Quick Red Beans and Rice

Yummy for a cold night!

Ingredients:
14 oz smoked sausage, thinly sliced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Kidney beans
1 can chicken broth
2 tsp Creole seasoning
3 cups uncooked long grain rice

Directions
In Dutch oven, combine sausage, celery, pepper, and onion. Cook over medium high heat until sausage is brown (10 minutes). Add Garlic and cook another minute. Add beans, chicken broth, and Creole seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer at least 20 minutes.
Cook Rice per package directions. Serve 1 cup bean mixture over 1 cup of rice. Enjoy!

Dinner Mac N Cheese

This was in the November issue of Southern Living and was YUMMY! It is definitely a keeper at my house! The web address to find the recipe on line is included at the bottom!

Ingredients

1 (16-oz.) package uncooked cellentani (corkscrew) pasta
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (10-oz.) block sharp white Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped cooked ham
2 cups coarsely chopped assorted roasted vegetables
1 1/4 cups crushed round buttery crackers
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Prepare cellentani pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Whisk in 1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese and next 3 ingredients until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in ham, vegetables, and hot cooked pasta.
3. Spoon pasta mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Stir together crushed cracker crumbs and 2 Tbsp. melted butter; sprinkle over pasta mixture.
4. Bake at 400° for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/dinner-mac-cheese-50400000117073/

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

This is a fun find from the Penzey Spice catalog...Yummy!

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
2 eggs
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup ground flaxseed (optional)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking spice
1 1/2 cups flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray 9x5 loaf pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine the banana, eggs, yogurt, peanut butter, and melted butter. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add the sugars and beat well. Add the flax seed (if using), baking soda, cinnamon, and baking spice and mix well. Add flour and beat until blended. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 65-75 minutes. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes before removing. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

*I did not use the flax seed. I also didn't have baking spice, so I increased the cinnamon to 1 1/2 tsp and everything turned out great!