Turkey Cranberry Wreath

The perfect thing for leftovers this time of year! Thanks Natalie for the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

2 (235g) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
1/2 cup celery, sliced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, snipped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded (1 cup)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 egg, separated

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Unroll crescent dough; separate into 16 triangles. With wide ends of triangles toward the center. arrange 8 triangles in a circle on Large Round Stone. Corners of wide ends will touch and points will extend 1 inch beyond of Baking Stone. Arrange remaining 8 triangles in center matching ends. Seal seams. (Points will overlap in center; do not seal.)

Measure mayonnaise, mustard and black pepper into Classic Batter Bowl.

Grate cheese into bowl and mix filling. Scoop filling over seams of dough, forming a circle.

Coarsely chop walnuts; sprinkle over filling. Beginning in center, lift one dough triangle across mixture. Continue alternating with outer triangle, slightly overlapping to form wreath. Tuck last end under first.

Separate egg. Beat egg white lightly; brush over dough. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cut and serve. Yields 10 servings.

"THE" Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2-2 lbs bulk italian sausage (might mix in some hot sausage, or use italian turkey sausage)

1 package of no-bake lasagna noodles

1 cup chopped onion

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can (28 oz) undrained diced tomatoes

12 oz. tomato paste

2 tsp sugar

2 1/2 tsp salt, divided

1 1/2 tsp basil, crushed (or 5-6 TBL of fresh basil)

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp pepper

1 (15 oz) ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 TBL parsley flakes or 1/3 cup fresh parsley

1 cup sliced, ripe olives

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cups of 3 cheese blend- asiago, romano, parmesan

DIRECTIONS:

Cook sausage, onion and garlic in a large skillet until sausage is no longer pink and onion is tender, drain. Soak the noodles in a bowl of warm water. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, 2 tsp of salt, basil, fennel seed and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low. Simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, blend ricotta, egg, parsley and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce into a 13x9 inch baking dish (ceramic or stoneware works really well). Layer 1/3 each of the lasagna noodles remaining- meat mixture, ricotta mixture, olives, mozzarella, and 3 cheese blend. Repeat layers and cover with foil. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake about 20 more minutes until heated thru. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Make 8-12 servings.

Santa Fe Salad

I got a great coupon for the new Hidden Valley Salad Kits- so I thought I'd try this out! I just baked chicken breast in a pico de gallo marinade, and then topped it with cheddar cheese on a bed of butter lettuce and the kit contains. It was great! When I make it again, I'll probably add some avocado, black beans and corn. YUM!

Hearty Beef Stew

INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs beef stew meat, cut into cubes
1/3 cup Reduced Fat Italian Dressing
2 cups water
2 tsp beef bouillon granules
1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 10.5 oz. can of beef broth
1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bag of baby potatoes
1 bag of baby carrots
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 TBL cornstarch
1/3 cup hot water

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot, brown meat with italian dressing. Add in the next 10 ingredients and bring to a boil. Add in potatoes, baby carrots, green bell pepper and onion. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 2-3 hours. Combine cornstarch and hot water until smooth; stir into the stew. Bring to a boil until thick and discard bay leaf before serving.

Serve with parmesan cheese biscuits.

"The" Chili

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground beef (the leaner, the better)

1 lb ground pork

1 lg onion, diced

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained

1 28 oz can of tomato puree

2 cans kidney beans- I use one light, one dark

1 4.5 oz can of green chilis, chopped

1 cup of Gusiness Stout Beer

2-3 cloves garlic

2 TBL Chili Powder (or 1 TBL Chili Powder, 1 TBL Creole Seasoning)

2 tsp garlic salt

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 TBL cocoa powder

Hot Pepper Sauce, to taste

Toppings: Shredded Cheddar, Sour Cream, Lime Wedges

Directions:

Cook meats and onion over medium high heat until the meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and return to pot.

Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients (not toppings, of course), Put 2-3 shots of hot sauce in at this point.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours.

Serve with desired toppings. Cook up some corn bread muffins with this chili! Also, if you don't want the beans to get too mushy- wait to put those in until the last 5-10 minutes of cooking. I always tweak this as I go- adding in different seasonings, etc. as I taste test it while it cooks. This is just the base of the recipe!

Pumpkin Sausage Ziti

I made the Richard Simmon's version of Paula Deen's Pumpkin Ziti! It was a big hit! Find it HERE.