Tomato Penne Pasta with Cheese

Tomato Penne Pasta with Cheese
4 cups penne pasta (cooked)
2 T. Shirley J Pizza & Pasta Seasoning

1 tsp. garlic
1 cup Shirley J Universal Sauce
4 cups water
1 cup tomato sauce
½ cup Mozzarella cheese (grated)
1 cup fresh spinach chopped

Directions:
Combine Shirley J Universal Sauce and water, then tomato sauce, seasoning, garlic, spinach and cheese and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour sauce mixture over cooled pasta, stir to combine and serve hot.

Serves 6

Turkey, Brie, & Apple Grilled Sandwich

First I should tell ya'll that my neighbors are overwhelming me with fresh apples so I am looking for every healthy recipe on the planet that contains apples, so I'm sure more apple recipes will follow. Second, of all of the sandwiches I've ever had, I don't think any have been quite so perfectly decadent. Go try it and you'll thank me forever! Third, I got this on the Tasty Kitchen website which is actually quite helpful.

• 4 slices Sandwich Bread; Sturdy Enough For Grilling (I used French Bread)
  
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Apple Butter (You Can Substitute Apricot Preserves, Cranberry Dressing, Or Just More Mayonnaise)
• 1 teaspoon Mayonnaise
• 4 ounces, weight Brie Cheese (rind Removed Or Left On)
• 1 whole Apple Of Choice (make It A Crispy And Tasty Choice!)
• 2 slices Turkey Breast, Or More To Taste
• 2 pinch(es) Salt And Pepper (to Taste)

Begin by preheating your panini press, grill pan, skillet or oven. If using a grill pan or skillet, heat over medium heat; if using an oven, set to broil (on the low setting, if that’s an option).

Start building the sandwich by laying out your sandwich bread and lightly brushing the insides with olive oil. On one piece of bread, spread apple butter; on the other, mayonnaise. You don’t need much of either.

Cut the brie into thin slices. To make the brie easier to slice (and to remove the rind, if you’re like me and want your cheese to be free), put the brie in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. Use a serrated knife with long, smooth, strokes for happy brie slicing. Place one layer of brie slices on one piece of the bread.

Next, thinly slice your apple of choice. I used a Granny Smith, but you can use what you’d like. Just make sure it’s nice and crispy. Top the layer of brie with a layer of apple slices.

Add the turkey* on top of the apple. I used turkey breast from my local deli, which was fine, but I can’t wait to try it with that leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!

(*If you’d like to make a version without the turkey, add a second layer of brie in place of the turkey for a fancy pants grilled cheese.)

Season with salt and pepper to your liking. I like lots of pepper.

If you’re using a panini press, grill pan or skillet, lightly brush the heated surface with olive oil before placing the sandwich on.

Panini/grill press users: place the sandwich on and “press” for about 4 minutes. Check every minute or so to avoid burning. You want the cheese to melt and the sandwich to warm but not burn. And the little grill lines are cool, too.

Grill pan or skillet users: place the sandwich in the pan, then place another pan on top to press the sandwich. Or press the sandwich with a spatula. Cook on one side for about 2 minutes, then flip and cook on other side for about 2 more minutes. Again, you’ll want the cheese to melt and sandwich to warm but be careful to watch for burning.

Using your oven on broil? Lightly brush the outside of the sandwich with olive oil. Place sandwich on a baking sheet or directly on the oven baking rack in a heated oven. Be very careful to watch for burning. After about 2 minutes, carefully (carefully!) flip sandwich and continue heating for another minute or two. Cook time will depend on your oven and your bread choice. Don’t walk away—keep an eye on it.

Enjoy!

Cilantro-Lime Rice

• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• salt to taste

Bring the rice, water, and chicken bouillon to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice, cilantro, and salt; fluff with a fork and serve.

Renae's Hot Fudge

2 c. sugar
4 T.butter
4 T. cocoa
1 can evaporated milk

Blend together and dissolve. Boil gently 2-4 minutes,according to how thick you like it. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. If it should curdle, put in blender and whip. Makes 2.5 cups.

(Thanks Sam for typing it and e-mailing it to me).

Fresh Tomato and Spinach Creamy Soup

I have made this soup twice lately and I just love it. Sad that the fresh tomatoes are gone now.

In a large soup pan, saute in olive oil:
diced onion
red pepper flakes
garlic
fresh or dried basil

When onion is soft and transparent add:
diced fresh tomatoes
cut up fresh spinach

Stir for a minute or two then add:
4 cups of water with 1 cup of Shirley J White Cheddar Cheese sauce mixed together.

Bring to a boil to thicken and serve.

Broccoli Cheese Soup with Potatoes

In a large saucepan, combine and heat on medium:
2 c. water
2 tsp. parsley flakes
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. pepper

When boiling, cook (stirring frequently):
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. carrots
1 c. celery
2 c. potatoes
2 c. broccoli or cauliflower

When tender, combine flour and milk mixture (after having whisked it until smooth):
3 c. milk
4 tbsp. flour

Stir in 1 pound Velveeta cheese and enjoy. Absolutely delicious!

Orange-Cashew Chicken & Rice

So fast and tasty. It's worth remembering to buy the cashews next time you're at the store.

Prep/Total time: 30 min

1 cup cooked rice
1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges
1/4 cup chopped cashews (I didn't chop them and it was fine)
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2 in. pieces
1 Tbsp. canola oil (I skipped this)
1/2 cup chopped bok choy (didn't kow what it was so skipped it)
1/4 cup minced chives (didn't have any so...skipped)

Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, drain the oranges reserving 2 Tbsp. juice. In a small bowl, combine the cashews, broth, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and reserved juice; set aside.

In a large wok or skillet, stir-fry chicken in oil until no longer pink. Add cashew mixture; cook 1 minute longer. (At this point I wanted the sauce a little thicker to pour over rice so I thickened it with corn starch and water.) Add the bok choy, chives and reserved oranges; cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Fluff rice with a fork; serve with chicken mixture.

Sausage Potato Soup

Ingredients
16-24 oz smoked sausage (put in as much or as little as you'd like), cut into 1/2" pieces
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped onion (I used half an onion)
2 cans cream of potato soup (or 3 if you'd prefer less corn)
2 cans creamed corn (Next time I make this, I think I will do three pototao soups and only one corn because it made for a lot of corn)
1 1/3 cups milk

Directions
* Over medium heat, melt a tiny bit of butter. Add sausage, green pepper, and onion and cook until sausage is brown. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through. Enjoy!As you can see, I'm a fan of easy. Let me know if you like it.

Spiced Wassail

Ingredients
1 can cranberry juice
1 can pineapple juice
1 can apple juice
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 whole cloves
2 sticks cinnamon, broken

Directions
* In large saucepan, combine all of the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Discard orange and lemon slices, cloves and cinnamon before serving.Warning: only make this recipe if you are okay with cranberries. It isn't as strong as straight up cranberry juice, but you can definitely taste them.