Sausage & Turkey Lasagna

This is one of those dishes that came about by accident. I had planned to make lasagna for dinner thinking that I had ground beef in the freezer. The ground beef turned out to be ground turkey and scrounging around I found half a pack of hot sausage meat. I decided to be creative and combine the two. I said not a word to anyone and that night Sarah took a bite, looked at me and said "Mom, whatever you've done differently to this lasagna, I like it. I'll eat it again." The "I'll eat it again" is Sarah's seal of approval.

1 lb. Italian hot sausage

1/2 lb ground turkey

1 can (24 oz) Garlic & Herb Spaghetti sauce

8 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese

16 oz. part skim Ricotta cheese

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

9 sheets Lasagna noodles

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook lasagna noodled for 18 - 20 minutes until soft. Remove from water and let cool on a platter.

2. In a large pot heat a tablespoon of oil, add sausage and turkey meats and cook until all pink has disappeared from the meat.

3. When meat is browned, drain oil and then return pan to heat. Add spaghetti sauce and heat until it reaches a gentle boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

4. In a 13 x 9 x2-inch pan, spoon enough sauce to just cover the bottom of the pan lightly. Arrange three sheets of lasagna noodles over this layer of sauce. Spoon enough sauce to cover the lasagna noodles generously remembering that you will have to do this another two times.

5. Using a teaspoon drop Ricotta cheese over the sauce. Divide the Mozzarella cheese into thirds and spread one third over the sauce and Ricotta cheese.

6. Place another layer of lasagna noodles over; spoon sauce over; add Ricotta cheese and then Mozzarella cheese.

7. Repeat process for a third time. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top layer.

8. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes until all the cheese is melted and mixture is bubbling.

Lemonade Pie

We know summer is here when the lemonade pie, potato salad and devilled eggs start appearing! This pie is very easy to make. The creaminess of the vanilla ice cream and the tang of lemon is wonderful on a hot summer day.

1 can (6 fl. oz) lemonade frozen concentrate

1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened

3 1/2 cups (8 oz) thawed Cool Whip topping

1 9-inch graham cracker crust

1. Place concentrate in a large mixing bowl and beat about 30 seconds.

2. Gradually add ice cream and blend well. When you soften the ice cream make sure that you get it to the point where you are just able to mix through it. You do not want it too soft that it is liquid.

3. Fold in whipped topping. Pile mixture into the graham cracker crust and freeze until firm for at least four hours or overnight.

Note: If you use the store bought graham cracker crust, save the plastic top and use that as a cover for your pie when you place it in the freezer.

Nanny Williams' Potato Salad

Or as John puts it ... Dead Nanny's Potato Salad. Nanny Williams is Mildred Williams whose O'Malley family came from Ireland in the early part of the 1900s. Half of her family was born in Ireland and the other half was born in the US. Sarah is named for Nanny Williams' mother. Whenever we make this potato salad we always think about Nan and we still laugh at how she always mixed and stored it in a particular bowl. It had to be just that one bowl. You did not mess with that bowl when it was potato salad making time!

6 medium to large red potatoes

1 stalk celery, diced

2 Tbsp. onion, diced

1 cup Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Salt & Pepper

1. Do not peel potatoes. Cut in half if the potatoes are large. Place in a large pot with enough water to cover the tops of the potatoes and boil potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain the pot and rinse potatoes with cold water.

2. When potatoes are cool enough to handle but are still warm, peel them. Run potatoes through a wire french fry cutter, cutting through the tops of the potato as it comes through the wires. You want the potatoes to have some chunks but are not too large or distinct in shape. Most of the potato will crumble as you work them through the french fry cutter.

3. Add the celery and onion to the potato and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Mix in the Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise and blend well. Add the vinegar and mix well.

5. Place in a covered container and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.

Makes 4 - 6 side servings.

Note: You can adjust any of these ingredients depending on what you like. I have been known to add a mashed hard boiled egg to this recipe but only when no one is watching.

Cut the tops off the potato as they come through the french fry cutter wires

Devilled Eggs

We are purists when it comes to Devilled Eggs ... no relish or herbs, just the traditional dusting of Paprika and that is it.

7 hardboiled eggs, shelled

2 heaping Tbsp. Miracle Whipe or Mayonnaise

1 heaping tsp. Gulden's Mustard (any spicy brown mustard)

salt & pepper to taste

Paprika

1. Slice the eggs in half and gently scoop out the yolks and place in a bowl. Using a fork, mash the egg yolks until fine.

2. Add Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise, salt and pepper and mix well together.

3. Using a fork place egg mixture back in egg halves. Do not mash down.

4. Sprinkle pinches of Paprika over egg yolk mixture. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight and serve cold.

Zucchini Bread

Zucchini is a vegetable that I have only just come to appreciate, particularly in bread form. This is a good mid-morning coffee break or tea-time kind of bread. This recipe makes 2 loaf pan or 5 mini-pan sized loaves. They freeze well.

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup water

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts/pecans

1/2 cup raisins

1. Mix the flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and baking powder together in a small bowl.

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until well mixed and light lemon in color. Add oil and water and beat well.

3. Fold zucchini into the egg mixture. Add flour and fold until just mixed. Fold in nuts and raisins, making sure that they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

4. Pour mixture into two greased and floured loaf pans or five greased and floured mini-loaf pans.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes. Start checking mini-loaf pans at 30 minutes.

6. Rmeove from oven and cool on wire racks.

Note: I am not a big fan of cinnamon so I use Allspice instead. I have also used half granulated sugar and half brown sugar for this recipe and I love the taste. I also sprinkle maple sugar on the batter before baking and it gives it a really lovely top crust. I love maple sugar and I have some real Vermont maple sugar so I use it every opportunity I get.

Cranberry White Chocolate & Walnut Cookies

My friend Gina from Oklahoma sent me Most Loved Cookies cookbook for Christmas and this is one of my favorite recipes. I love the combination of chewy cranberries, smooth white chocolate and the crunch of toasted walnuts.

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 3/4 cups brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup cooking oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

1. Beat eggs and brown sugar in a large bowl until thick and pale. Add cooking oil and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

2. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add to brown sugar mixture in two additions, mixing well after each addition until no dry flour remains.

3. Add cranberries, white chocolate chips and walnuts. Mix well.

4. Cover and chill in fridge for at least an hour. Roll into balls, using 1 tablespoon dough for each. Arrange about 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet or ungreased baking stone.

5. Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 -12 minutes until golden. Let stand on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool.

6. Makes about 4 dozen (48 cookies). Store in tightly covered tin or container.

English Tea Squares

This is another recipe from my Aunty Win in Canada. We made this together that Christmas so long ago when I was far from home and missing the holiday baking with my mother and sisters. This is still one of my favorite cookies which makes an appearance every Christmas without fail. I cut it into fingers rather than squares.

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. Allspice

1 cup toasted almond/walnuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup strawberry jam, warmed up

Confectioners sugar for dusting

1. Beat butter until light. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.

3. Stir in flour, allspice and almonds or walnuts.

4. Spoon about half of mixture into a lightly greases 9-inch square pan or rectangular dish. Spread strawberry jam on top of mixture.

5. Top with remaining dough. The process works well if you use a teaspoon and drop bits of dough until the top is completely covered.

6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until delicately brown.

7. Cool on baking rack. When completely cool dust with confectioners sugar and cut into small squares or fingers.