Autumn Sausage Casserole

Recipe name: Autumn Sausage Casserole
Source: A Year of Crockpotting
Servings: 4-5
Cookbook date: November 29



--1 pound turkey sausage
--1 large, or 2 small apples, chopped (no need to peel)
--1 yellow onion, chopped
--1/2 cup chopped carrots
--3 cups already cooked long-grain rice
--1/2 cup raisins
--1 T dried parsley flakes
--1 T brown sugar
--1/2 tsp allspice
--1/2 tsp cinnamon
--1/4 tsp black pepper (start with 1/8 if your kids don't tolerate a touch of spice)
--1/3 cup chicken broth or water (I used water)

The Directions.

If you are going to use uncooked pork sausage, I'd recommend browning on the stove top, and draining before adding to the crockpot.

Otherwise, dump all the ingredients into the crock, and stir well.

Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4. You're really only heating through, and allowing the vegetables to soften.

This will not stick together like a gloppy casserole; it has the consistency of fried rice. Use bowls to serve rather than plates.

Here's yet another fabulous recipe from A Year of Crockpotting. Tim and I thought this was hearty and delicious, with an overall sweet flavor that was very nice. I would say that this is the perfect recipe to try when you want something warm and comforting, but are feeling a bit tired of soups and stews.

Chocolate Chip Orange Muffins

Recipe name: Chocolate Chip Orange Muffins
Source: no idea
Servings: 4
Cookbook date: November 27

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup oil
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, combine egg, milk, orange juice and oil. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.
Grease a muffin tin and bake for 14-18 minutes.

I love making homemade muffins, because often the recipes are so simple. I thought these had a terrific flavor, just perfect for a lazy morning anytime during the holiday season.
The muffins remind me a lot of an actual chocolate orange, a holiday treat I love. We got 9 muffins out of the batter. I will most definitely make these again next year!

Hearty Cheese Dip

Recipe name: Hearty Cheese Dip
Source: Adapted from recipe on allrecipes.com
Servings: Lots
Cookbook date: November 22

Ingredients
1 (2 pound) loaf processed cheese, cubed
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2/3 cup water
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) jar picante sauce

Directions
Place ground beef in a large skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain beef, and mix in water and taco seasoning mix. Cook and stir 2 to 4 minutes. Slowly melt cheese in the skillet. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. Mix in salsa. Cook and stir until well blended. Serve warm.

I created this dish while Tiffany was away volunteering for the Junior League on Saturday. It didn't take long to put together and was just the thing for a cold winter day. I'm not a huge fan of processed cheese so I halved the amount called for in the recipe and added "real" cheese for the other half. We didn't have any taco seasoning so I created my own from a recipe on allrecipes.com.

We had this with tortilla chips and we both liked it. So now we have two pounds of cheese dip in the fridge. That is a lot of dip. I know what I'm eating for lunch for the next week.

Oh No She Didn't...Black Bean Brownies!

Recipe name: Black Bean Brownies
Source: somewhere online
Servings: 8


Ingredients
1 box of Brownie mix
1 15 oz can of black beans

Drain and rinse the beans. Return them to the can, and fill the can (with the beans in it) to the top with water. Pour the beans and water into a food processor and puree until smooth (this part may take a while).

Combine the pureed beans with the brownie mix. Do not add any other ingredients, such as oil or eggs, to the mixture. Mix until combined. Pour into a greased brownie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

"WHAT?!?!?!?!"
This is what I thought when I first saw this recipe. If I'm remembering this correctly, when I found this recipe online there were lots of comments on a discussion board from various people swearing that these brownies just tasted "fudgey" and that nobody would notice that it was made with beans. It simply sounded too bizarre for me to not try!

So we made the brownies the other night, and just like I've been forgetting for the past 2 weeks, I forgot to take a picture of them. They simply look like dense brownies, though. And as for the taste....overall they weren't too bad! I do believe, though, that they have a slight bean aftertaste. I actually think this could be remedied by adding some chocolate syrup to the mix to enhance the chocolate flavor (this is a trick my mother-in-law taught me in order to make any brownie mix taste better).

So yes, believe it or not, I think I will make these again!

Super Yummy Appetizer

Recipe name: Chicken Enchilada Dipp
Source: Simply Tasty
Servings: 8-10 (as an appetizer)
Cookbook date: November 15

Chicken Enchilada Dip

2 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
2 8oz packages of light cream cheese, softened
4 green onions, chopped
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chopped dried cilantro
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika

In a non-reactive bowl, combine all ingredients. (Stacey recommends a food processor so the chicken pieces are really small, making it easier to dip. Or you can just shred with forks if you like the chicken pieces bigger.) Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.


This is yet another fantastic recipe from Stacey over at Simply Tasty. We made this at our election party a few weeks ago. It was great to serve a heavier appetizer that was out of the ordinary. I would definitely recommend this for your next dinner party, any large family gathering, or a Super Bowl party! If you are the host or hostess, the dip is especially great because it comes together quickly, and you can make it a few hours (or even a day) ahead of time.