Summer Harvest Soup

-Heather Jordan

4 cups chicken broth
1 cup prepared pasta sauce
1 cup water
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 zucchini, washed well and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
2 yellow summer squash, washed well and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/3 cup dry white Cannellini beans (this doesn't sound like a lot, but they swell!)
1/2 cup pasta (to add 20 minutes before serving)
salt and pepper to taste
garnish with Parmesan and Romano cheeses

The Directions.

I used a 6-quart slow cooker. Wash squashes well, and slice in rounds. Place into slow cooker, with diced onion and tomato wedges. Rinse your beans in hot water, and add to cooker. Add broth, pasta sauce, and water. Stir in Italian seasoning.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans have reached desired tenderness. 20 minutes before serving, stir in raw pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan and Romano cheese.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Pie

-Heather Jordan

Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 slightly beaten egg
½ cup half and half or light cream
1 14.5 oz. pkg. gingerbread mix
Whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 10 inch deep dish pie plate or an 8x8x2 inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. In a small mixing bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Add egg. Beat lightly with a rotary beater or fork just until combined. Gradually stir in half and half; mix well.

Prepare gingerbread mix according to package directions. Pour batter into prepared pie plate or dish. Lightly spoon pumpkin mixture over ginger bread batter; swirl gently using a table knife. Bake for 50 minutes for pie plate or 60 minutes for baking dish or until a pick inserted in gingerbread portion comes out clean. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream. Makes 8 servings.

-I am not a huge pumpkin pie fan, but the gingerbread makes this pie fabulous!

Poppyseed Chicken

-Heather Jordan

1 - 16 oz. container sour cream

2 - 10 3/4 oz. cans cream of chicken soup

2 tbsp. poppyseeds

8 - skinless, boneless chicken breasts - cooked

2 rolls of Ritz crackers - nothing else tastes as good

Cook chicken thoroughly, I do it in the microwave in my pampered chief rice cooker. While chicken is cooking mix sour cream, cream of chicken soup and poppyseeds, set aside. When chicken is cooked, cup into bite-sized pieces. Place pieces of chicken in bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Cover with sour cream mixture. Crush crackers over top of mixture. Cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve over rice. It is so easy and my family loves it.

Parmesan Ranch Chicken

-Heather Jordan

1/2 cup cornflake crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 ounces dry ranch dressing mix
6 boneless chicken breasts
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
26 ounces marinara or spaghetti sauce
cooked pasta


In shallow bowl, combine cornflake crumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and ranch mix. Coat both sides of chicken with mix. Place in 9-by-13-inch pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Spray tops of chicken with cooking spray to keep moist. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Just prior to serving, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Heat marinara sauce and pour over pasta and chicken.

Lion House Tomato Bisque

-Heather Jordan

12-15 Roma tomatoes (the roasting took a little over 30 min)

4 cans (10 1/2 ounces each) tomato soup

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup beef stock or canned beef consomme

1 bunch fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dry basil (It was a 6 oz container of fresh)

1 cup sugar (it only took me ½ a cup)

2 to 3 cups cream (for me it only took about 2 cups)

8 oz. of fresh Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Roast tomatoes in oven at 350 degrees until tops begin to blacken. In a large pot, combine tomato soup, chicken stock and beef stock. Place roasted tomatoes, cheese, and basil in blender and puree until smooth.

Add puree to pot and let simmer. Add sugar until mixture is slightly sweet (don't skimp on the sugar — it may take more or less, depending on the tomatoes), then add cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Note: The soup should not taste like marinara sauce but should have a slightly sweet creamy flavor.

Glazed Broccoli with Almonds

-Heather Jordan

2 pounds broccoli or 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen broccoli
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 chicken bouillon cube
3/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 cup light cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Separate broccoli; trim stems and wash thoroughly. Add salt to a pot of boiling water and cook broccoli 6 minutes or until barely tender. Drain and arrange in 9-by-9-inch baking pan. While broccoli is cooking, prepare sauce. Dissolve bouillon cube in hot water. Melt butter or margarine in saucepan and blend in flour. Gradually stir in cream and dissolved bouillon cube; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Pour sauce over broccoli. Sprinkle with cheese and almonds. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Dutch Apple Pie (made with dehydrated apples)

-Heather Jordan

Filling:

4 cups dehydrated apples, firmly packed
4 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Bring water to a boil in a 3 quart pan. Add apples, stir and let stand for 5 minutes. Add sugar, flour and cinnamon to apples. Cook, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly. Pour into an oiled or sprayed 7 x 11 inch pan. (We buttered our pan, because we could.) The main difference I noticed about this recipe was that in preparing the apples this way created a very VERY luscious, almost caramel-like, filling.

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

Cut butter into flour and sugar until crumbly.

Sprinkle crumb topping over the apple filling.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.

Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.