Baked Farmer Sausage and Potatoes

2 lbs frozen farmer sausage (I used one ring)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3-4 pieces each

Gravy:
sausage drippings
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk (this works with soy milk as well)
salt and pepper

If desired, peel frozen farmer sausage. (The best way is to hold it under a trickle of warm water.) Break sausage into 4-6 chunks. Place potatoes and carrots into a roaster or large casserole dish. Add water to cover the bottom of the dish. Place frozen sausage chunks over top (so drippings will flavour the vegetables), cover, and bake at 375F for 1-1/4 hours. Remove from oven and drain juices from casserole dish into a saucepan. (You may want to put the sausage and vegetables in a serving dish now and keep warm in the oven.). For gravy: Mix flour and milk together, adding milk gradually so a paste forms and slowly gets thicker -- you don't want lumps! (Actually, a Tupperware gravy shaker works best for this. You can just throw it all together and shake it up without worrying about lumps at all.). Add milk mixture to drippings and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until gravy is thickened. (Depending on how much water content your sausage had, you may need to add a little more flour or milk to achieve the desired thickness.). Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Serves 4-5

I also have started making this in the crock pot! Layer the veggies on the bottom, add about 1 cup water and put sausage on top. Cook on low 8 hours.

"Mennonite Lasagna"

9 Lasagna Noodles either boiled as per directions on box or the ready bake variety
2 cups creamed cottage cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp. dried onion flakes or onion salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked mashed potatoes
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried onion flakes or onion salt
1 tbsp. Epicure cheese chives and bacon dip mix (optional)
1/8 tsp. pepper

Line 8x10 baking dish with 3 noodles. In medium bowl mix cottage cheese, egg, and first amount of onion flakes. Spoon over noodles and spread. I saved about 1/2 cup of the cottage cheese mixture for the top of the lasagna. Other topping option is to put fried onions on top. Cover with another layer of noodles. Mix together cheddar cheese, seasonings and mashed potatoes. Spread over noodles. Cover with layer of noodles. Top with left over cottage cheese and grated cheddar cheese or fried onions. Bake 30 minutes in 350 degree oven. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Can be served with sour cream if desired.

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
4 tablespoons butter
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups cubed potatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cubed Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sour cream

In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine over medium heat: cook and stir vegetables and beef , until beef is brown.
Stir in basil and parsley. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Melt the remainder of butter and stir in flour. Add the milk, stirring until smooth.
Gradually add milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cheese. When cheese is melted, add sour cream and heat through. Do not boil.

Pirate Stew

3/4 cup chopped onion
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup uncooked, long grain rice
3 cups diced raw potatoes
1 cup diced celery or carrots
2 cups canned kidney beans, drained
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 small jar canned tomatoes - optional (I used canned tomatoes as the above recipe seemed to dry and not enough sauce)

Brown onions and ground beef. Drain. Layer ingredients in slow cooker in order given. Cover. Cook on low 6 hours or until potatoes and rice are cooked.

Mashed Potato Layered Bake

4 large white potatoes, peeled, chopped and cooked
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped and cooked
1 tub (250 g) Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Product, divided (I used plain cream cheese and about 2 tsp. Herb and Garlic Epicure Dip Mix)
1/2 cup sour cream, divided
1/4 tsp. each salt and black pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan Finely Shredded Cheese, divided
1/4 cup Cheddar Shredded Cheese, divided

HEAT oven to 375°F. Place white and sweet potatoes in separate bowls. Add half each of the cream cheese and sour cream to the potatoes in each bowl; season with salt and pepper. Mash with potato masher or fork until creamy.

STIR half of the Parmesan cheese into bowl of white potatoes. Stir half of the Cheddar cheese into bowl of sweet potatoes. Alternately layer half each of the white potato mixture and sweet potato mixture in 2-L. clear glass casserole dish. Repeat layers.

BAKE 15 min.; sprinkle with remaining cheeses, continue baking 5 min. or until cheeses are melted.

I divided this recipe between two casserole dishes and froze one. This casserole is suppose to freeze well. Just thaw and bake. Add cheesing topping after baking not before freezing.

Zucchini Corn Chowder

3-4 ears or corn, uncooked & cut from cob. (or you can use frozen or canned corn)
2 tbsp. butter
3 c. sliced zucchini
1 c. finely chopped onion
3/4 c. finely diced bell pepper
1 clove garlic
2-3 diced medium red potatoes with skin on
1/4 c. diced ham or Canadian bacon
1/4 tsp. crushed dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp. crushed dried tarragon leaves (I didn't use this spice and the chowder was still delicious)
1/4 tsp. coarse ground pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
3 c. water
1 can undiluted evaporated milk (I didn't have this on hand and used 1% milk and maybe a little more flour to make the soup thick enough)
1/4 c. all purpose flour
Salt to taste

In heavy saucepan saute zucchini, onion, green pepper, garlic and potatoes in butter. Add corn, water and seasonings. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Blend together milk and flour until smooth. Add to corn mixture gradually; cook and stir until thickened. Serve hot. Makes 8 servings.

Toscana Soup

INGREDIENTS
12 links Italian pork sausage, sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup diced onion
1 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chicken broth
4 cups water
2 potatoes, cubed
2 cups sliced kale
1/3 cup heavy cream (I use 1 % milk and it works just fine)
1 tsp. Epicure Roasted Red Pepper dip mix (optional)
2 large carrots

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

Place sausage links on a baking sheet and bake 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Slice into 1/2 inch slices.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent; add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Stir in broth, water, carrots, potatoes and dip mix; simmer 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add sausage, kale and cream; simmer until heated through and serve.

Potato Cheese Soup

6 cup potatoes, peeled & diced
1 cup carrots, shredded (I often cut the carrots into pieces and blend all of the soup to make it smooth)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 chicken flavoured bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

In a large pot; add potatoes, carrots, onion, parsley, bouillon cubes, salt and pepper. Add water and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl; place flour and 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk. Whisk to mix and set aside.

When the potatoes are cooked - don`t drain them. Push them to one side of the pot. Working over low heat; whisk the flour and milk mixture into potato broth. Cook, stirring, until broth thickens. Add remaining milk and cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted and smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. Then, if you wish, mash potatoes with potato masher or blend it with a hand blender. When ready to serve; you can garnish with cooked, crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, a bit more grated cheese or just as is.

Kale Potato Soup

1 large bunch kale (chopped)

Steam and set aside. (Don't cook it with the potatoes; the flavor will be too strong.)

1 tablespoon butter

1 large onion (I use 1/2 of quite a large onion)

1 tsp. garlic powder or 1 clove of garlic

Melt butter in soup pot. Add onion and saute until golden. Add garlic and saute another minute.

2 large potatoes

2 cups hot water or broth (I use chicken broth)

Add to pot with the onion, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft. Remove half of the cooked potatoes; puree the rest with the cooking liquid and return to the soup pot. Return reserved potatoes and steamed kale to soup pot. (Puree everything if a smooth texture is desired. I puree the kale as well but leave some potato chunks as Kyle likes some chunks in his soup.)

3 cups water or broth

1/2 teaspoon salt (don't over salt, not much is needed with this soup)

pepper to taste

Add along with additional hot water or milk to preferred consistency. Heat gently until hot and serve. ( I like to add 1 cup of milk mixed with 2 heaping tablespoons of flour to make a creamier soup)

Kale is a good source of calcium, beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C and iron.