Sausage Bites

October 10, 2009 jennifer Snacks and Appetizers

These are fast, tasty and sure to please!

Start by placing round won ton wrappers in two 24 miniature muffin pans (48 total) Bake in an oven preheated to 350 for 5 minutes. Remove and cool.

In a skillet, brown 1 pound ground sausage with 1 pound ground beef.

When meat is cooked, rinse fat off, if desired, and place in bowl.
Add 2 cups shredded cheese.

Mix together.

Add 1 cup ranch dip (or 1 cup sour cream and 1/2 packet dry ranch dressing mix) Mix together and carefully spoon into won tons.

Sprinkle with cheese, if you wish. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and using a fork, lift sausage cups out of baking pans.

And there you have it! Perfect little bites of sausage and cheese, with a hint of seasoning and the crunch of the baked won ton. These will go fast at your next party!

For a breakfast twist, try scrambling 8-10 eggs in a separate pan and mixing them in with the meat before filling the cups. It’s really yummy, and will yield a lot more cups.

Sausage Cups 48 round won ton wraps 1 lb. ground sausage 1 lb. ground beef 2 cups grated cheese 1 cup ranch dip (or 1 cup sour cream and 1/2 packet dry Ranch dip mix) cheese for sprinkling over tops 8-10 eggs (optional, for scrambling and making sausage and egg cups) Put won ton wraps in mini muffin pans and bake at 350 for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. In frying pan, cook sausage and hamburger together. Drain fat and place cooked meat in mixing bowl. Add cheese and ranch dip. Add eggs if desired. Gently fill each muffin cup with mixture. Sprinkle a little cheese over the tops and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Delicious!

Rustic Pear Tart

October 10, 2009 jennifer Desserts

Pears. Pears at the end of the summer, fresh from a local orchard.
Pears in a box on my kitchen counter, ripening with the most delicious smell.
Such a simple gift, and yet my heart sings with gratitude for pears!

Every summer as I do my fall canning and baking, I wonder which I like better: peaches or pears.
And every fall when I’m finished, I still can’t decide. I love different things about both of them.

This recipe is one which makes me lean toward pears as the yummiest.
I’ve been making this tart for years, and it is one of my favorite fall recipes.

Usually I prefer homemade pie crusts. They are so much better. However, I’m not above taking advantage of the convenience of store-bought pie crusts sometimes. With a newborn baby, I was aware that if I made the crust from scratch I might not have time to make the tart, so today I skipped the crust and used a Pillsbury one. And as someone who’s made and given away lots of these tarts over the years, I can tell you that many people can’t taste the difference.

Hopeful Homemaker’s Rustic Pear Tart

1 pie crust 4 ripe medium sized pears 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup flour 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 Tb. lemon juice 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds Roll out pie crust and place in pie pan or on baking sheet. (I prefer a pie pan in case of drips) Peel and slice pears. Place in mixing bowl. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice and almonds.
Gently mix until combined. Spoon filling onto center of pie crust, leaving 2-3 inches of pastry around edges.
Fold pastry up over pie filling. Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Of all the pear recipes I’ve tasted, this rustic pear tart is by far our favorite. The almonds add a surprising but delicious crunch, but they can be omitted if you prefer. I hope you enjoy it!

Jennifer

Birdie Blanket

October 9, 2009 jennifer Quilting and Sewing

A week or two ago, my parents got news that their 18th grandchild was born. Pretty neat, especially when you consider that half of their children aren’t parents yet.

My oldest is their first grandchild. When he was born, my mom made him a flannel quilt. He loved it to death and she made him another a few years later. She’s made one for every one of her grandchildren since then, and my son is not the only one to have received a replacement.

Last weekend she gave me the blanket she’d made for my baby.
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My Mom would say that her quilts aren’t much, but I love them. I also love this flannel. Little flowers and birds and butterflies. Perfect. I also love the edge she always puts on them.
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Look at this, a little baby girl wrapped up in blankets made by her Mom and Grandma. What could be better?
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Thanks, Mom. It’s perfect.