Black Bean Burgers

15.5 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/3 cup instant oatmeal (one packet)

Mash beans until mostly pureed, but with a few chunks. Stir in remaining ingredients. Shape into four thin patties and place on a greased cookie sheet. (This was very messy! I ended up putting four globs on the sheet and shaping them that way.) Bake at 400 degrees for 14 minutes or until crusty on the outside, carefully flipping the patties halfway through.

*I like my black bean burgers spicy, so I added a bit of Trader Joe's South African Smoke Seasoning and a bunch of Red Hot.

*Next time I'm going to sautee some onions and jalepenos and add them to the mix. Some corn would be good, too.

Lasagna Soup Recipe

Lasagna Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage (removed from casings)
3 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 28-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken broth
8 ounces whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
2 cups shredded mozzarella/provolone blend

1 batch "cheesy yum" (recipe below)

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add sausage, breaking into bite sized pieces, and brown for about five minutes.  Add onions and cook until softened, about six minutes add garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for one minute.  Add tomato paste and cook three to four minutes, stirring well to incorporate.  Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions and make the "cheesy yum."

To serve, ladle pasta and soup into a bowl.  Top with a dollop of "cheesy yum" and some shredded cheese.


"Cheesy Yum" Recipe:

8 ounces low-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.



(Modified from a recipe from my aunt Cherie!)

Cinnamon Almonds

Cinnamon Almonds

2 cups dark brown sugar
1 cup water
4 cups whole almonds, lightly toasted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom

Simmer the brown sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves, then occasionally, until it reaches the firm ball stage.

Remove from heat and add in the almonds and spices, stirring until the coating sets around the nuts.

Spread the nuts onto two buttered cookie sheets, carefully breaking apart any clumps.  Let cool.

*You can change the spices to create different flavors.  Pumpkin pie spice works well.

Hot Sausage Potato Soup Recipe

Hot Sausage Potato Soup (dairy free)

2 links of turkey Italian hot sausage (I prefer Dirusso's brand)
2 cans chicken broth
1 red onion, diced
1/2 bag baby carrots, sliced
4 stalks celery, sliced
3 pounds red potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1/2 inch cubes)
Salt and pepper to taste


~ Remove the sausage from the casing.  Brown and crumble the meat in a large pot.

~ Add the broth, onion, carrots, and celery to the pot.  Simmer approximately 10 minutes or until carrots are about halfway cooked.

~ Add potatoes, salt, and pepper, and simmer until all veggies are cooked through, approximately 15 minutes.

~ Use the back of a spoon to smash some of the potatoes into the soup to thicken it to the desired consistency.



(I use turkey sausage because I don't eat red meat.  Pork sausage would work just as well.  You could also add diced ham.)

Pudding Shots Recipe

Pudding Shots

1 small box instant pudding mix
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup liquor
1 tub Cool Whip, thawed

Whisk together the pudding mix, milk, and liquor for 2 minutes.  Fold in the Cool Whip.

Place in small plastic cups (Jello shot cups) and freeze.  The easiest way to fill the cups is to put the shot mixture in a Ziplock bag, cut off the corner, and pipe the shots into the cups.  Or, if you're classy, you can put the shot mixture into the Ziplock bags (one batch fits into two quart bags), freeze them in the bags, and then cut off the corner of the bag and squeeze shots into your friends' mouths.  Lots of fun at parties!


Favorite flavor combos:

~ Chocolate pudding mix + Kahlua
~ Chocolate pudding mix + Buttershots
~ Chocolate pudding mix + creme de menthe
~ Vanilla pudding mix + green creme de menthe (Shamrock shake!)
~ Banana pudding mix + cream de banana (take a vanilla wafer, put a slice of banana on top, then top with a dollop of this flavor!  YUM!)
~ Butterscotch pudding mix + Buttershots
~ Butterscotch pudding mix + Apple Pucker (Fall Flavor!)
~ Cheesecake pudding mix + Tequila Rose (Strawberry Cheesecake!)

Spinach Dip Recipe

Spinach Dip

1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup Miracle Whip
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
dash black pepper
2 boxes chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 medium red onion, diced small (I microwave the diced onion for 2 minutes before adding it.)

Stir ingredients together.  Spread in an oven safe bowl.  Top with additional mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.  Bake at 350 degrees until hot and the cheese browns around the edges, approximately 20 minutes.  Serve with chunks of pumpernickel bread or tortilla chips.

*Dip can be made ahead and refrigerated.  It will take longer to bake.

*Large batches can be baked in the crock pot insert and then placed in a crock pot on low to keep warm for an extended period of time.