Black Eyed Pea Soup

From Linae Pickard

1 lb smoked sausage (fully cooked)
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans black eyed peas
1 can corn (or frozen)
1 small onion
2 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bouillon cube
1/4-1/2 cup water

Melt some butter in a large pan and add chopped onion and sliced sausage. Cook for a bit, until the onion is a bit translucent. Add the tomatoes (do not drain), black eyed peas (drained and rinsed) and the water and bouillon cube. Then add all the spices. After it all boils, cover and turn the heat to low and cook about 15 minutes. Then add the corn and cook another 15 minutes.

Other variations: Add potatoes, or noodles, or rice. Tastes great with homemade rolls!

NOTE: The recipe I got from Linae was a little more vague than this, and this is what I firmed up as far as the measurements, so you might want to adjust the spices to your liking. What is here will give you a pretty spicy version. If you like it spicy though, then you can make it even more so by getting a spicy smoked sausage.

I made this soup for a contest at church and it won for the "spicy" category. See what you think! If you don't use potatoes in the recipe it freezes and reheats really well. Since Mike doesn't like soup much for dinner, I make it and freeze it for myself for lunches.

Chicken Enchiladas

One of Mike's favorite's!

Adapted from recipe by Linae Pickard:

1 can cream of chicken
small can chopped green chiles
1 can evaporated milk
1 can chicken
corn tortillas and grated cheddar cheese

Heat soup, chiles, and evaporated milk in saucepan and heat through stirring constantly. Shred up chicken and add and stir for another minute. (This next part isn't an exact science, but you can't really mess it up) In a casserole dish spray the bottom with cooking spray and put in one corn tortilla. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the wet mixture and spread over the tortilla, sprinkle a little bit of cheese. Layer another 2 corn tortillas over wet mixture and scoop about 1/2 cup wet mixture and spread over the tortillas, and top with more cheese. Next layer with 3 tortillas, and repeat method with 3 tortillas per layer until wet mixture is used up. Either go light on the cheese layers, or maybe go every other layer - you want it to be cheesy, but not TOO cheesy. After the last of the wet mixture is spread on top of the last layer of tortillas then cover with cheese and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, you want the cheese on top to be bubbly and starting to brown. Serve with green salsa and light sour cream

Fruit Pizza

Recipe from Linae Pickard

Makes a good baby shower dish!

Ingredients
1 (18-ounce) package refrigerated cookie dough
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or other flavoring (almond, orange, or lemon)
Fresh blueberries, banana slices, mandarin orange sections, seedless grapes, strawberry halves, kiwifruit (or any other fruit you want), well drained
1/2 cup orange, peach, or apricot preserves
1 tablespoon water

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line an ungreased 14-inch pizza pan with cookie dough cut in 1/8-inch slices, overlapping slightly. Bake 12 minutes or until light brown; remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract or other flavoring; spread over cookie crust. Arrange fruit over cream cheese layer in any design you want (use your imagination).

In a small saucepan over very low heat, make a glaze by heating preserves and water. Brush glaze over fruit, making sure to cover the fruit that will turn dark. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note: This does not keep well, so plan on using it up. You may also use your own sugar cookie recipe in place of the refrigerated dough.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Manicotti

Adapted from recipe by Linae Pickard:

Manicotti noodles
1 container of ricotta cheese
mozzarella cheese (grated)
parmesan cheese (grated)
1 egg
Pasta sauce*
Garlic (chopped or garlic salt, not too much)
Grated zucchini and carrots (maybe 1/2 cup of each)

1. Cook the noodles but only until they are a little soft, undercook them
2. mix ricotta, mozzarella (maybe 1 cup?) and some parmesan cheese, not
as much as the mozzarella
3. Add the egg to the cheeses and mix
4. Add zucchini and carrots, salt and pepper and garlic
5. Stuff shells and put in baking dish. Pour sauce all over and sprinkle
with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes. YUMMY!!

*Use "Best Spaghetti Sauce" recipe