My sister, Danielle made this up the other night and she said it was AWESOME! The idea is to use up any and all of the veggies in your fridge. Fresh, frozen, canned or even leftovers will work. There is no wrong way to make this! Just remember to add frozen veggies first and canned veggies last.

Serves 12-16

• 2 12-oz pkgs any flavor chicken sausage without casing or casings removed
• 1 cup any kind of onions chopped or 2 leeks cut lengthwise and then sliced on bias
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 cups of any root or squash-like vegetables on hand: celery, carrots, potatoes, yams, green beans, squash, zucchini; slice or cube into small, equal sizes so that they cook in about the the same amount of time
• 2 cups leafy vegetable like kale, cabbage or spinach, chopped
• 1 can beans like red kidney, garbanzo, cannellini or northern beans
• 10 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs of your choice such as rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley (If you have very flavorful sausage, you could even skip this ingredient)
• Salt and pepper

Break up chicken sausage with hands or back of spoon and add to large stock pot over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add garlic, onion and celery. Cook until vegetables are slightly tender. Add stock, root/squash vegetables and herbs to pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until potatoes and squash are almost done (should be able to easily pierce with a fork or knife). Then add leafy vegetables and canned beans. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

My sister, Danielle, created this simple but elegant mushroom dish.  She loved it so much that she immediately picked up the phone to share it with me and the readers of Cooking with Brandy. The recipe serves 2-3 people.

• 12 large white button mushrooms (stems removed and dirt wiped off)
• 12 slices of brie cheese from a 1 ½ inch round log (1/4” slices)
• 12 small basil leaves
• 3 tbsp of melted butter
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400°. Take two large pieces of aluminum foil and turn up the edges to form two shallow bowl. Place mushrooms in foil bowls with tops down. Top with brie slice and basil leaf. Drizzle butter over mushrooms and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake in over for 5-10 minutes until brie starts to melt and mushrooms firm, dark and juicy.

Dani

www.danielledesigns.com

June 8th – 14th, 2008

Well, another wonderful week has passed.  Coupons clipped, groceries shopped, food prepped, and bellies bursting.  This week’s menu had quite the variety but enjoyed by many.  Most of the recipes are from cookbooks and other resources, but I threw in my “twist” when I could. From semi-homemade pizzas to slow-cooker recipes and on to luscious desserts, I recommend these dishes to the food lover in you. 

Sunday, June 8th: After venturing through my cookbooks and then visiting the local super market to pick up the ingredients for this week’s concoctions, I returned home to endulge my kitchen obsession for, sad to say, seven hours.  Sometimes, I get so caught up playing around in the kitchen, with my little tv tuned to the food network, that I lose track of time.  Baby Zoey was in my belly just dancing away and other than a little ache in my feet, I was tickled pink to be making these creations. 

This recipe is from a talented home cook and my friend, Dorothy. She shared this recipe with me when I needed a hot side dish for a vegetarian birthday party. Served with garlic bagel chips, this recipe was a big hit!

Ingredients:

• 1 can artichoke hearts in water
• ¾ cup mayonnaise (not miracle whip)
  
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  
• 2 tablespoon wine or cooking sherry
  
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheeses
  
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• pita chips or bagel chips

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup crab meat chopped or shredded
• ½ cup cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 tablespoon Savory Herb & Garlic Soup mix
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ cup crushed croutons
• 12 white mushroom caps
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 4 slices of provolone cheese
• Dash of paprika
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Nonstick cooking spray

Serves 4 (3 caps each as a small appetizer)