Sausage Casserole

By: WILLIAM ROSSBACH
"Mouth watering, bowl scraping good! This recipe also makes a great dinner entree!"

Prep Time:
25 Min
Cook Time:
1 Hr 15 Min
Ready In:
1 Hr 45 Min
Servings
Original Recipe Yield 12 servings

Ingredients
1 pound sage flavored breakfast sausage
3 cups shredded potatoes, drained and pressed
1/4 cup butter, melted
12 ounces mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup onion, shredded
1 (16 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
6 jumbo eggs

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch square baking dish.
2.Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
3.In the prepared baking dish, stir together the shredded potatoes and butter. Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with the mixture. In a bowl, mix the sausage, Cheddar cheese, onion, cottage cheese, and eggs. Pour over the potato mixture.
4.Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the casserole comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Go Sugar Cookie Crazy

Try these tips for cutting, decorating and packing for the mail, and delight everyone with beautiful cookies.

Rolling and Cutting
Cookie dough is much easier to work with after it's been refrigerated for at least half an hour--and the cut-outs will hold their shape better if the dough is cold.

•Keep cookie cutters from sticking to the dough by misting them very lightly with cooking spray.
•If you're cutting out delicate or large shapes, roll out the dough on parchment paper, lifting off the scraps; slide the paper directly onto a baking sheet.

Frosting

One popular frosting for sugar cookies is a simple glaze of confectioners' sugar and either milk or fruit juice. By adjusting the ratio of liquid to sugar, you can make this glaze as thick or as thin as you'd like.

•Royal icing is another option: it dries to a hard, crunchy finish and also holds up well in the mail.
•Buttercream frosting is soft and thick; tasty, but not good if you plan to stack the cookies.
•Instead of frosting, you can also dip half or all of a cookie in chocolate and then in chopped nuts or crushed candy canes

Springtime

Many of you know I have gone through several surgeries and reconstruction over the past 2 years for breast cancer. I am gratefull to say all is good. As the Lord rose again during Easter this have been my risen to a new life with health and gaining strength each day.

I want to thank my followers and friends for the many prayers and cards and calls you have done. It has meant the most to me. You are the best of the best.

Blessings,

Marcia

Now back to writing and getting some great stuff out to each of you.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup lard
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
1.Cream butter, lard and sugar. Add eggs and beat. Mix sour cream and baking soda together and add to egg mixture. Add flour and salt and mix well.
2.Chill dough until firm enough to roll.
3.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
4.Roll out dough and cut with cookie cutter. It's wise to keep dough in refrigerator between rolling out batches. Bake for 5 - 7 minutes.

Strawberries

In pancakes at breakfast, as preserves on bread at lunch, sliced over a salad for dinner and atop shortcake for dessert, the strawberry works overtime!

Very Romantic
The somewhat heart-shaped strawberry is a member of the rose family and a beautiful partner with champagne. No wonder it’s a Valentine’s Day favorite.

Bigger Isn’t Better
The biggest berries aren’t always the best tasting. At the market, look for brightly colored strawberries that are smaller but still plump; their flavor will be more concentrated and delicious.

To Your Health
Bonus! These berries aren’t just delicious. Like other bright-colored fruits and vegetables, strawberries are rich in nutrients. They’re a great source of vitamin C.

Candy Gems for Valentines

Valentine Candy Gems
Any extract, such as orange or almond, can be used in place of cinnamon. Present to your Valentine in a handmade jewelry box.

Ingredients
Makes 3 dozen

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon extract (kingarthurflour.com)
Gel-paste food coloring, such as Tulip Red, Orange, or Soft Pink (sugarcraft.com)

Directions
Bring 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, and 2 tablespoons corn syrup to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
Heat until syrup registers 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, and stir in 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon extract and 1 or 2 drops food coloring using a rubber spatula.
(Mixture will steam and bubble when liquid is added, so be careful.) Transfer mixture to a liquid measuring cup, and let the bubbles settle slightly, about 15 seconds.
Slowly pour mixture into gem candy molds (fancyflou
rs.com) just below the top. Let cool until candies harden, about 30 minutes. Remove candies from molds.
Repeat with remaining 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons corn syrup, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon extract, and 1 or 2 drops food coloring (same color as first batch).

Let second batch cool slightly, about 3 minutes. Top with first batch of hardened candies, flat sides together, matching sizes and shapes. Let harden and cool completely before removing from molds.

Helpful Hint
Candies can be made and stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Grannies Kitchen For Valentines

Cookie of The Day Lemon Cheesecake Squares

Lemon Cheesecake Squares

Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 3 hours

Ingredients
Makes 16

FOR THE CRUST:
8 graham crackers (each 2 1/2 by 5 inches)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING:
2 bars (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (2 to 3 teaspoons zest and about 3 tablespoons juice)

Directions

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Crimp overhang under rim of pan.

In a food processor, blend graham crackers with sugar until finely ground; add butter and pulse until moistened.

Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and pat in gently (wipe processor bowl clean, and reserve for making filling). Bake until beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. While crust is baking, make filling.

Make the filling:
Place cream cheese in food processor; blend until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice; blend until smooth.

Pour mixture onto hot crust in pan; smooth top. Return to oven, and bake until set (filling should jiggle only slightly when pan is gently shaken), 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool completely in pan. Cover very loosely with plastic wrap; chill until firm, at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days). Use foil overhang to lift cheesecake out of pan. With metal spatula, lift cheesecake from foil; cut into 16 squares.

Gumdrop Pops

Stack gumdrops, dot them with sprinkles and other candies in creative ways, and watch the colorful confections come to life as snowmen, Santas, and other icons of the season. Wrap the candy pops in cellophane bags, and then attach them to gifts or slip them into stockings. Or create a holiday display: Partially fill a large glass jar with sanding sugar, and stand the figurines on flower frogs in the sparkling "snow."

Slide gumdrops onto candy sticks to create body of each pop. (Use leaf-shaped gumdrops for holly pop.)




For Santa
Use top half of 1 small gumdrop for hat. Trim 2 oblong candies for arms. Use candy-coated seeds for buttons and pom-pom. Poke candy where facial features will go with a skewer; use sticky tip to pick up and place nonpareils for eyes and nose.


For Snowman
Trim top of head; top with 1 candy wafer and half of 1 small gumdrop for hat. Using a skewer (see "For Santa"), place nonpareils for eyes, mouth, and buttons. Insert sprinkle for nose.

Craft of the Day Stocking Stuffers

Stocking Stuffers
Candy Sticks

Dip these Christmas standbys in white chocolate and nonpareils for something extra-sweet. For 50 peppermint sticks, you'll need 8 ounces of white chocolate and 1 1/2 cups of white nonpareils.

Candy Sticks How-To
1. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly.

2. Dip peppermint sticks in chocolate; spoon nonpareils over chocolate. Stand candy, coated end up, in a loaf pan filled with dried beans; refrigerate until set.

3. Package candy in cellophane bags. Cut rectangles out of card stock the width of the bags.

4. Fold them over the tops of the bags; staple shut. Affix labels over staples

Homemade Cappacino Decalf Sugar Free

A great winter evening drink.

1 1/2 C powdered milk
1 1/2 C Nestle's Quick
10 OZ powder creamer any kind
1C Decaf Instant Coffee
1 C Splenda


Mix together and store in tight container.

add large scoop to hot water stir and enjoy.