Recipe & Photo Courtesy AllRecipes.com
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 (4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). In a small bowl, combine crushed thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Rub evenly over pork chops.

Melt butter and olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Cook pork chops for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, turning once. Remove from skillet and keep warm in preheated oven.

In the skillet, combine raspberry jam, orange juice, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until sauce is reduced to desired consistency (sauce will thicken as it cools). Spoon sauce in a pool onto a serving plate, and top with pork chops. Garnish with sprigs of thyme.

Awesome Enchiladas

Recipe & Photo Courtesy AllRecipes.com
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into chunks (or ground beef)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
1 (1.25 ounce) package mild taco seasoning mix
1 bunch green onions, chopped, divided
1 cup water
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
5 (12 inch) flour tortillas
3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives

DIRECTIONS:
Place the chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken pieces are no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Shred chicken by placing two forks back to back and pulling meat apart. Set the shredded chicken aside. If using ground beef, brown it. Meanwhile, combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and chili powder in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken, chopped green chilies, taco seasoning, half of the bunch of chopped green onion, and water. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, onion powder, and garlic powder; simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stir 1 cup of the soup mixture into the skillet with the chicken mixture. Spread the remaining soup mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the chicken filling before folding the tortillas, reserving half of the shredded cheese for topping the enchiladas. Fold tortillas over the filling and place seam-side down in the prepared pan.

Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Cover with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the reserved chopped green onions and the sliced olives on top of the cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 25 minutes.

Egg Rolls

Recipe & Photo Courtesy AllRecipes.com
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground pork, beef, chicken or mini shrimp
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 quart peanut oil for frying
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 ounces shredded carrots
8 (7 inch square) egg roll wrappers
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Season meat with ginger and garlic powder and mix thoroughly. Heat mixture in a medium skillet, stirring, until pork is cooked through and no longer pink. Set aside.

In another large skillet heat oil to about 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) or medium high heat. While oil is heating, combine flour and water in a bowl until they form a paste. In a separate bowl combine the cabbage, carrots and reserved pork mixture. Mix all together.

Lay out one egg roll skin with a corner pointed toward you. Place about a 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the cabbage, carrot and pork mixture on egg roll paper and fold corner up over the mixture. Fold left and right corners toward the center and continue to roll. Brush a bit of the flour paste on the final corner to help seal the egg roll.

Place egg rolls into heated oil and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels or rack. Put on serving plate and top with sesame seeds if desired.

Bob's Dry Rub

Recipe Courtesy of Bob Kelley, Photo Courtesy Google.com
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 c Paprika
2/3 c Salt
1/3 c Black Pepper
1 c Brown Sugar
1/4 c Chile Powder
1/4 c Cumin
2 T Celery Seed
2 T Celery Salt
1-1/2 T Cayenne Pepper
2 T Ginger
2 T Garlic Powder
3 T Dry Mustard
2 t Cinnamon
1 t ground clove

DIRECTIONS/USES:
Mix it all up. Easy, huh?

Perfect on beef, chicken, pork and fish. Rub it on, slap it on the grill and you have yourself a delicious and ridiculously easy meal.

Eggplant Bake

Photo and Recipe courtesy AllRecipes.com










INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/4" rounds
salt to taste
1/2 - 1 cup pasta sauce
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
Dried basil
Dried oregano
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup crumbled feta cheese -or- shredded mozzarella
4 slices Muenster cheese, torn into strips (optional)
1 lb sweet Italian sausage (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place eggs and bread crumbs in 2 separate bowls. Dip eggplant slices in eggs, then in bread crumbs to coat. Fry coated eggplant slices in the skillet until golden brown. Season with salt, and drain on paper towels. (Alternately, if you prefer to stay away from the grease, bread the eggplant slices as directed, then place on a baking sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray, and bake 14 minutes on each side.)

In the prepared baking dish, spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce. Layer eggplant, sausage (if using), onion, additional 1/2 cup pasta sauce (if desired) , tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and feta/mozzarella cheese. Top with strips of Muenster (optional).

Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Jimmy Dean Biscuits & Gravy

Recipe courtesy of Doris Beck
Photo courtesy of Google Images











INGREDIENTS
1 pkg Jimmy Dean Sausage (don't substitute another brand)
Oil, preferably canola
1-2 cups milk
Up to 1/4 cup flour
Water
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS
There is no exact measurements to this, it is basically guesswork and will probably be a constantly evolving recipe. So, with that in mind, I will give you the directions the same way they were given to me.

1. Cook the sausage in a skillet. Once cooked, remove all but 1 Tablespoon of the sausage and set aside.
2. Add a little bit of oil, approximately 2 T, get it hot.
3. Have milk, a measuring cup of water and salt and pepper at the ready.
4. Start with 2 T flour, stir into oil and sausage. Add more until you get a paste.
5. Add 1 cup water and mix until smooth, over medium-high heat.
6. When it thickens, add milk or water until you get the desired quantity. *Note* When I made this, I realized I wanted more sauce, so I wound up adding more flour after this step. It was fine, but it's best to get all the flour incorporated during step #4. If you add more flour, add more oil as well. Also, I prefer to use more milk than water, but that's just a personal preference.
7. Add the sausage and cook it a bit to re-warm it.

Serve over biscuits, either homemade, Bisquick or Pillsbury. Doesn't matter which kind, but buttermilk will be best.

Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions

Recipe and photo courtesy AllRecipes.com












INGREDIENTS
6 (4 ounce) links sweet Italian sausage
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup white cooking wine

DIRECTIONS
Place the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown on all sides. Remove from skillet, and slice.

Melt butter in the skillet. Stir in the yellow onion, red onion, and garlic, and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in red bell pepper and green bell pepper. Season with basil, and oregano. Stir in white wine. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender.

Return sausage slices to skillet with the vegetables. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until sausage is heated through.

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

Courtesy MarthaStewart.com

INGREDIENTS
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed and washed
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
2 shallots, crushed and peeled
8 ounces sweet or hot Italian sausage, casing removed
1 1/2 cups canned low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 pound pasta, such as campanelle
1/8 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Add salt and broccoli rabe to the boiling water. Cook until just tender. Drain, and transfer to ice bath. When cool, drain, and set aside.

Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallots; cook until just golden. Add sausage; saute, breaking up with the back of a spoon, until cooked through. Add broccoli rabe and stock.

Cook until heated through.

Into the same large pot, add pasta; cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain.

Add pasta to skillet; toss to combine. Season with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Sprinkle with cheese; toss to combine. Serve immediately.