Jambalaya

 Ingredients

1 large onion chopped

1 clove garlic minced

1 large green pepper chopped

1 stalk celery diced

2 T. oil or bacon grease

2 teaspoons minced parsley

½ lb. ham cubed small

½ t. thyme 

2 large bay leaves

2 t. salt

1 t. Tabasco

1 15oz. can diced tomatoes

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

2 cups water

2 c. uncooked rice

½ - 1lb. smoked sausage (like hillshire farm) cubed

1 lb. cooked chicken breast cubed (or shrimp)

 

Instructions

Cook onion, garlic, bell pepper, and celery in oil for 2 minutes.  Add parsley, ham, thyme, and bay leaves.  Cook 2 more minutes.  Add salt, Tabasco, tomatoes w/juice, tomato sauce, and water.  Simmer 2 minutes.  Add rice.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes.  Add chicken and smoked sausage.  Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes longer-until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.  6-8 servings

Tortellini and Sausage Soup

 Ingredients

1 lb. Ground Italian Sausage

Olive oil

4 cloves garlic minced

1 medium onion minced

½ cup apple juice

½ cup water

32 oz. chicken stock

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes

4 medium carrots diced

2 T. fresh basil chopped

1 ½ t. Dried oregano

2 medium zucchini grated

1.5 lbs. Fresh five cheese tortellini

4 T. fresh parsley chopped

1-2 t. Salt

⅛ t. Pepper

Instructions

In a large soup pan brown the sausage with a little olive oil over medium heat.  Once sausage is mostly cooked add the onions and garlic and continue cooking until the onions are soft and translucent.

Next add the cans of tomatoes, apple cider, water, chicken stock, diced carrots, dried oregano, and fresh basil.  Let that simmer for about 10 minutes while you shred the zucchini and chop up the parsley. Add zucchini and parsley and simmer for 5 minutes.

Finally add the tortellini and cook until tender, season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 5 minutes.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 tablespoons flour (whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and gluten-free flour blends all work!)

• 2 tablespoon ground chili powder (scale back if you’re sensitive to spice or using particularly spicy chili powder)

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

• ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste

• Pinch of cinnamon (optional but recommended)

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 cups broth (vegetable or beef)

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. This sauce comes together quickly once you get started, so measure the dry ingredients (the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and optional cinnamon) into a small bowl and place it near the stove. Place the tomato paste and broth near the stove as well.

2. In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until it’s hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. This might take a couple of minutes, so be patient and don’t step away from the stove!

3. Once it’s ready, pour in the flour and spice mixture. While whisking constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.

4. Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it. (The sauce will thicken some more as it cools.)

5. Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt, if necessary (I usually add another pinch or two). Go forth and make enchiladas! Makes enough sauce for a 9x13 pan of enchiladas

Reunion Spaghetti

• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
• 1 14.5 oz. can of crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
• 10 oz. hot Italian sausage crumbled (approximately)
• 1 t. Oregano
• 1 t. Basil
• 1 t. Dried garlic
• 2 T. minced onion flakes
• 2 T. parsley flakes
• 1 t. Salt
• ½ t. Sugar 
• 1 16 oz package spaghetti noodles

In a large saucepan brown the Italian sausage (you can use link sausage, just peel off the skin and break apart in the pan as you brown it).  If there is a lot of grease after it is browned, drain it off or use a ball of wadded up paper towel to soak it up.

Add the canned tomatoes and spices and bring to a simmer.  Turn down low and simmer for at least a half hour or up to an hour.

While the sauce simmers, bring a pot of water to boil, add a teaspoon or two of salt to the water.  When it reaches a boil, turn down to medium heat and add the noodles and cook according to the package directions, usually about 9 minutes.

Serves 8

Notes:  I did this recipe (times 4) for the 2026 reunion so it was 6 28oz. cans total of tomatoes, half tomato puree, half crushed tomatoes. When you make it, any combo should do and you can substitute tomato sauce or petite diced tomatoes, the substitutions will affect the texture (be more watery) and taste a little different but should still be good. You could do two 28 oz. cans and add just a bit more of the spices and feed 10.

I usually use ground beef but the Italian sausage was on sale so a good bit cheaper and hey, added flavor.  For the reunion, it wasn’t too greasy so I didn’t drain any of the grease after browning it.