Patti's Original Rumaki Appetizer

1 lb bacon uncooked
1/2 lb chicken livers
1 large can pineapple slices quartered ea. slice
1 can sliced water chestnuts drained

Lay slice raw bacon flat.  At one end place in a row small piece chicken liver,
pineapple slice, water chestnut slice.  Roll up from corner and fasten with toothpicks
chriscrossing thru ea. piece to hold together.  Place in 9 x 11 pan.  Continue rolling
ea. piece till bacon is all made into pieces.

Combine stir together:
1 bottle catsup
1 small bottle soy sauce
few tablespoons brown sugar

Pour over bacon appetizers in pan.  Marinate 6 hrs turning few time.  I use
marinating pan and then pour into baking dish when ready to heat and serve.

Bake 350 half hour till bacon is cooked and sauce sizzling,

Super Healthy Vegetarian Fresh Kale/Spinach Bean Soup

20 oz pkg 16 bean soup mix, discard seasoning packet
cover in large pot with water few 6 inches above top of beans adding couple teas. of
baking soda.  Soak overnite or 8 hrs.  Rinse beans and place in large crock pot.
Cover with 6 cups water

In fry pan saute in 4 Tab. olive oil:
4 fresh garlic cloves minced2 onions chopped
5  carrots chopped small
Sprinkle with: 
1 tab chili powder
4 teas. hot peppersauce
Cover mixture till softened and then pour into crock pot with beans

To crockpot add:
 vegetable or chicken boullion for 6 cups broth
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chillis
Cook on high till beans are soft to taste and broth is thickened well.
Add couple teas. of kosher salt and pepper 
Taste and add more chilli powder and hot sauce to your liking.
Sweeten with touch of sugar or stevia for flavor

Add to soup:
1 pkg 5 oz fresh kale/spinach mixture
Simmer 1/2 hour more in crock pot

Add couple cans of drained mushrooms if desired

 Top with sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan cheese  and/or crushed red pepper
Serve with crusty whole grain bread or tortilla chips, or corn bread etc..

 So good and healthy, meatless, very hearty!

Patti's Southwest Salad

1 large head of lettuce chopped place in bottom of a large crystal bowl

Next layer over lettuce in bowl:
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1 can drained yellow corn
small orange, yellow, sweet red peppers sliced in circles and lined
circled round the bowl
1 pkg jarred  bacon pieces
sliced cherry tomatoes
salad style tortilla strips

Serve with a  Lite Salsa Ranch Dressing

Patti's Beef and Green Calico Beans Fall Casserole

2 lbs very lean ground beef, fry and drained running hot water over the beef
thru a colander, set aside.  A combination of ground lean turkey and ground lean beef
may be used as a replacement.

1 lb. bacon chopped and fried.  Drain well on paper towels.

1 large onion chopped
4  16 oz cans drained green beans rinsed
3 16oz cans drained yellow beans rinsed
1 64 oz can of baked beans (do not drain)
2  16oz cans drained Northern beans rinsed
2 16oz cans hot chili beans do not drain
2 16oz cans drained kidney beans rinsed
2 16oz cans drained butter beans rinsed

Sauce ingredients:
1 16oz can diced tomatoes do not drain
1 1/2 cup catsup
4 T. brown sugar
2 Tab. dry mustard
5 teas. apple cider vinegar
2 teas. sea salt

2 very large sweet green peppers chopped large


Spray a large crockpot with non-stick spray.  Combine beef, bacon, and sauce ingredients in very
large bowl.  Add all the beans and stir lightly.  Pour into very large crock pot.  Heat on high 2 hrs till
bubbly, adding the chopped green peppers the last 45 minutes.  Cook till bubbly.  Pour into
individual bowls and serve with tortilla chips.  Pairs well with a salad on the side.

I rinse the beans to remove extra salt and try to buy low sodium beans.  Use any combination of
different types of beans.  I adjust the sweetness as needed.  2 seeded chopped jalapenas could
be added for a sweet/hot flavor along with using the hot chili beans.  The green and yellow beans seem a little
different but are an excellent choice, low calorie added to the mix of beans.  Very hearty dish for a cool

nite...can be served as a chili with cheese, lettuce, and lite sour cream topping.

Fresh Dilled Sweet Buttered Carrots

3 lbs fresh peeled baby carrots
few teaspoons brown sugar
lite butter spread
fresh minced dill

Steam or boil carrots till crisp tender  Drain. Place on burner low heat, add few teas. of  brown sugar. 
Add couple of tab. of lite butter, Add few teas. of brown sugar and small handful of fresh minced dill.

Dill is amazing on fresh vegetables such as carrots, and also absolutely delicious in chicken soup.  Fresh dill for those not familiar with using it has a very sweet aromatic flavor.  Being of Czech descent our family has used this herb many yrs. as it is traditional.  Czechs also use dill in preparing special dill gravies.

Pork Roast Roasted w/Columbia Restaurant Seasoning

Top Loin Pork Roast  5 lbs or plus
sliced garlic cloves
Columbia Seasoning (can be purchased on-line from famous
Columbia Cuban Restaurant in Sand Key, Florida


Place roast fat side up on wood prep board.  Cut tiny slits all thru roast inches apart.  Place tiny slices
of garlic into slits ontop and down sides of roast.  Cover sprinkling with Columbia seasoning covering all of roast top and bottom.  Place in roasting pan and bake 350 degrees till center is slightly white, pink gone and still juicy. 

The seasoning is delicious from this Cuban restaurant and can be purchased on-line.  The Columbia Restaurant is amazing noted for their Cuban sandwiches made with this incredible spiced pork.  They
also serve sliced pork such as the recipe I created here.  The ambiance is incredible at this restaurant.

Balsamic Dressed Roasted Asparagas

2 lbs fresh asparagas or 2 lg packages
Balsamic vinegar
olive oil
sea salt
fresh lemon

On two baking pans sprinkle with olive oil.  Spread spears onto two large baking pans.  Sprinkle
with balsamic vinegar litely.  Roast 350 degrees  20 min. till litely brown.  Squeeze fresh lemon and
sprinkle with sea salt.  Delicious....my concoction...

Healthy Vegetable Mexican Omelet

In pan slightly brown 1 lb of turkey breakfast sausage, I prefer Jennie-O, very good!!!  Drain off grease and set aside.

Saute  a combination of fresh assorted chopped veggies (chopped broccoli, onion, sw. peppers, etc.... saute in omelet pan sprayed with Pam.  To keep out dryness spray veggies with the cooking spray.  I use the butter flavor.  Set aside.
.
Whisk in a bowl 1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites and one Tablespoon of water...never add milk to eggs for an omelet. ruins the omelet....whisk in a bowl add pepper if desired.  I don't use salt. Pour in an omelet pan which has been sprayed with cooking spray. Set burner on low rotate pan circular motion popping bubbles in eggs, add sauted veggies and handful of cooked turkey sausage.  Top with handful of low fat shredded Mexican cheese.  Cover and let cook stove top for a few minutes checking very closely till cheese melts.  Flip omelet in half on side and then onto dish.  Top with salsa if desired and no fat sour cream. 

Serve w/healthy whole grain low carb tortillas or choice of whole grain muffin or toast.  I served this omelet
with toasted

English muffin and raspberry jalapena jam.

. 

Healthy Ricotta Penne en Casserole

2 boxes of Multi-Grain Penne, or preferred penne (sm. mostaccoli)
1 1/2 pkgs. hot Italian turkey sausage (must use hot), remove from casing if desired
4 jars 28 oz Prego Healthy Heart Marinara Sauce
2 onions chopped, saute with non-stick spray
2 cups fresh broccoli chopped tiny pieces
1 lg box sliced mushrooms litely sauteed
2 sweet red or grn pepper chopped large litely saute in non-stick spray or micro 40 seconds
lg. fat-free ricotta cheese
1 8 oz. pkgs of shredded Parmesan cheese
Litely fry sausage removed from casing in olive oil or cooking spray.   Cool and slice in small pieces.

Set aside. Boil water in large dutch oven and cook pasta a la dente. Meantime while pasta is cooking, chop broccoli, sw. peppers, 2 onions.  Litely spray with cooking spray very lg deep baking pan or 2 casserole pans. In a very large bowl litely toss pasta, sausage, 2 1/2 jars marinara sauce, veggies.  Place half of the pasta into the extra lg deep baking pan or two pans as a layer.  Drop by spoonfuls 1/2 container of the ricotta cheese to ea. pan of penne.  Repeat layer ricotta on top.  Pour 1/2 sauce over top of casserole. Cover with Parmesan cheese. Bake 400 degrees 45 min  till Parmesan and ricotta melts and check till hot and bubbly through. Cut into large squares or scoop large spoonfuls to plates. Serve last jar of marinara sauce heated on the side to top individual servings if desired. Parmesan and crushed red pepper, giardiniera on the side.....

Credit for this recipe is due to my friend/school chum Artie Quarto's original recipe. I have devised a health conscious multi-grain version with veggies and turkey sausage. Thank you again Artie! Please see Artie's
 blog for his original recipe....he is one excellent chef!!!!

FRESH HEALTHY PINTO BEANS FROM DRY BEANS:

2 lbs dry pinto beans cover in bowl of water for 4 hrs with 2 teas baking soda

Prepare boiling water in lg pot such as a dutch oven on top of stove. 

Blk pepper to taste a good teaspoon

Salt  2 teaspoons

2 tablespoons olive oil

Add beans and simmer.  When partially cooked beginning to soften after approx 1 hour add:

2 sm. cans of tomato sauce

3 cloves of garlic or = of garlic powder

½  small bunch of cilantro chopped fine

1 large onion chopped

1 can of mild green chilies chopped

Simmer on low on stove top will soft and slightly mushy.  Season to taste again with salt. 

Add:   a couple of small diced fresh tomatoes at the end before serving. 

Then  when serving sprinkle with crumbled queso (white) crumbly Mexican cheese if desired. 
Also can top or add sliced chopped jalapenas, or another shredded cheese.

Can also add cooked chorizo crumbled to beans when adding tomato sauce, garlic, cilantro, etc.

You can serve and layer as a dip with salsa and avocado, top with shredded lettuce.

Use as a filling with shredded cheese for bean tacos or whatever…..

Thank you to my friend Alicia for her own recipe she brings from her original homeland in Mexico.

Whole Grain Oats Adult Peanut Butter Monster Cookies

2 sticks butter
1 teas. salt
6 eggs
3 cups brown sugar
1 teas. vanilla
1 Rab cinnamon
4 teas. baking soda
24 oz peanut butter smooth
10 cups whole old fashioned oats
1 large chocolate chip
1 box raisins

Mix butter, salt, eggs, baking soda, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon.  Whip and add peanut butter. Fold
in oats and lastly stir folding in choc. chips and raisins.

Bake 350 approx 8 min keep checking.  Bake on wax paper lined baking sheets.  Be sure to change
wax paper ea. batch baked.  Should be slightly soft and not brown but baked cookie holding
together.  Cool on racks and they will remain soft.  If you like heat in microwave to warm a minute
or so, scrumptious....

This is my very own recipe I composed putting together from various recipes to get the results I desired.

Patti's Own Mushroom & Wild Rice Turkey Soup

One turkey carcass
1 lb carrots sliced
3 onions chopped into larger pieces
2 cans peas drained
4 pkgs of sliced fresh mushrooms
6 large stalks of thinly sliced celery
2 lbs chopped red small potatoes
two cups wild rice cooked
one cup brown rice cooked
herbs de Provence to taste at least 2 palm fulls (French spice found in gourmet spice shops)
left over chopped turkey to taste
salt, pepper
1/2 cup minced fresh dill
1/2 cup of minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup of chicken bullion from a granulated container 8 oz size

Place carcass in very large stock pot-- Cover with water and simmer for 4 hours.  Drain broth thru collander.  Remove large bones and turkey meat from bones, straining broth thru a collander.  Set turkey meat aside and chill.  Skim off fat from top of chilled broth and discard fat.  Return broth to burner.  Simmer for few hours adding the following:  carrots, onions, celery,  and potatoes.  Add herbs to provence (very important).....Add fresh dill minced.. simmer.  Add both cooked rices.  Add turkey chopped and sliced fresh mushrooms....Salt dissipates in flavor add lastly along with boullion (taught this in cooking school---helps to use less salt!!!! This makes a HUGE amount of soup...I give my soup away

to friends, family, at work....This makes lots & lots of soup!!!  I freeze in 1/2 gallon freezer bags.
Defrost nite before,  heat the soup & serve with a good whole grain bread, presto dinner....

Herbs de Provence can be found at gourmet spice shops.  I found mine sold thru French Pariesien chef
I met in New Orleans.  In Paris herbs to provence in used in so many dishes---it contains a blend of
spices including lavender, yes it is edible...this spice gives the perfect touch to vegetables, soups, meats
and you will slightly recognize the taste as if you've had it before somewhere...Yes, a good French
or European restaurant.....

Pumpkin Dump Cake

1 can pumpkin
3 eggs
12 oz can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 teas cinnamon
 teas grated fresh nutmeg
salt slight sprinkle
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup pecans chopped
2 sticks melted butter

In med. bowl mix pumpkin, 3 eggs, evaporated milk and sugar.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Place
in 9 x 1 baking pan.   Sprinkle cake mix evenly over pumpkin layer.  Sprinkle pecans over all.  Evenly
drizzle melted butter over pecan layer.  Bake350 degrees 1/2 hour or till set.  Remove from oven.
Serve after letting settle for an hour.  Cut in squares.  Pumpkin will be soft under crust but able to be
served as squares.  This is incredible!  Best pumpkin dessert ever...Thank you to Mrs. Tonika, my

friend Phyllis's mom....INCREDIBLE!!!

Articoke Green Bean Casserole

4 cans green beans french style drained
l 6 oz pkg Trader Joe's frozen artichokes thawed separated and root chopped

Mix and place in 9 x 1 pan. Add 3-4 garlic chopped cloves. Sprinkle parmesan
cheese 1 cup over all. Sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs. Drizzle olive
oil over all. Bake 350 1/2 hour.

Family Recipe for Wassil

2 quarts of apple juice
3/4 quart cranberry juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 teas of aromatic bitters (very important)
3 sticks of cinnamon
tablespoon of whole allspice tied in a cheesecloth
one large orange peeled and studded w/many cloves
1 cup rum
lemon or orange slices halved

Combine all but lemon slices in crock

pot and cook on high for l hr. till
hot. Turn to low/warm. Serve ladling into mugs/cups. Float half slice
of lemon or orange in cup.

Grandma Sirek's French Canadian Bread Dressing

2 1/2 loaves of bread cubed with a knife
1 onnion chopped fine
4 stalks celery chopped fine
3 boiled potatoes peeled and chop
1 lb pork sausage lean
salt, pepper
1 teas. rubbed sage

Place cubed bread in large bowl or cover of roasting pan. Add onion and celery.
Add uncooked pork sausage. Mix in with fingers. Add potatoes mixing in with fingers. Add sage, salt & pepper mixing in with fingers. Place in large greased
pan (I use spray Pam). Bake 350 till slightly crunchy on top approx 1/2 hour.

Healthy Pumpkin Gingerbread

1 pkg of gingerbread mix
1 can of pumpkin

Mix together gingerbread mix and pumpkin. Pour in 11 x 6 pan.
Top with almonds or walnuts...Bake at 350 degrees till center bounces back.
Serve warm or cut in squares cover with foil serve later...
This is my own recipe I comprised for a healthy alternative to gingerbread.

Inside Out Stuffed Pepper/Cabbage Roll Soup

2 lbs ground sirloin
4 cans diced tomatoes with juice
6 cans tomato soup
2 cups catsup
2 pkgs coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage)
1 lb carrots sliced in food processor
3-4 diced onions
1 cup fresh chopped basil
6-7 bay leaves
small handful of celery seed
2 teas of allspice or more to taste
small handful of caraway seed (very important)
2 cups of cooked brown rice (1 cup raw cooked makes 2 cups)
7 chopped large sweet peppers
2

teaspoons of stevia to taste or sugar
salt, pepper fresh ground to taste

Brown gr. sirloin in very large stock stock pot. Add onion, carrots, simmer
20 min with couple cans of the tomatoes
with juice. Add shredded cabbage
(coleslaw mix),and soups, remaining 2 cans of tomatoes with juice, 6 cups
ofwater,fresh basil, bay leaves. Simmer half hour. Add celery seed, allspice,
caraway seed,cooked brown rice. Simmer half hour and add salt, pepper, stevia to
taste. This makes a LOT of soup!!! Halve the recipe for family. This was made
for a chilli/soup cook-off.

Dirt Cake, Lite Option

2 large pkgs chocolate sugar-free pudding
4 cups 2% milk
16 oz container lite cool whip
30 crushed lite Oreo Cookies
gummy worms

In large bowl whisk together chocolate pudding and milk. Chill a few minutes
till thickened. Fold in Cool whip litely. Add all but 1 1/2 cups of Oreo
cookies. Pour into a large glass bowl. Top with remaining 1 1/2 cups of
crushed Oreo cookies. Decorate with gummy worms.

You can also put this mixture into individual cups glass/foam as individual
servings topped with gummy worms. Chill.

Crepes a la Josephine

1 cup water
1 cup flour
2 eggs

Whisk eggs, add water, add flour, continue whisking. Heat crepe pan and melt
small amount of butter in bottom of pan. With gravy ladle add one and 1/2 ladles
of batter to pan, swirling into pan to cover in a rounded fashion. Heat on stove
under low flame till moistness is gone from crepe and flip with fork. Heat till
dry and set aside. Continue cooking using sm. amount butter ea. crepe or they
will stick. Fun to have ea. person get up from table and make their own crepe.
Set crepes aside, can pile them on top of ea. other.

Have following available:
Nutella
banana to slice
canned peaches drained
cherry pie filling
whip cream topping

Filling for fruit crepes:
1 block lite cream cheese whipped with sugar to taste

When ready have ea. person make their own crepe. For fruit crepe spread cream
cheese litely over crepe and dollop cherry or peaches over. Fold seam side up.
Decorate with whipped cream.

For Nutella crepe spread Nutella over crepe and slice banana over. fold seam side
up and dot whip cream.

All we could say was "OMG Josephine, these are incredible!!!!!"

Josephine taught us Crepes 101----She is Angie's mama. She is from Sicily and
an incredible cook!!! For manicotti Sicilian style use crepes instead of noodles.
Fill with ricotta cheese:

3/4 Romano cheese
1 1/2 lbs. ricotta cheese
salt, pepper, parley minced
2 eggs

Combine and fill crepes. Pour over marinara sauce. Mozzarella cheese over and
bake 350 oven till bubbly.