Italian Eggplant Couscous

Ingredients
1 package of mild Italian sausage (6 links)
1 eggplant
1 package of parmesan couscous
1/4 chopped red onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Oil oil
Salt and pepper

First grill you sausage until done and let sit.  Once cooled chop it into nice bite-sized chunks. 

Cook your couscous according to the directions given on the box.

In a separate pan, heat your olive oil on medium heat.  Add in the minced garlic and chopped red onion.  Allow to cook until the onion is soft.   Chop your eggplant first into circles, and then cut each circle into four pieces.  Add the eggplant into the pan with your onions and garlic.  Add in some pepper and a generous amount of salt (to your taste).  Cover the pan with a lid and let cook.  

Once the eggplant is tender, add in your couscous and sausage. Foodie Tip: If you want a little extra goodness, top with some parmesan cheese.   Give it a toss and serve.

Marshmallow Pretzel Treats

Ingredients
1 bag of sourdough pretzels
1 bag of large marshmallows
1/2 cup of salted caramel chips
1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips
3 T of butter

In a deep pot, melt the butter.  Add in marshmallows and allow them to melt. While you've got your butter and marshmallows in the pot, put the pretzels in a large Ziploc bag and begin to break apart into chunks.  You can make these as big or as small as you want, but I prefer to keep them bite-sized.  Once the marshmallows have completely melted, take the pot off of the heat and add in the pretzels.  Make sure to stir carefully till everything is coated.  Add in the caramel and chocolate chips, give a quick stir, and place the mixture into a glass pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray (to keep from sticking).  Let the mixture cool before slicing into bars.

Quick Pick: Mexican Chili

This is a quick to make, and easy to cook, slow-cooker recipe.  Put your ingredients together and let it cook all day while you are at work.

Ingredients
1 lb. of lean ground beef
1 can (10 oz.) of red enchilada sauce
1/2 cup of salsa
1/4 cup of chopped yellow onion
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup of corn
1 package of taco seasoning
Salt and pepper

In your slow-cooker add in your beef first.  Throw in your enchilada sauce, salsa, yellow onion, black beans, corn (you can use frozen or canned), and taco seasoning.  Top it off with a little salt and pepper.  

Let it cook during the day 6-8 hours on low.  Place in bowls and top to your liking with cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and/or corn chips.

Loaded Potato Bites

To make the bites, I started with my loaded smashed potato recipe, but you can use any mashed potato recipe of your choosing.  This recipe works best with leftover, cold mashed potatoes.  If you choose to make your own potato starter make sure you add in cheddar cheese (about a cup), scallions (3) or chives, and some pre-cooked chopped up bacon (4 slices) to the potato base before making them into your bites.  

Ingredients for the crust:

1 cup of traditional bread crumbs

2 eggs

1 T of salt

1 t of pepper

Vegetable oil 

Create a dredging station.  Use a whisk to break up the two eggs and leave in a small ramekin.  Place the bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in a separate ramekin, and stir until the ingredients are all incorporated.  

Place a pan on the stove top on medium heat.  Pour enough vegetable oil in the pan to coat the entire bottom.  While it's heating, get your potatoes ready.

Get a large sheet pan and cover with a paper towel (to absorb the extra oil).  Using a melon baller, small scoop, or a spoon, start scooping up your potatoes.  Roll in between your hands to make sure you have a well-formed, even bite. Once you have formed your bites, dredge in the egg, then the bread crumbs, before dropping into your oil.  

Fabulicious Tip:  Only cook about 5-8 bites at a time.  This way you can maintain a consistent heat throughout the cooking process.

Cook for a minute or so on each side, until brown.  Once done, return them to your lined cookie sheet till they cool.  

For a dipping, you can use either ranch dressing or sour cream.  If you want something fun, combine 1/2 cup of sour cream with 2 teaspoons of ranch :)

Loaded Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients

5lbs. of peeled russet potatoes

2 32oz. cans of chicken stock

3 green onions

4 piece of turkey bacon

1/2 C of cheddar cheese

1/2 C of sour cream

1/4 C of milk

4 T of butter

Salt and pepper

I like to cook my potatoes in chicken stock.  I feel like it makes them more flavorful and moist, but you can obviously cook them in water as well.

Pour the chicken stock into a large pot and set over high heat.  Make sure to peel and quarter your potatoes so they cook faster.  Add them to your chicken stock.  Let the potatoes boil.  They are done when you can insert a fork into a potato and they are tender.

Meanwhile, chop up the 3 scallions.  Cook the bacon in the microwave according to the instructions on the package and then chop into small pieces. 

Once potatoes are tender, dump them into a colander to drain.  Add the drained potatoes back into the pot and add the green onions, bacon, cheese, sour cream, milk, and butter.  Begin to mash.  Add enough salt and pepper to taste (about 2 t of salt and 1/4 t of pepper should do). 

These make good leftovers and are also good for twice baked potatoes.

Italian Butter

You can use this on fish, beef, bread, or even potatoes.  It's super simple to make.

Ingredients

1 stick of salted butter

2 T of Italian parsley

3 cloves of garlic (or 2 large)

1/4 t of kosher salt

Zest of 1 lemon

Let your butter soften at room temperature until it is easily broken up by a fork.

Cut up the parsley and garlic until finely chopped.  Add to the room temperature butter.  Add in the zest of 1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons), and the salt.  

Mix up with a fork until all ingredients are incorporated.  Put in a glass jar and store in the refrigerator until hardened.

Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients
3 zucchinis
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 c diced white mushrooms
1/4 c diced Italian parsley
1/4 parmesan cheese
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
Olive oil, to drizzle




Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly spray a sheet pan so the zucchini won't stick after baking.  

Slice the zucchini in half length-wise.  Using a spoon run it along the center to "scoop" out an area to place your "stuffing".

Next, dice the red bell pepper, mushrooms, and parsley and place in a bowl.  FOODIE TIP: use a spoon to scrape out the stump and the brown insides of the mushrooms.

Mince the garlic and add to the bowl, along with the parmesan, salt, and pepper.  Give it a good toss to mix everything evenly. Spoon the mixture into the middle of each zucchini.

Over the top of the zucchini, drizzle a little olive oil.  
Cook for about 45-55 minutes or until the zucchini has softened and the stuffing has browned.