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.

Josh's Spaghetti Sauce

My second-favorite spaghetti sauce recipe. Kathy's "Best Spaghetti Sauce" is the fave. This is probably as good, only it's just a little different than your traditional, and when I'm in the mood for spaghetti, I usually want traditional. But to change things up, this is great!

From Josh Simonen

1 small can stewed tomatoes, with juice
2 jars spaghetti sauce (The best you can find)
1-2 pounds Italian sausage (Deli type), sliced into thin pieces
1/4 small onion, diced (red is best)
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 small green tomato, diced
mushrooms if desired
black olives if desired

Put sauce and stewed tomatoes into saucepan, splash with pepper, turn heat to low and let warm. Mince 1/2 the garlic and put it in sauce, mince the other garlic and put it in the frying pan. Put mushrooms, olives, onions etc into the sauce and let warm - cook with olive oil in a pan the sausage and garlic then add to sauce. Let sauce warm up and cook a little hotter for about 1/2 hour - don't stir. Let thicken, at end add about 1 heaping spoonful of cinnamon, stir and let warm 10 more minutes. Serve over spinach noodles.

Mile High Pork Chops

From "Kitchen Keepsakes & more Kitchen Keepsakes"

4 Pork Chops
2 Tbsp oil
1 cup whole grain rice
1 tomato, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced horizontally
1 onion, sliced
1 can consomme
salt and pepper, to taste

Serves 4

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. In 2 tablespoons oil, brown pork chops on both sides in a skillet. Sprinkle rice in the bottom of a casserole dish. Lay pork chops on top of rice. Place a slice of onion, green pepper, and tomato on each pork chop. Pour consomme over all. Bake at 350 degrees, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, or until pork chops are tender and rice has absorbed all the moisture.

Pizza Soup*

From Carolyn Lybbert

1 lb Regular Italian Sausage
1 lb Hot Italian Sausage
1 onion
2 cups baby carrots
2-3 stalks celery
2-3 potatoes, cubed
1 can Italian green beans
3 cans whole stewed tomatoes
16 oz. (about) spaghetti sauce
sugar

Combine all and heat through.