Homemade Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup Helmans Mayonaise

1 TBLS minced yellow onion

2 TBLS sweet pickle relish

2 tsp minced dill pickle

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 TBLS minced parsley (optional or dried parsley, I didn't use any the first time I made this)

1/2-1 tsp dried dill. I just sprinkled it in until I liked the taste

Combine all ingredients in a small mason jar, refrigerate at least one hour before using.

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Buffalo Chicken Burgers

1 lbs ground chicken breasts

1/4 cup Franks hot sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 Tbls dried parsley (or fresh)

1 Tbls dried chives (or fresh)

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

Extra: for the burger

good buns, toasted

gorgonzola cheese or blue cheese

lettuce

tomato

olive oil

flavored vinegar

salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients in large bowl. Form in patties. I made 4 patties.

Grilled until internal temp 165 degrees. Don't overcook or it will be dry. 

For the lettuce. I  added a drizzle of olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper. Mixed it and added it to the burger with cheese and tomatoes. 

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Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry

5 Tbls butter

1/4 cup chopped onions

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 3/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup whole milk

2 cups diced rotisserie chicken (or chicken breast cooked)

1 bag 10 ounce frozen peas and carrots 

1/2 package puff pastry (1 sheet)

Spray a 9x9 deep pan with Pam, preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a pan, melt butter add onions, cook until soft.

Add flour to butter and onions on low. Cook a few minutes until the flour is cooked a little. 

Add salt, pepper and oregano to the flour mixtures. cook a few minutes. 

Heat the chicken broth so it is warm, Slowly add chicken broth to flour mixture whisking at all time when slowly pouring in the chicken broth. 

Once combined, add in milk, peas and carrots and chicken. 

Mix until combined. 

Add chicken mixture to pan.

Top with one sheet of puff pastry.

Brush the top of the pastry with milk.

Poke holes in the puff pastry with a knife.

Bake for 30-40 minutes. 

I baked mine for 40. minutes. 

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Roasted Cajun Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower cut in small pieces

olive oil (as much to cover the cauliflower)

2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

preheat oven to 425 degrees

Cut up cauliflower in bite size pieces, place in large bowl, drizzle olive oil over until covered.

Mix together all the dry ingredients.

Pour over cauliflower and olive oil until well mixed.

Spread out on a large pan covered in tin foil.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until done. 

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Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup

1 lbs Jimmy Dean Hot ground sausage

1 Tbls olive oil

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

10 ounce mild Rotel Tomatoes

14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes 

5 ounce can Hot V8 juice

3 cups chicken stock

1 heaping tsp of dried basil, oregano, Italian seasoning and parsley  

a pinch of red pepper flakes

15 ounce cannelloni beans (white beans) rinse and drained

2 cups kale or Spinach

10 ounce Rigatoni, Cooked or small noodle.

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Fry the sausage until browned, drain and set aside.

Add to same pan olive oil, cook carrots, onions and garlic on low for a few minutes. Don't burn the garlic, If you want to cook the onion and carrots first, then add the garlic in at the last 1 minute cooking time.  

Add the sausage, carrots, onions, garlic, canned tomatoes, Rotel, V8, chicken stock and seasoning to a large pot or to an instant pot and pressure cook for 20 minutes with rapid release at the end of cooking. If adding to a large pot cook for maybe same time a nice simmer or until it looks like it is coming together.  

Then add cannelloni beans and spinach. 

Add pasta right before you eat it. If you are going to eat all soup at once, just stir in all the pasta.

If you are not going to eat the soup all at once and will have leftovers, serve the soup and add some pasta to individual bowls. 

For leftovers: Once the soup is completely cooled off, you can add the noodles to the cold soup. That way the noodles won't continuing to cook. Refrigerate and warm up for leftovers.  

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Baked Ziti

Béchamel Sauce

2 Tbls butter

2 large garlic cloves minced

2 Tbls four

2 Cups whole milk warmed

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups finely grated parmesan cheese

Red Sauce

1 Tbls olive oil

1 ounce pancetta (optional)

2 Tbls tomato paste

40 ounces of my Traditional Red Sauce

1/4 cup basil shredded

Other ingredients

1 lbs dried Ziti noodles

1 lbs fresh mozzarella cheese ball cut in large chunks

1/2 cup parmesan cheese finely shredded for the top of the pasta at the end

Instructions:

Boil ziti noodles in salted boiling water for 8 minutes. Strain and add a little olive oil to cool.

Bechamel sauce:

in a large pan melt butter on low, when melted add garlic. Cook a few minutes, don't burn.

Add in Flour, stir and cook a few minutes on low to cook out the flour taste, 

Slowly whisk in a little of the warm milk, whisking at all times  until all the milk is all in and  combined and no lumps. 

Add salt and pepper to taste, boil then light simmer for 8 minutes until thickened. 

Take off the heat and add the 2 cups parmesan cheese. Mix until melted. 

Pour in a large bowl to cool.

Red Sauce:

In the large sauce pan cook pancetta with 1 Tbls olive oil until brown. Drain and set aside.

In same pan, cook the tomato paste in some of the pancetta oil, until blended and cooked 1 minute, 

Add some of the traditional red sauce to blend with the tomato paste.

Take off heat, Add all the red sauce, pancetta, paste and basil to large bowl.  

Let cool completely if you are going to cook it later. Or just assemble and cook. 

Assemble:

Preheat stove to 350 degrees

Spray a 9x13 pan with pam.

Mix the ziti pasta, béchamel sauce and large chunks of mozzarella in a large bowl.

Put some red sauce down on the bottom of the 9x13 pan. Save 1 cup for the top of the pasta. 

Add some pasta béchamel sauce mixture on top and repeat until all the red sauce and pasta is used up, except for the 1 cup of red sauce. 

Top the pasta with dollops of 1 cup of red sauce and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes if cooking right away until bubbly,

Broil at the end for around 4 minutes.

If you will bake it later from refrigerator:
Cover dish with an oiled piece of aluminum foil and refrigerate.  When ready to serve, bake covered at 400 degrees for 30 mins.  Then, uncover and bake an additional 20-30. minutes or until sauce is bubbling around the edges and ziti is heated throughout.
You can broil the last 4 minutes to brown the cheese.

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Chicken Sausage, Kale, Gruyere Cheese Quiche

9 inch deep dish frozen crust (you can make your own)

1 cup shredded gruyere cheese (or any kind, I had gruyere to use up)

Kale, sliced thin to cover the cheese maybe 1/2 cup (or spinach)

Onions, finely diced around 2-3 Tbls 

5 chicken sausage links, that were precooked and frozen, I thawed in microwave and diced. 

(I got these chicken links frozen from Costco. Use any links or ham or bacon, make sure they are cooked)

6 eggs

1 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk

salt and pepper to taste (you can add a splash of hot sauce or Cheyanne pepper)

optional: I added some feta cheese crumbles on top of the eggs for a salty tangy flavor because I had some in my refrigerator.

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Take deep dish out of freezer, add shredded cheese, kale, onions, sausage in the shell in that order. You want the cheese on the bottom. 

mix the eggs and heavy cream in a large bowl. add salt and pepper.

Pour egg mixture over cheese, kale, sausage. 

add feta on top if you want.

put on a cookie sheet lined with tinfoil.

bake for 45 mins until middle set. 

Let cool before cutting.  

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