At Home Italian Cooking by JoElaine

Apple Sausage Stuffing by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:

1 pound of country style pork sausage

1/4 cup of butter

1 1/2 cups of chopped onions

1 1/2 cups of sliced celery

1/2 cup of raisins

1/2 cup of dried cranberries (optional)

2 21 ounce can of apple pie filling

1 cup of apple juice

2 cups of homemade chicken broth

24 ounces of homemade bread cubes

1 cup of pecan pieces , chopped (Optional)

1 large bulb of garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 cup of fresh parsley minced

2 Tbsps of fresh poultry season

Salt and Pepper to taste

Process,

1. In a very large bowl place your homemade bread cubes and mix your fresh poultry seasoning and fresh parsley, mix well , set aside.

2. In a large skillet, Brown sausage and place in your homemade bread cubes mixture and mix well. 2. Using the same skillet , add butter, onions, cellery, raisins, dried cranberries, and pecans , cook 3-4 minutes or until vegtables are tender and raisins plus cranberries are nicely plumped up. Remove from heat and add to your homemade bread cubes sausage mixture , mix well.

3. Stir in apple pie filling, broth, and apple juice. Keep stirring making sure all your homemade bread cubes are moistened and all mixed together well with all your ingredients , add salt and Pepper to taste. Place into a 9 x 13 baking pan .Bake , uncovered , at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Note: I like to make my stuffing ahead of time so all the flavors blend together. Then day of , if needed add alittle more Apple juice cover with foil and bake till hot.

Enjoy!

Parmesan Garlic Stuffed Mushrooms by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn

Ingredients:

15 big cap mushrooms + 4 mushrooms, chopped

3 Tbsp of olive oil

5 Cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 Tbsp of salt

1/2 Tbsp of black pepper, freshly ground

1/2 cup of italian breadcrumbs

1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese, divided

2 Tbsps of fresh parsley, chopped + more to garnish

Process,

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean and finely chop 4 mushroom caps, set aside. Then clean the remaining muchrooms and hollow them out and set aside for later.

2. Heat the oil in a pan over high heat. Cook the chopped stems with the garlic, salt, and pepper for about 3 to 5 minutes, constantly stirring. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, combine cooked stems, breadcrumbs, half of the parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper, mixing until evenly combined. The mixture should be extremely thick.

3. Space out the mushroom caps evenly on a baking sheet. Spoon a generous amount of the bread mixture on top of each mushroom.

4. Top each mushroom with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and spray mist of olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley and serve.

Enjoy!

Green Bean Casserole by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn Ingredients:

2 Tbsps of salt

1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, rinsed and ends trimmed

3 Tbsps of unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large large package of fresh mushrooms, sliced thin

2 Tbsps of all purpose flour

1 cup of homemade chicken broth

1 cup of half-and-half

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

6 oz french fried onions

Salt and pepper to taste

Process,

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish, set aside.

2. Blanch the beans: In a large pot, bring water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil. Add the green beans and boil for 8 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

3. Melt butter in a large skillet set over medium high heat. Add the garlic and onions, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and stir to combine. Then add the half and half and simmer until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in all of the green beans. Add salt and pepper to taste.Transfer green bean mixture to prepared casserole dish. Top with the bread crumbs and then layer the french fried onions on top.

6. Place casserole in the oven covered with aluminum foil and bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Uncover and place bake in the oven to till the crispy onions get a light brown color. Remove from oven and serve.

Enjoy!

Homemade Corn Pudding by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn recipe by Nanny

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1/2 cup of sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup of sour cream

1 box (8-1/2 ounces) of jiffy honey muffin mix

1/2 cup of milk

1 can (15-1/4 ounces) of whole kernel. corn, drained

1 can (14-3/4 ounces) of cream-style corn

Process,

1. Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream. Add muffin mix alternately with milk. Fold in corn.

2. Pour into a greased 3-qt. baking dish or 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, until set and lightly browned, 45-50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Homemade Broccoli Casserole by JoElaine (Balsamo) Quinn 

Ingredients:

2 packages of broccoli florets , steamed

4 eggs

2 cups of mild cheddar cheese, shredded 

1 cup of mayo

2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup

Process,

I. In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients till combined. 

2. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.