Sausage And Dressing Bake

Many years ago I bought a cookbook at the fair called Pork on your Plate. I have made many recipes from it. This recipe is really good, I love the rosemary in it.

Sausage and Dressing Bake

Ingredients:

2 lbs. pork sausage
4 cups bread crumbs
4 tbsp. minced onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. savory
2/3 cup melted butter
4 tbsp. minced celery
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. rosemary

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º.
Cut your sausage in half and fry in your pan. ( you can leave whole and fry)
When brown set aside.
Place butter in fry pan and melt.
Add onion and celery and saute until transparent.
Add bread crumbs and seasonings.
Do not brown this just moisten.
In your baking dish place a layer of sausage on bottom.
Add the dressing on top of sausage.
Then add the rest of your sausage.
Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Spiced Banana Cupcakes with Caramel and Peanut Butter Frosting

I was watching something and decided to try a banana cupcake. In searching for a recipe I came across this one on Big Oven. The recipe is very good but I would add more spice next time, it just was not spicy enough for me. The filling inside the cupcake is my caramel sauce. The frosting which just makes you speechless it is that good. Usually I add where I found the recipe so I can add it here, but I did not. So if someone finds this recipe let me know so I can add the blog.

Spiced Banana Cupcakes with Caramel and Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

Cupcake Batter:

1 1/4 cup unbleached flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of cloves
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup crisco
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup mashed bananas

Directions:

Preheat oven 375º
Add all ingredients into your mixer bowl and combine until just mixed.
Line muffin tins with muffin papers.
Spoon batter into cups and bake for about 20 minutes.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar

5 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. First, before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you don't work fast, the sugar will burn. Safety first - make sure there are no children under foot and you may want to wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water.

2. Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir slowly with a whisk or wooden spoon.

3. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

4. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. This is why you must use a pan that is at least 2-quarts (preferably 3-quarts) big.

5. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use pot holders when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.) Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm before serving.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

10 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 ounces softened butter
5 cups icing sugar
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter

Directions:

In mixer bowl beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.
Gradually add icing sugar 1 cup at a time, mix completely before adding next cup.
Scrap down bowl often.
Once all icing sugar is added beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add peanut butter and beat until well blended.

Assembly of cupcakes

Take cooled cupcake and take center out of cake with a spoon or apple corer.
Spoon caramel sauce into the hole.
Add your frosting however you wish with a piping bag or just use spatula or off set knife to spread icing on cupcakes.
Then drizzle with caramel sauce and chocolate sauce.

Caramel Sauce

I have added the caramel sauce as a recipe on its own, since I have it added to different recipes.

Caramel Sauce

1 cup of sugar

5 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1. First, before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you don't work fast, the sugar will burn. Safety first - make sure there are no children under foot and you may want to wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water.

2. Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir slowly with a whisk or wooden spoon.

3. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

4. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. This is why you must use a pan that is at least 2-quarts (preferably 3-quarts) big.

5. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use pot holders when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.) Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm before serving.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Mini Peanut Butter Cups

On Cookie Madness blog I found this cookie recipe. It is most likely the best peanut butter cookie I have made. Zehrs had the mini peanut butter cups so I was all set to make the cookies.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Mini Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
8 tbsp. softened butter
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cups peanut butter (used Kraft)
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup mini peanut butter cups
1/3 cup chopped salted peanuts (did not use)

Directions:

In medium bowl whisk flour and baking soda together and set aside.
In bowl of mixer add butter, sugar, brown sugar and salt and beat on medium until smooth and creamy. About 1 minute.
Add peanut butter, egg and vanilla and beat for about 30 seconds.
Remove bowl from mixer and stir flour mixture in until combined.
Cover dough with plastic wrap and put in frig for 2 hours or over night. (I put in frig overnight)

Preheat oven to 325º.
Take tablespoon sized bits of dough from bowl and roll into balls.
Place on baking sheet 2 1/2" apart.
Use a fork to make the marks on the cookies or whatever design you wish, just make sure they are about 1/2' thick.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Cool cookies before storing in your cookie jar.
Make about 36 cookies.

Cauliflower Gratin

Here is the second recipe from last week. Truly enjoyed this recipe. The Gruyere Cheese was great. I had not used this cheese in recipe before in a recipe.

Cauliflower Gratin

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, split
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 to 3 tbsp. grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Sauce:
In a medium sized saucepan add milk, bay leaf and garlic and bring to simmer.
Cover, turn off heat and let infuse for 15 minutes.
In another saucepan melt butter and whisk in flour and cook out raw taste of flour.
Gradually whisk in milk.
Whisk and cook until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat and stir in cheese, stir until cheese melts.
Season with salt and pepper.
Set aside.

Prepare cauliflower:
Preheat oven to 425º.
Bring a large pot of water to boil that has been well salted.
Blanch cauliflower until it is just tender, about 5 minutes.
Drain well.
Pat dry with tea towel.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add cauliflower to cheese mixture and toss gently.
Add to gratin dish.
Top with breadcrumbs and Parmesan Cheese
Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Pork Chops with Potatoes

French Food at Home on the food network is a great show. This is the first recipe. The second recipe will follow next week. These two recipes I had in my to try list for awhile. You know how it is you see something and bookmark it to try and things happen you do not make it when you want. Well, I have to say both recipes were really good and easy to prepare and I will make them again.

Pork Chops with Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 fatty pork chops
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
salt and pepper
1 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, sliced
4 slices bacon
1/2 tsp. juniper berries (could not find)
1/2 cup white wine, cider, or beer ( used Dan's hard cider)
1/2 cup beef stock
handful of chopped parsley, garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325º.
Take the pork chops and using a knife make slices in meat and insert a slice of garlic into it.
Season each chop with salt and pepper.
In large frying pan add butter and brown chops on both sides; about 3 minutes a side.
In a 9X13" baking dish arrange half the potatoes and onions on bottom.
Season with salt and pepper.
Place chops on top of potatoes and onions.
Arrange bacon over chops and if you have juniper berries scatter over the chops.
Cover with the remaining potatoes and onions.
Season again with salt and pepper.
Pour wine, cider or beer.
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit over the potatoes and lay it onto the top.
Bake for about 1 1/2 hours.
At the half way mark add stock and cover again and continue to bake.
Sprinkle with parsley when placed on plate.