Nanny's Kielbasa & Sauerkraut

Here's the recipes for my Grandma's AMAZING kielbasa and sauerkraut - a staple in our house. I serve this with creamy homemade mashed potatoes or pierogies.

-3/4 stick of margarine or butter
-1 small onion, chopped
-32 ounce jar of sauerkraut
-2-3 packages (14 ounces each) of polish kielbasa (I use the turkey kielbasa)
-1/4 cup pastina (Miniature star shaped pasta - find it in the pasta aisle. I put these in tomato soup too!)
-1-2 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional)

Melt butter in a pan and saute onion for a few minutes. Meanwhile, thoroughly rinse sauerkraut. (I dump the sauerkraut in a colander and rinse and squeeze it with my hands for about 5 minutes). Add sauerkraut to onion, add 1 cup of water, and lightly simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes. Check and stir often to make sure there is still some water on the bottom of the pan...just enough that the sauerkraut doesn't burn.

After 45 minutes, cut kielbasa into 1 inch pieces and add it to the pan. Add pastina and caraway seed, stir and cook until kielbasa is warmed through.

From the kitchen of Helen Midagliotti.

Carolyn's Easy Shepherd's Pie

I usually like my Shepherd's Pie made with peas, but this one is super tasty (and easy). I couldn't stop with one helping.  I love to double this and make a second "pie" to freeze.
-1 pound of ground beef or turkey
-1 packet of meat loaf seasoning (I used McCormick's)
-1 small onion, chopped
-1 clove of garlic, chopped
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 can of diced tomatoes
-1 can cream of mushroom soup
-2 cans of green beans, well-drained
-2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cubed
-2 tablespoons butter or margarine
-2 tablespoons cream cheese or 1/3 cup sour cream (I used sour cream - isn't everything better with sour cream?)
-2/3 cup warmed milk (more or less as needed)
-Chopped chives (optional)
-2 cups shredded cheese (I used co-jack)

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet and drain fat. Add in meat loaf seasoning, onion, garlic and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and soup. Simmer 15 minutes longer. Pour this mixture into a greased 9X13 inch baking dish. Cover the meat mixture with the drained green beans.

Meanwhile, boil potatoes until fork tender (usually about 10 minutes). Drain well. While hot, mix (I use an electric mixer or an old fashioned potato smasher depending on my mood!) the potatoes with the butter, cream cheese or sour cream, chopped chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Add about 2/3 cup of warm milk (more or less as needed) and mix until you get a spreadable consistency. Spread the mashed potatoes over the green bean layer. Dish may be covered and refrigerated overnight at this point if wanted.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (longer if it has been refrigerated) until heated through. Remove from oven and cover with 2 cups of shredded cheese. Return to oven just until cheese is melted (5 minutes) and serve hot. 

From the kitchen of Carolyn Hill.

Mustard Baked Pork Chops

Tasty and super easy recipe. Scott and Adam do not like mustard, but they scarfed up these pork chops!

-Pork chops (I used 3, 1 inch thick boneless chops)
-Mustard (I used spicy brown mustard)
-Flour
-2 cans of chicken with rice soup and 2 cans of water (I only added 1 can of water and it was still quite watery. My suggestion is to just add the canned soup)

Cover pork chops with mustard and then dip in flour. Place pork chops in a pan with a little oil and brown for a few minutes on each side. Then, place pork chops in a 9X13 inch baking pan and add the cans of soup/water. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes.

From the kitchen of Stephanie D'Amico.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I think I need to stock my pantry with canned pumpkin...

Cooking time: 1 hour + Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-3 cups white sugar
-1, 15-oz can of pumpkin puree
-1 cup vegetable oil
-2/3 cup water
-4 eggs
-3 ½ cups flour
-1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
-1 tablespoon nutmeg
-2 teaspoons baking soda
-1 ½ tsp salt
-1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
-½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Grease 3 1-lb. size coffee cans or 3 9x5-inch loaf pans. Combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Fill cans ½ to ¾ full.

Bake until knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from cans or pans.

From the kitchen of Gena Navitskis.

Sweet Potato Autumn Stew

I had this for the first time during my Grand Canyon trip and it is YUMMY! Perfect on a crisp fall day which we are finally getting here in Texas in November. I had it will chicken, but you can make it with beef too.

-1 teaspoon vegetable oil
-1 pound lean beef stew pieces, cubed chicken breasts, cubed
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-1 clove garlic, minced
-3 1/2 cups water
-3 teaspoons beef or chicken bouillon granules (or you can substitute 3 1/2 cups beef or chicken broth for the water and bouillon)
-1 (14.5 ounces) sliced stewed tomatoes (not drained)
-2 cups peeled, diced sweet potato
-1 1/2 cups diced red potato
-1 cup sliced mushroom (optional)
-1/4 teaspoon allspice
-1/4 teaspoon cloves
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 cup frozen petite green peas

NOTE: you can substitute any veggie you want. I usually do a bit less potatoes and add 1 or 2 cups of chunked butternut squash--awesome taste and healthier too.)

Heat vegetable oil in large stock pot over med-high heat. When hot, add meat, onion, and garlic. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until done. Add water, bouillon, tomatoes, both potatoes, mushrooms, spices, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer for 25 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add peas and cook 5 more minutes. Excellent garnished with sour cream and served with hot crusty bread.

I'm sure this can be made in a crock pot, but I've never tried.

Calories: 250, Protein 29g, Carb 43 g, Fat 7 g (saturated 2 g), cholesterol 69 mg, sodium 560 mg.

From the kitchen of Bethany Keller.

Pumpkin Bread

I have a few fall recipes to share with you. I could eat an entire loaf of this pumpkin bread by myself!

-3 cup sugar
-1 cup vegetable oil
-4 eggs, beaten
-1 16oz can pumpkin (this is the smaller can)
-3 1/2 cups flour
-2 teaspoons soda
-2 teaspoons salt
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon nutmeg
-1 teaspoon all spice
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
-2/3 cup water
-pecans if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and oil together. Add eggs and pumpkin. Mix well. Sift together dry ingredients. Add water. Mix all ingredients together (add nuts here if you wish). Pour into two well greased and floured 9x5 inch loaf pans. Bake for 50-60 min or until knife comes out clean (this is the key step--don't overcook, but don't undercook either...the last few minutes the bread will set up pretty quickly, and remember it will continue to cook a bit out of the oven). Let stand 10 minutes, remove from pan to cool. It's easy to double the recipe and then freeze for weekend mornings/holidays.

From the kitchen of Bethany Keller.