Sausage Stuffing

1 loaf day old bread; cubed (I use homemade bread)
1 lb. roll sage breakfast sausage
3-4 stalks stalks celery; diced
1 onion; diced
1-1/2 Tblsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. rubbed dried sage
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1-1/2 to 2 cups chicken stock (I use homemade stock)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread bread on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly toasted.

In a large skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain grease but do not discard. Set sausage aside.

Add a little of the drained grease to the skillet; add vegetables and sauté until tender. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add sausage, bread crumbs, sage, basil, oregano, salt & pepper; stir well.

Slowly add in broth to breadcrumb & sausage mixture; adding about 1/2 cup at a time. Lightly mix until evenly moistened.

Pour into a greased 9x13" casserole dish and bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes. Serve warm.

Candied Yams

1 large can of yams in syrup
1/3 c. brown sugar
3 Tblsp. honey
1 Tblsp. cinnamon
2 Tblsp. molasses
2-3 tsp. vanilla
corn starch

Drain yams; reserving juice. Dice yams and place into a medium casserole.

To the reserved juice, add in honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, molasses and vanilla. Stir and blend well.

Add in about 3 Tablespoonfuls of cornstarch to juice. Stir well. you will want the juice to thicken slightly but not be too thick. Pour juice over yams.

Bake for 30-25 minutes or until juice is bubbly, in a preheated 350* oven. Remove from oven and top with marshmallows. Return to oven and bake until marshmallows are slightly melted and golden. Serve warm.

Heavenly Eggs

12 Raw eggs (or however many you need for your serving tray)
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Minced garlic
Old Bay Seasoning

Place uncooked eggs in a large pot and fill with enough cold water to cover. Cover with lid. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20-25 minutes.

Allow eggs to cool and then peel.

Slice each egg in half.

Gently scoop out yolk and place in a small mixing bowl.

Set egg shells aside.

Add mayo, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic and Old Bay together with egg yolks. Amounts of each ingredient are dependent upon your taste. Using a fork, mash yolks to mix all ingredients well.

Spoon filling back into egg shells and place on egg tray.

Garnish with Old Bay sprinkled on top of each egg.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. (you don't want to make these too far ahead of time as they will begin to get watery - but one day in advance will be fine.)

Walnut Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin layer:
2 eggs
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. flour
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. canned pumpkin
2/3 c. evaporated milk
1 9-inch deep dish pie pastry

Walnut layer:
2 eggs
1/2 c. light corn syrup
2 Tblsp. light brown sugar
2 Tblsp. molasses
1 Tblsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup walnuts
1 tsp. vanilla

Place uncooked pie pastry into a deep pie baker. Set aside.

For pumpkin layer:
In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugars, flour, pie spice & salt. Beat until smooth.

Pour in pumpkin and mix well.

Beat in milk, adding a little at a time.

Pour mixture into prepared pie pastry.

Cover edges with a pie shield or foil and bake at 425* for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350* and bake for 15-20 minutes.

For walnut layer:
In a separate bowl beat eggs until foamy.

Add in corn syrup, brown sugar, molasses, flour, vanilla and salt. Beat well.

Remove pie shield or foil and pour mixture over pumpkin layer in pie plate.

Layer walnuts on top of pie.

Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes or until set. Allow pie to cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Creamy Italian Sausage w/ Fetuccini

2 T. olive oil
2 bunches green onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb Italian sausage, casing removed
1 cup whipping cream
2 (14.5-oz) cans diced tomatoes in juice
1 tsp. dried sage
1 lb. pound fettuccine noodles (or linguine noodles)

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add green onions and garlic; cook until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add sausages and cook until no longer pink, crumbling the sausage.

Add cream; simmer for about 5 minutes. Pour in undrained tomatoes as well as sage. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. This shouldn't take very long, maybe 20 minutes or less.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to meat mixture. Toss pasta with tongs to coat.

Tator Tot Casserole

2 lbs. ground beef
1 family size can cream of mushroom soup; undiluted
2 cans evaporated milk
1 small bag frozen tator tots
1 cup grated cheese (optional)

Brown meat in a medium size skillet. Drain fat. Transfer drained meat to a casserole pan. Set aside. In a medium saucepan combine soup and milk. Stir over medium heat until blended well and warmed thoroughly. Top with a layer of tator tots. Pour soup mixture over meat in casserole. Evenly sprinkle with grated cheese if using. Bake at 350* for 35-45 minutes or until tots are golden and sauce is bubbly.

Glazed Cinnamon Swirl Bread

¼ c. softened butter
1-1/3 c. sugar; divided
1 egg
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk (see note below)
1 Tblsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tblsp. vanilla extract

Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
4 tsp. milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350* Grease and flour regular size loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, 1 c. sugar and egg until blended. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to egg mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla.

In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar.

Pour 1/3 batter into greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat ending with a thin layer of batter. With a knife, gently swirl cinnamon through batter. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan about 10 minutes then remove from pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely.

For Glaze:

In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, milk & vanilla. Spoon over cooled loaf. Enjoy!

I realized I didn't have any buttermilk on hand, so I added 1 Tblsp. white vinegar to a measuring cup & fill cup with enough milk to equal 1 cup. Let mixture sit for a few minutes until it begins to "sour." Use as directed.