Sausage Penne "Alfredo"

 I was looking for a  new ground sausage recipe and found this wonderful gem from Taste of Home! I'll definitely make it again! 

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 ounces) uncooked penne pasta
• 1-1/2 pounds bulk Italian sausage
• 2/3 cup julienned soft sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons fennel seed (I used onion flakes)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup dry red wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used sweet red wine)
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (I used whole milk)
• 1 package (9 ounces) fresh spinach (I used frozen)
• 3/4 cup shredded Romano cheese, divided (I doubled the cheese!)
• 2/3 cup crushed seasoned salad croutons (I didn't use)

Directions

• 1. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente.
• 2. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink, 5-6 minutes, breaking into crumbles. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, fennel seed and pepper flakes; cook 1 minute longer.
• 3. Add wine. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is almost evaporated, 1-2 minutes. Stir in cream; cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach; cook and stir just until spinach is wilted.
• 4. Drain pasta; add to sausage mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Sprinkle with crushed croutons and remaining cheese.

Stuffed Hasselback Chicken

 A flavorful chicken dish that comes together quickly from juliasalbum.com

Ingredients

Spinach Dip

• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 1/3 cup Mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 5 ounces frozen spinach chopped, thawed
• salt to taste

Hasselback Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• 6 strips bacon cooked, drained  (I used store bought bacon crumbles)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Mix spinach dip ingredients together. Add salt to taste.
3. Slice the top of each chicken breast.  Make about 6 slits on top of each chicken breast, going 3/4 way down, without cutting it through.
4. Add chicken breasts to the casserole dish.
5. Fill the slits with the spinach dip.  You will only use half of the dip.
6. Slice cooked bacon horizontally into shorter slices.  Slide them into slits.  Or, just place them on top of chicken.  They will pop out anyway when cooking.

7. Cook at 375 F for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Hashbrown Spinach and Tomato Pie

 This is another quick, easy and DELISH recipe from diethood.com - great for brunch!  I posed the original recipe plus what edits I  made based on what I had at home. 

Ingredients

• ▢2 cups Ore-Ida Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes , thawed
• ▢1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese , divided (I used cheddar)
• ▢2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢3 garlic cloves , minced
• ▢1 cup grape tomatoes , halved (I used canned diced tomatoes)
• ▢3 to 4 cups packed fresh baby spinach ( I used frozen) ( I added onion flakes and canned mushrooms as well.
• ▢4 eggs ( I used 6)
• ▢1/4 cup milk
• ▢1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg , or to taste
• ▢salt and fresh ground pepper , to taste

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray; press down the Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes into the pie plate.
• Bake for 9 minutes; remove from oven top with 1/2-cup shredded mozzarella and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet.
• Add garlic and cook and stir for 30 seconds.
• Stir in tomatoes and continue to cook for 30 seconds.
• Mix in the spinach and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, or until wilted, stirring frequently.
• Remove from heat and spread over prepared hashbrowns.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper; whisk until thoroughly combined.
• Pour over spinach and tomatoes.
• Sprinkle the remaining shredded mozzarella over the pie.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
• Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
• Serve.

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

 Creamy, yummy and oh so easy! This is a Pioneer Woman recipe - so good I didn't alter it in any way!

Ingredients

1 lb. Frozen Broccoli Florets

1 whole Medium Onion, Diced

2 whole Carrots, Finely Diced

5 c. Low Sodium Chicken Broth

2 cans Cream Of Celery Soup

1/4 tsp. Seasoned Salt

1/4 tsp. Salt, More To Taste

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 1/2 lb. Velveeta

2 c. Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Directions

Add the broccoli, onion, carrots, chicken broth, cream of celery soup, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to the slow cooker. Stir, place on the lids, and set the slow cooker on high for 4 hours.

After 4 hours use an immersion blender or masher to puree 3/4 of the soup. (If you use a regular blender, blend only 1 cup at a time and use extreme caution.) Add the cheese, turn the slow cooker to low, and place on the lid for 15 minutes.

Stir to melt the cheese and mix it in. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper as needed.

Serve warm! Soup keeps great in the fridge for a couple of days.