The BEST stuffing

Before you decide what you are making for Thanksgiving, put this on your menu. It's the one thing I cannot live without. Everyone I've made it for, even the skeptics, love it. I promise, make your original and this one too...you can never have enough stuffing!!

Cornbread Stuffing

9 x 13 pan of baked cornbread (I've done homemade and Jiffy, both work just fine can make the day before and let it get dry)
1/2 lb. of pork sausage--mild with sage
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, rinsed, drained, chopped
1/2 c. pine nuts
1 T. finely chopped fresh sage or 1 1/2 tsp. dried
1 1/2 C. turkey or chicken stock

(I have also added craisins, the full pound of sausage and more pine nuts and I love it that way)
Fry sausage in a large skillet until brown. Remove from pan to a large mixing bowl, leaving oil and drippings in pan. Saute the onion over medium heat in sausage pan, add celery after about 2 minutes. Cook until onions are translucent. Add to sausage mixture in bowl. Add baked corn bread, crumbling in pieces, sage, water chestnuts and pine nuts. Add stock. Mix all ingredients. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover with foil and bake on top rack for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes until the top is crunchy and brown.

I always make this salad too!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

The BEST cookies!!

Let me preface by saying I LOVE to cook. I love making salads, soups, entrees, veggies, just about anything, but I hate baking. It is too risky...all that time and work, then you put it into the oven and there is no changing or fixing and it might turn out horridly...you never know. Plus, I hate exact measurements and that doesn't really work with baking. Oh, not to mention that I certainly don't need to EAT what I bake.

BUT, a friend of mine, Melissa Stadler, is the real deal. She is an amazing cook, baker, chef, everything, and when she put up her chocolate chip cookie recipe on her food blog http://www.thedelectablelife.blogspot.com/, I decided to give them a try. They were amazing! Even my flour from the cannery (which I will never use again) didn't ruin them. I can't wait to make them with good flour! Her blog has lots of great recipes I'm excited to try.

The cookie one is really amazing. Chewy but not doughy, easy and completely delectable! Here it is:

Melissa's Saucepan Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. Butter
1 c. Brown Sugar
3/4 c. Sugar
1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
1 t. Vanilla
2 1/4 c. Flour
3/4 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Salt
2 c. Chololate Chips

1. In medium saucepan, melt 1 c. butter on med-low heat until melted. Take off heat and add sugars quickly. Stir until golden, caramel color and all sugars have been dissolved.
2. Place in refrigerator to chill for 5-10 minutes.
3. Once cooled to room temp, add egg, egg yolk, vanilla and stir.
4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined.
5. Add chocolate chips and incorporate.
6. Wrap in Saran Wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. for a richer cookie, chill for 24-48 hours or even longer.
7. Bake at 325 for 13-15 minutes or until golden brow around edges. You want a crispy on the outside cookie an soft and chewy in the middle.

So Good!!!

Canning Salsa

I have a killer homemade, fresh salsa recipe, that i love to make and love to eat...so I've gotten spoiled and so has my family. We like very few store salsas (unless they are over $5). But, my fresh stuff doesn't stay good for long, and I don't like making it daily, so I remembered I loved Lyric's mom's canned salsa recipe, so the other night I canned 10 huge jars of salsa! We love salsa a bit sweet and not too spicy, so we've been plowing through our supply. The best thing about it is that you don't need a canner...the jars seal themselves! Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try.

P.S. You have to have a HUGE pot, buy the tomatoes at Costco, and find a good deal on green peppers (farmer's market) to make it very cost effective.

8 quarts whole tomatoes, blended for a few minutes (I use my hand blender)

9 chopped green peppers (the smaller chopped the better)

3/4 c. dried onions

4 large chopped jalepenos (some seeds removed, can use more if you like it spicy)

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

5 c. vinegar (white distilled)

4 T. salt

2 tsp. pepper

1/4 chopped fresh garlic (sold in jars)

1/2 c. sugar (you can omit this if you don't like it very sweet)

Add all ingredients to a large stock pot. Cook slowly for at least 3 hours (not a big boil, more a light simmer). You will need to stir it often but not constantly. Then pour into jars. They will seal themselves. If they don't seal in 24 hours, refrigerate and eat.

(If you have questions about how to can this, let me know!)

Another Yummy! (Honey-Lime Enchiladas)

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas (Adapted from a recipe by Jenna Lee)

Marinade:
6T honey
5T lime juice
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (or 4 breasts cooked and shredded)

1 lb. Monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 oz. green enchilada sauce
1 c. buttermilk (or cream)
1T honey
10 flour tortillas

Mix marinade ingredients together and toss with shredded chicken. Let sit in fridge all day or at least a few hours. Pour 1/2 enchilada sauce on the bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Fill tortillas with cheese and chicken. Mix remaining enchilada sauce with muttermilk, leftover marinade and 1 more T of honey. Pour sauce on top and sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

A little something yummy!

I love to cook...not bake (too much measuring and no way to fix a mess) and rarely does my stuff look pretty, but it always tastes good...especially salsads. I got this recipe from Aimee Hada and twisted it up a bit and it was a huge hit at the last shower I went to, so I thought I'd share. The dressing is so fun and different, you might want to drink it.

Chopped Salad:
1 head of Romaine, thinly shredded
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 ears of cooked corn, sliced off ear (or 2 cups frozen corn, thawed and drained)
2 avocado
2 tomatoes
1 large mango
4 oz. feta cheese
1/2 bag of tortilla chips, crumbled

Lime-Cumin Vinegarette:
9 limes, juiced
almost 1 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground chili powder
2 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix lettuce and cilantro, then top with the rest of the ingredients. Shake the dressing together then toss with the salad. You won't need all the dressing, so save some for later!

It's easier than it looks and so good. Enjoy!