4 lbs
8 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of liquid
2/3 C part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
1 egg
2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2 C italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten with a dash of milk
1 C marinara sauce
salt and pepper
1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.  Lay one chicken breast on a cutting board with what would have been the skin side up.  Place your hand on top, and using a chef’s knife, cut the breast down the middle being sure to stop before cutting all the way through.  Open the breast so the cut surface is exposed, cover with plastic wrap and lightly pound the chicken to an even thickness.  Season both sides of the chicken well with salt and pepper.  Repeat with remaining breasts.
2.  In a medium sized bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, half of the mozzarella, half of the parmesan, garlic and 1 egg.  Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper to the mixture.  Evenly divide and spread the filling on the inside cut side of the chicken.  Roll up the chicken and place it seam side down on the work surface.
3.  On a plate, mix together the bread crumbs and the remaining parmesan cheese.  Place your 2 beaten eggs with the dash of milk in a small bowl.  Dip each breast first in the eggs, then roll them into the breadcrumbs to coat.  Place them on your greased baking dish seam side down.
(I skipped step three becasue my rolls were huge. I placed them seam down and then brushed them with the egg mixture and threw the bread crumbs and cheese on the top casserole style. Turned out 
4.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and top with marinara sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese.  Bake for another 3-4 minutes.  Serve with marinara sauce
**For gluten free, be sure to use gluten free bread crumbs instead!
Zuppa Toscana (Copycat)

Ingredients:
1lb ground Italian sausage
1 ½ tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
4 Tbsp bacon pieces
2 tsp garlic puree
10 cups water
5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb sliced russet potatoes
¼ of a bunch of Kale

Prep Instructions:
Sautee Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.  In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic for approximately 15 mins or until the onions are soft.  Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in the sausage. Add Kale just before serving 

Bread Sticks

Ingredients:
1 ½ Tbsp yeast dissolved in 2 ¼ C warm water
3 Tbsp Sugar
¾ tsp salt
5 ¼ C flour

Prep Instructions:
Mix together and Knead three minutes. Let rest 10 min.  Melt 1 cube of butter on baking sheet.  Roll out dough and cut into strips. Place back together in same rectangular shape on baking sheet, turning in melted butter to coat both sides. Sprinkle generously with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese.  Let rise 15-20 min Bake at 375 for 15-20min. 


Madi Gras Celebration April 2014

Britt's Food
I got the gumbo recipe from simplyrecipes.com and have just substituted her words for my own. 

v

Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage Recipe

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6-8
A note on File: this thickens the soup after it's all done. Please just come borrow mine. I rarely use it. 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup peanut oil, or other vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
  • 1 quart shellfish* or chicken stock, plus 1 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 8-12 ounces smoked andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds( I used harmon's uncooked sausage for the above and just cooked it prior)
  • 2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3-5 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
  • File powder (optional)
  • Hot sauce (such as Tabasco) to taste

The author says that you can make your own shellfish stock with the shells from the shrimp. This is what I did and it turned out great. You put the shells and tail tips into a pot and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring it all to a boil then reduce to a simmer. You then simmer uncovered for an hour. You then just strain and use in the recipe. She says you can also use diluted clam juice. 
You can see her pictures and actual recipe here : http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/shrimp_gumbo_with_andouille_sausage/#ixzz3UNYk3f22

Directions:
First,you make the roux. (this part is the hardest. You have to be patient)The author suggests to heat the peanut oil in a large bottom pot like a dutch oven but I used my non stick stock pot and it was fine. So heat the oil on medium high heat, for a minute or two. You then whisk in the flour and lower the heat to medium. This next part is important so don't get distracted by something else. You need to stir the roux almost constantly, make sure you are scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir. You want the roux to cook until it's the color of peanut butter and then you lower the heat to medium.You continue cooking on medium and stirring very carefully so as not to burn it. You will stop when it's the color of an old penny. She says that takes 20-30 min but I'm remembering that I chickened out before mine cooked that long. Go off the color. Literally find an old penny and set it down next to you.

2 So in New Orleans when you combine green pepper, onion and celery they refer to that as the "holy trinity. So go ahead and add the "holy trinity" and increase the heat to about medium-high. You will cook for about 5 min stirring constantly.. Add in the garlic and cook for another two minutes. Next stir in the Cajun seasoning.

3 In this next section it is important to follow the recipe or you will "break" the roux. It happens if you were to add cold water to your roux. If that were to happen you would see a pool of oil on top of your soup. So in a separate pot, heat up the stock and water until it's steaming. Next you slowly add the hot stock and water to the bell pepper onion roux mix, make sure to stirr constantly.( Are you sensing a theme yet :) ) Bring the gumbo mixture up to a  simmer and then add the Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste.Next you simmer slowly for 30 minutes.
Quote from the author: "If you find that the roux has broken a bit and oil is pooling on the surface of the gumbo, whisk in about another 1/2 to 1 cup of water. This will often "fix" it"

4 Next you stir in the andouille sausage( I got mine from harmon's It was their fresh uncooked sausage and just cooked it before because I like their fresh sausage better than the precooked stuff) So just heat that for 5 minutes.You then add your shrimp and bring it back up to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes, until the shrimp have just barely cooked through.(shrimp get tough when they overcook.)  Add some salt and black pepper to taste.
You serve this dish over white rice and garnish with green onions and sprinkle with file powder and a dash or two of hot sauce if you want a kick to it.




Friday, March 13, 2015

Salads, Soups and Sandwiches by Angela Miller

Salads:

Caesar Bowtie Salad (from Bite Size Cafe)

Romaine Lettuce
Bowtie Pasta
Black Olives (I leave mine whole)
Cherry tomatoes
Artichoke Hearts
Grilled Chicken
Croutons
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Caesar Dressing (I use Newman's Own)


Chicken Strawberry Salad (from Plates and Palates) 

Lettuce
Spinach
Strawberries
Craisins
Grilled Chicken
Bacon
Cashews
Feta Cheese
Honey Lemon dressing

Honey-lemon dressing from Jamie Oliver (this was the recipe I used, but I tweaked it until I found the taste I liked.  Then I added poppy seeds because it looked prettier :)


  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon good honey
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

  • Soups:

    Zuppas Cauliflower soup - from Jamie Cooks it up

    Time: 30 minutes
    Yield: 6-7  (1 cup) servings
    Recipe adapted from Butter with a Side of Bread
    SOUP:1 medium onion, chopped
    3 T butter
    2 pounds cauliflower
    1/4 C flour
    2 C half and half
    3 1/4 C water
    2 chicken bullion cubes, or 2 tsp bullion granules
    1 1/2 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
    1/2 C pepper jack cheese, shredded
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 tsp Dijon mustard
    TOPPINGS:
    Bacon
    Cheddar Cheese
    Green Onions

    1. Chop a medium-sized onion.
    2. Grab a large soup pot and toss 3 tablespoons of butter into it. Melt it over medium high heat, then add the onion and let cook until the onions are translucent and have a beautiful golden brown color. Should take about 5 minutes.
    3. While your onions are sauteing, wash a lovely head of cauliflower and remove the green leafy portion. Chop it up into pieces that are roughly 1 inch in size. Don't get out a ruler, okay. Just give them a rough chop.
    4. When your onions are golden brown add 1/4 cup flour to the pot, stirring quickly to incorporate and make a roux. (A roux is the pasty substance you see above. It will act as a thickener for your soup).
    5. Add 2 teaspoons chicken bullion granules to 3 1/4 cups hot water. Pour the broth into the pot about 2/3 cup at a time, whisking the mixture until it bubbles and then adding more broth.
    6. Add 2 cups half and half, a little at a time whisking as you go. It may seem a bit tedious, but the soup will heat up much faster if you add just a bit of the liquid at a time.
    7. When you have a nice simmer, add the chopped cauliflower. Bring the mixture back up to a simmer and let the vegetable cook until soft. Should take about 15 minutes.
    8. When the cauliflower is fork tender, turn the heat off and blend the soup up. You can either stick an immersion blender into the pot and blend it until smooth. Or, you can carefully pour the hot soup into a blender.
    9. When the soup is smooth, add 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, stirring to incorporate.
    10. Add 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese. (It's best to use freshly grated cheese here, it will melt a lot better for you).
    11. Stir the cheese in, allowing it to melt.
    Serve with bacon, more cheese or even a few green onions.
    Enjoy!


    Amy's Tortellini Soup

    1 lb Italian Sausage
    1 onion chopped
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    2 (13-ounce) cans beef broth 
    1 cup water
    1/2 cup apple juice (I like to add more juice to give a sweeter taste)
    3 carrots sliced
    1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
    1 tsp basil and oregano
    1 cup sliced zucchini
    4 tbsp parsley, chopped
    1 green pepper, chopped
    8 oz cheese tortellini (refrigerated or frozen)

    Cook sausage.  Drain fat and add chopped onion and garlic and cook until tender.  Add everything except tortellini.  Simmer 30 min.  Add tortellini 5-10 minutes before serving and cook until tender, but not soggy.  

    Sandwiches:  ( I use the torta rolls from Costco)


    Italian Club Sandwich (from Zuppas)
    Ham, Salami, Turkey, Roasted Sweet Red Peppers, Muenster Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, & Balsamic Spread ( I made a balsamic spread with balsamic vinegar, garlic, mayonnaise, italian seasoning)

    Turkey Bacon Guacamole Sandwich
    Turkey, Bacon, Lettuce, tomatoes, Guacamole, Mayo


    Desserts:

    Mason Jar Desserts

    This website has 10 different mason jar desserts. 
     I did the salted caramel brownie and a variation of the punchbowl cake