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.

Chicken and Tortellini Stew

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 cup frozen sliced carrots
1 cup frozen cut green beans or peas
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon Herb and Garlic dip mix
1 teaspoon garlic powder
6 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup dried cheese-filled tortellini
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Stir the cornstarch and water in a small cup until smooth. Set the mixture aside.
Heat oil in a 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it's well browned, stirring often.
Add the carrots, beans and onions. Stir in the broth. Heat to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes. Add the tortellini and parsley, if desired. Cook for 10 minutes or until the tortellini is tender.
Stir the cornstarch mixture and stir it into the saucepot. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens slightly.

Pigs in a Blanket

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces (I used margarine)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional, we omitted the cheese)
3/4 cup buttermilk (I used skim milk with a dash of vinegar added)
18 miniature hot dogs ( I cut 8 regular hot dogs in half and baked the last two biscuits without meat)

1 Heat the over to 400ºF. Grease a large baking sheet. Sift the dry ingredients (flour through salt) into a mixing bowl.
2 Rub the butter pieces into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cheese until evenly distributed.
3 Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Let the dough sit for 3 minutes.
4 Sprinkle the dough with flour and stir once or twice then turn out onto a well floured counter.
5 With floured hands, pat the dough into a 15 by 7 inch rectangle, trimming the sides if necessary to get a true rectangle. (Handle the dough as little as possible for tenderness).
6 Using a pizza cutter, slice the rectangle into thirds horizontally then slice each third into thirds vertically, this will give you 9 small rectangles. Slice each rectangle diagonally into two thin triangles.
7 One at a time, roll up the sausages in the triangles. Place pointy side down on greased cookie sheet.
8 Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, until golden brown.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2 cups shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice


Cream shortening, white sugar and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together the baking soda, spices, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
To Make Frosting: Cook butter, milk, and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool and add confectioners' sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. Spread over warm cookies.

Friesen Fruits Website

My husband Kyle and I have started a fruit orchard business on our property. If you love some of our favourite recipes and live in Southern Manitoba, check out our website to see if we are selling some of your favourite produce! You can visit us at http://www.friesenfruits.com

Lentil Soup with Lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook and stir 2 minutes more until the spices are fragrant.
Stir in the chicken broth, lentils, and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
Pour half of the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not puree all of the soup, leave it a little chunky.
Stir in the lemon juice and serve.

Ham Tetrazzini

2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 tsp. Herb and Garlic Dip Mix (optional but highly recommended)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or mozza/ swiss blend
1 cup diced ham
6 ounces spaghetti or broad egg noodles
2 cups frozen veggies


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute chopped onion in butter until tender.
Stir in cream of mushroom soup, water, seasoning, veggies and shredded cheese. Heat mixture until cheese melts, stirring often.
Add ham, cooked and drained pasta.
Stir until heated through, add extra cheese on top if desired. Serve hot!