Creamy Heirloom Bean Soup

2 cups mixed heirloom beans, washed
1 onion, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon bacon grease
2 quarts chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream

Put the beans, onion, bacon grease, chicken broth and thyme in a slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours or until the beans are tender.  Just before serving, stir in the salt, pepper and cream.

This is excellent!  Adapted from a recipe found on Pinterest & Bon Appetit.

Jimmy Dean's Hearty Sausage & Potato Soup

3 medium potatoes, baked, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1 lb Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned and crumbled.  Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute.  Gradually stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring frequently until the mixture begins to thicken.  

Stir in the thyme and baked potato cubes and boil for about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low and stir in the milk, half and half and Parmesan cheese.  Cook 5-10 minutes, stirring often, until hot through. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.

Very good soup!!  

One-Hour Skillet Garlic-Parmesan Focaccia

3/4 cup warm water

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil + 1 teaspoon for skillet

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 250^F.  Once it's preheated, turn the oven off.  Grease a 10-inch iron skillet with 1 teaspoon olive oil and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the warm water and sugar.  Stir to dissolve sugar and then stir in the yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir in the salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 cup flour.  Mix well.  Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup flour, mixing until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  

Remove dough from bowl (with floured hands!) and shape into a ball.  Press the dough into the greased skillet using your fingers.  Cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel and place in oven for 30 minutes to rise.

Remove skillet from oven and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 400^F while you mix the melted butter, Parmesan, garlic powder and Italian seasoning in a small bowl.  Make indentations in the dough with your fingers and brush with half the butter mixture.  

Place the skillet in the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and brush with the remaining butter.  Let cool slightly then slice and serve.

Yummy!  Great with soup.

Buttermilk Pie

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
1 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled

Preheat the oven to 350^F.

Mix the sugar and flour in a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix on high speed until well combined.  Pour into the pie shell.

Bake at 350^F for about 40 minutes or until set.  (Mine actually took about 65-70 minutes!)

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It's allegedly over 100 years old and I can understand why it's been around for so long.  This is really GOOD!

Confetti Spaghetti

1-1/2 pounds ground chuck

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 can (14.5-oz) diced or stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 can (8-oz) tomato sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 pkg (16-oz) spaghetti, cooked and drained

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350^F and lightly grease a 9x13" casserole dish.

In a large skillet, cook the ground chuck, chopped peppers, onions over medium-high heat until the meat is browned and crumbly.  Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne.  Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and brown sugar.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Add the spaghetti to the meat sauce and stir to combine.  Transfer the mixture to the greased casserole.  Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted.  

Excellent, easy and great for potluck dinners!  I prefer the stewed tomatoes, which I whirl in the food processor before adding to the meat.  I also use a half package of frozen peppers and onions instead of chopping fresh....cause I'm a lazy cook!  

John prefers it without cheese, so I usually only put cheese on half the dish.  In my opinion, the cheese makes this even better!

Garlic-Parmesan Potato Wedges

3-4 large russet potatoes, cut into wedges

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1-2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 375^F.  Lightly grease a large baking sheet and set aside.

Place potato wedges in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Sprinkle the potato wedges with the Parmesan cheese and toss again to coat.  Sprinkle with the remaining ingredients and toss once more to evenly coat the wedges.

Place the potato wedges, skin side down, on the baking sheet.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender and golden.

Chicken Ranch Tater Tot Casserole

3 cups chopped cooked chicken
16 oz sour cream
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 (1oz) package Ranch dressing mix
1 (3oz) bag real bacon pieces (Oscar Meyer)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 lb bag frozen tater tots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13-­inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together chicken, sour cream, soup, Ranch mix, bacon and cheese. Fold in frozen tater tots. Spoon mixture into prepared pan.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until bubbly.

We did not like this at all.  What a waste of ingredients.  Blech!  5.23.16