I would like to restart my blog with a family favorite that is SUPER quick for a weeknight meal. All of the ingredients are cheap, easy to find, and easy to assemble  into a delicious dish great for a cool night.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of Italian sausage (16oz 1LB at least)
• 1 TBS cooking oil (I used olive oil)
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 16oz box bow tie pasta
• 1/4 cup (+1/8 cup if you like pesto a lot)  basil pesto

Begin by heating up a pot of water to boiling for the pasta. Put the TBS of cooking oil into a frying pan (with lid) and heat to Medium Low.

While waiting for the water and oil to heat up you can begin to chop up the red bell pepper.

Slice the top off of the pepper to expose the seeds and insides. Reach inside and pull out the innards and throw them away.

Slice the pepper up into 4 or 5 pieces lengthwise.

Now slice off the white connective parts inside the pepper and finely chop up the remaining.

I usually use about 1/2 cup of chopped pepper but i’m not fond of pepper, feel free to use more if you love peppers.

When the oil has been heated up, place the sausage links into the pan and cover with lid (turn sausages over when one side browns).

Meanwhile, the water for the pasta should be at a roaring boil. Pour all 16oz of pasta in and cook until al dente.

When sausage has browned and cooked thoroughly, take out of the pan and let them rest until cool enough to slice.

Place the chopped up pepper into the frying pan that the sausage was just cooked in. Cook on medium low until tender, stirring occasionally.

When sausage has cooled enough to slice, cut up each link by making angled cuts. Mix the cut up sausage with the pepper in the pan.

After pasta has been drained, place back into original pot and add sausage/pepper mixture.

Add 1/4 cup pesto (add an extra 1/8 cup if you like pesto like i do).

Thoroughly mix all ingredients together in pot and serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

I absolutely promise you that there exists no better chicken pot pie recipe. I apologize for the lack of pictures because i havent made it today..im just posting the recipe. Trust me..have i ever steered you wrong?

Rae’s Chicken Pot Pie

• 1/2 c margarine
• 1/3 c flour
• 1/3 c finely chopped onion
• 1/3 c finely chopped celery
• 1/2 TSP salt
• 1/4 TSP pepper
• 1-3/4c chicken broth
• 3/4 c milk
• 3 COOKED chicken breasts cubed (saute in pan with butter)
• 10 oz package frozen vegetables
• 1 small can of corn (drained)
• 3 small packages of jiffy pie crusts

1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Heat margarine over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, onion, celery, salt, and pepper.
3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in broth and milk.
5. Heat to boiling, stirring. Boil and stir 1 min.
6. Stir in cooked chicken, frozen vegetables, and can of corn.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Mix together 1-1/2 packages of jiffy crust per directions.
9. Roll out and line the bottom of a 9×13 cake pan. push dough up halfway on sides.
10. Pour chicken filling onto dough.
11. Mix remaining 1-1/2 packages of jiffy crust. Roll out and lay on top of chicken filling.
12. Push dough down on sides to meet bottom crust.
13. cut slits in top crust. Bake uncovered at 425 until crust is browned. Roughly 30-35 mins.

• 1 box German Choc Cake mix
• 1 orange for zest
• 1/4 c hazelnut pieces
• roughly 2 cups gnutella

1. Mix cake batter according to manufacturer’s directions
2. zest an orange into the batter to taste
3. add hazelnuts into mix and stir
4. fill muffin cups about 1/4 of the way

1. add about 1/2 tbs of gnutella on top of muffin batter
2. fill muffin cups the rest of the way
3. bake according to box..makes roughly 2 dozen.

• 1lb lean ground beef
• 1lb ground pork
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 tbs yellow mustard
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tbs parsley
• 2 eggs
• 1 small can beef broth
• bacon strips
• 1/2 c brown sugar

1. mix all ingredients (besides bacon) in a large bowl. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and shape the meat lump into a log in a 9×13 inch pan.
2. Cover meat lump with strips of bacon and pour a cup of beef broth on top, sprinkle brown sugar on top
3. Cook for about 45 mins basting occasionally with pan juices

Sauce

• pan drippings
• 1 tbs cornstarch
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 1/2 c beef broth
• 1/4 c water

1. Place scraped pan juices into small pan on medium, add water, broth and cornstarch
2. heat to boiling while stirring constantly
3. add sour cream and heat until warm
4. serve on top of loaf
5. 

Overnight Waffles

• 2-1/4 c all purpose flour
• 2 Tbs sugar
• 1 pkg yeast
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-3/4 c milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cooking oil or butter

1. Mix together flour, sugar, yeast, vanilla, and salt. Add in milk, eggs, and oil. Mix well. Cover and chill overnight
2. Stir and pour about 3/4 c batter into your waffle maker.

This recipe makes these lovely looking waffles

So after i created these godly syrup holders i melted down some apples and created a compote (nates request) I was VERY happy about how it turned out considering i completely winged the whole thing.

Apple Syrup/Compote (this made enough for 3 waffles so adjust accordingly)

• 1 red delicious apple peeled, cored, and chopped
• half a stick of butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 c milk

1. I mixed all of this together and simmered in a saucepan for about 45 mins.

Here is the half-eaten result.

It looked better in person (i have a shit camera).

After some Boston Market lunch, an hr massage, some fish purchasing, comic books, and going to see Saw 5 we came home and i starting in on making Nate his official Birthday Cake. This cake, i can assure you, is the most delicious cake ever created on earth. Trust me.

Double Chocolate Pudding Cake

• 1 (18.25 oz) pkg devils food cake mix
• 1 (3.9 oz) pkg instant choc pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 1/2 c water
• 2 cups semisweet choc chips (i used ghiradelli)

1. 350 degrees, grease/flour a 10″ bundt pan.
2. stir together cake mix, pudding mix. Make a well and pour in eggs, sour cream, oil and water. Beat until blended. Stir in choc chips and then pour batter into pan.
3. Bake 50-60 mins until toothpick comes out clean.

Glaze

• hersheys choc bar
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 4 tbs butter
• 3 Tbs milk

1. Melt all in microwave slowly (20 secs at a time) and stir until blended.
2. Drizzle over top of cooled cake with a spoon

Here is the delicious finished project for your enjoyment!

Tonight i made a really delicious Pumpkin Gingerbread with a rum glaze

INGREDIENTS (for 2 loaves)

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large mixing, combine sugar, oil and eggs; beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Stir in pumpkin, ginger, allspice and cinnamon.
3. In medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend just until all ingredients are mixed. Divide batter between prepared pans.
4. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 mins.

For the topping i mixed melted butter about 1 stick butter, 2 capfuls of rum flavoring, 1-1/2 cups confetioners sugar, and about 1/4 c milk. I only made one loaf so this is just a rough idea of how much you would need for 2 loaves.

I made this creamy ham and potato soup tonight and i have to say it is ABSOLUTELY the best soup i have ever consumed. I did add a bit more ham and potato then the recipe calls for and i used italian bread, toasted, rubbed with a garlic clove, and sprayed with i cant believe its not butter.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 3/4 cup diced cooked ham
• 3 1/4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Nate snapped this picture of me driving :/

Then we went to the park and took about a 2 hour walk searching for black walnuts for me to bake with. Sadly we only came back with about 5 but it was a really nice walk! We took these pictures inside of the covered bridge.

I also got a picture of this wonderfully adorable mouse

After our walk, nate cooked up some turkey and chee sammiches and then I made some Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins.

I tried out my new silicone muffin cups and i found that they REALLY saved time, effort, and clean up. Very good investment. and nate loved the muffins.

Here is the delicious final product

I shaved some milk chocolate hershey bars on the top.

Also, here is my homemade drop spindle and joker mask covered in plaster. I think im going to do one more coat on that before cutting into it.

That is all ive got for this saturday night! If i get anything productive done tomorrow i will be sure to update. Im going to continue sulking over my dietary restrictions on those muffins

I blame it on my stupid dollar store cookie sheets. We cant have nice things.