This stuffing is one of my very favorite ones! I love the combination of the sausage with the apples and walnuts. Make it ahead of time if you need to – not more than a day – and warm it up before serving. This is what you need for this:

1 small loaf crusty bread, cut into small cubes
4 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 pound Italian sausage
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
1 small Granny Smith apple
¾ cup chopped walnuts
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the cubed bread on a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping bread after 7 minutes. Place dried bread in a large bowl.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and celery and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally. Add the herbs and cayenne if using. Mix well. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the sausage to the bread in the bowl. Whisk the egg into the chicken broth and add to the bread mixture. Mix well. Add the stuffing to a buttered oven proof dish. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Bake the stuffing at 375 degrees – covered for 30 minutes, uncovered for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Print the Sausage & Apple Stuffing Recipe Here

Slow cookers are great for rendering tender meats and rich flavors. They are also a fantastic time saver as all you need to do is place everything in the pot and let it be. Your meal will be excellent! Here is a recipe for curried pork. Serve it with white rice and enjoy!

Print the Slow Cooker Curry Pork Recipe Here

Lasagna is such a popular dish and it really is not as hard to make as it seems. It is also a great inexpensive way to feed large groups of people. You can make it ahead of time and freeze it so that you have it handy when you want to eat it. Here is what you are going to need for this:

For the Sauce:
1 pound ground sausage
¾ pound ground beef
1 yellow medium yellow onion – chopped
6 garlic cloves- minced
1- 29 oz. can tomato sauce
Crushed oregano
¼ cup chopped basil leaves
Black pepper
Olive oil

• Brown the sausage and beef in a large skillet. Drain the excess fat in a colander inside a bowl.
• Wipe the skillet clean with some paper towels.
• Add some olive oil and heat. Add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
• Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until aromatic.
• Return the browned meats to the skillet. Mix well.
• Add the tomato sauce. Fill the empty tomato sauce can half way with water and add to the meat. Mix well.
• Add the oregano and black pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
• Add the chopped basil and set aside.

For the cheese:
15 oz. Ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup shredded Parmesan
¼ cup shredded Mozzarella

• In a large bowl, whisk together the Ricotta, eggs, garlic powder, salt, oregano and pepper. Whisk into a smooth paste.
• Whisk in the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
• Set aside.

For the noodles:
12 oz. lasagna noodles
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna, per package instructions.
• Drain noodles and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Set the noodles aside.

Assemble the lasagna:

Extra shredded Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Place a thin layer of meat sauce in the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish.
• Top with enough lasagna to cover the meat.
• Top the noodles with about ¾ meat sauce. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan and Mozzarella on top.
• Top with enough noodles to cover the meat.
• Top with the Ricotta cheese mixture.
• Top with enough noodles to cover the cheese.
• Top with the remaining meat sauce.
• Sprinkle shredded Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese on the top – be generous.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Uncover dish and bake for an extra 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and allow sitting for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Print the Meat & Cheese Lasagna Recipe Here

You will need shredded pork, shredded beef or shredded chicken to make these enchiladas. I used left-over chipotle citrus braised pork for this recipe. I also used my red enchilada sauce but store bought sauce will work as well. What ever you like. This is what you need to make these for four people:

12 small corn tortillas
2 cups shredded meat
2 cups red enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded yellow cheese such as Cheddar
Oil

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat some oil in a skillet. Once it is hot, add the tortillas – one at a time – and soften them for 10 seconds. Remove them and drain them on paper towels.

Place 1/2 cup red enchilada sauce at the bottom of your oven proof dish. Fill each tortilla with some meat in the middle. Roll it and place it on the enchilada sauce. Top the rolled tortillas with the remaining sauce and the cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes – until cheese is melted and enchiladas are heated through. Serve and enjoy!

Print the Shredded Pork Enchiladas Recipe Here

Slow cookers are great in that once you place all the ingredients in them you can have an unattended meal. These are cooked for four hours and the final result is a tender, juicy piece of meat. Here is what you need for this:

4 –1 inch thick pork chops*
2 medium white onions – sliced
1 cup apple juice
½ cup dry white wine or chicken stock
1 TBS brown sugar
2 to 4 green apples – cored and sliced
1 small fennel bulb – chopped or Rosemary leaves
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder
Butter & Olive oil

Trim the pork chops of their excess fat. Season them with salt, pepper and a little garlic powder.

In a bowl, mix together the apple juice, white wine and brown sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste. If using chicken stock be careful with the salt.

Melt 2 TBS butter in a skillet. Add some olive oil. Add the onions and cook them until lightly browned – about 6 minutes. Set them aside.

Add a little more oil to the skillet. Heat and brown the chops on both sides.

Place half of the sliced apples at the bottom of your pot. Add half of the onion and half of the fennel. Top with the browned pork. Layer the rest of the onions and fennel on the chops. Finish with the remaining apples.
Pour the cooking liquid into the pot. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes and enjoy!

*If you prefer to use thinner chops go ahead. Reduce the cooking time by 1 hour.

Print the Crock Pot Pork Chops and Apples Recipe Here

Corn is sweet, tender, juicy and cheap these days! Here’s a great recipe for a wonderful summer meal that will make everyone smile. Serve it with some crusty bread and butter. Here is what you need for this delectable dish:

8 thick strips bacon – cut into ½ inch slices
6 scallions – chopped (separate and reserve the dark green parts)
8 ears of corn – kernels removed
4 small Russet potatoes – peeled and diced
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. paprika
4 fresh thyme sprigs –leaves removed
8 cups milk – whole or 2%
2 cups water
1 pound shrimp – peeled and deveined
Salt & Pepper

• Place the sliced bacon in a pot and cook until crisp. Remove all but 2 TBS of the rendered fat and set the cooked bacon aside.
• Add the white and light green parts of the scallions to the oil. Cook for about 5 minutes – until softened. Add the corn, potato and shredded carrots. Add the spices and thyme. Mix well.
• Add the milk and water. Add 3 of the cobs into the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Bring pot to a soft simmer and cook for about 20 minutes – until potato is cooked through. Remove the corn cobs.
• Remove about 2 cups of the soup and cool down. Blend and return to the pot. Mix well. Add about 2 TBS dark green chopped scallion and the shrimp. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes – until shrimp is pink. Do not overcook the shrimp as it will become rubbery. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if necessary.
• Serve the chowder. Garnish with some of the remaining dark green scallion and some of the crisped bacon. Enjoy!

Print the Corn, Bacon & Shrimp Chowder Recipe Here