Jesse's Happy Stew

I have a friend, a special friend, who’s name is Jesse. We are courting, which is, unfortunately, a vanishing idea in this society. We want our relationship to be more meaningful than casual dating, so we are seeking God’s will for our future as we deepen our friendship on the foundation the Lord. It is truly an amazing thing and I am thankful everyday; it is only because of Christ!

Anyway… my man (“boyfriend” is so high-school, don’t you think?) is quite the dashing cook when he wants to be. He was craving some soupy-stewish food and came up with this. It was quite delicious! We decided “happy stew” was such a perfect name for this dish because, well, it will just make you happy!

Jesse’s Happy Stew 

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4 boneless skinless chicken breast (or stew meat if you wish)

2 Cans Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup 

5 C. Water

1 bag frozen peas

1 Can of Sweet Corn (with juice) 

1 Can of potatoes (or real, but cook time will vary)

Pepper to taste

Soy Sauce to taste 

Onion Powder to taste (or sliced onions) 

Garlic Powder to taste (or minced garlic)

1 - 2 tsp. Hot Sauce (he used Tapitio, but Tabasco is wonderful, too!)

Can I just say that some carrots would be glorious in this as well? Well, I said it. 

Jesse cooked all of this man-style: throw it all in a pot and crank it on high! If you prefer using real onions and garlic instead of powder, it will only add a few minutes to the prep time. Mix all the ingredients together in a crockpot and let it cook on high for several hours (his cooked for 10hours to be exact, but more than half of that was on low… I think. This is HIS recipe, after all!)

Spicy Sausage & Potato Soup

"Baby, it's cold outside!" Soup is probably the best food-solution to warm up with on a cold evening, especially if it's spicy and full of carbs! This will hit the spot, I promise! You may even want to add a bit of bacon to this mix if you're feeling like some traditional potato soup... but I did not feel the need with such delicious sausage smelling up the kitchen.

Spicy Sausage & Potato Soup

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1 lb Italian sausage (the meat sort of got lost with all the veggies, so you might do 2lbs)

2 medium onions, chopped
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 C chopped celery
1 C chopped carrots

5 - 8 medium cubed potatoes
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp if you don’t want quite as hot)
1 tsp ground black pepper (do ½ tsp if you don’t want quite as hot)
2 tsp fresh ground sea salt
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 diced tomatoes (or 1- 14.5oz can with juice)
6 C chicken broth (an extra cup if soup gets too thick)
2 ½ C milk or cream (I used whole milk)
1 Tbsp sunflower oil (for frying sausage)
Shredded Cheddar cheese for serving


In a soup pot, cook sausage with the oil over medium heat until no pink remains.

Add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, or until onions are soft. Add garlic for the last minute.

Add black pepper, thyme, oregano, basil, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook together for a couple minutes.

Add tomatoes, chicken broth, milk/cream, and potatoes. Bring to a boil.

Simmer for an hour to let all the deliciousness blend together. (This is the perfect time to brew some coffee, prepare some grilled cheese sandwiches, paint your toenails... whatever.)

Top with shredded cheddar and serve with grilled Swiss sandwiches. Delish! Enjoy

Homemade Pizza: Three Generations of Crowd Control

Yep; three generations. My grandma and momma perfected this dough recipe years ago, keeping the masses of children and their hunger at bay. Whether they were making pizza, dinner rolls, or cinnamon rolls, this dough recipe is fast and easy and perfect to stick in the frig overnight for quick baking the next day. So now, the recipe has been passed down to me, the third generation. Growing up in the kitchen with my momma, it was always my "job" to make the sauce on pizza night, so you will find my two sauce recipes listed below. I hope you enjoy our traditional family pizza!

Grandma & Mommas Dough   (yields 2 lg. Pizzas)

·       2T Dry Yeast

·       2C Warm Water

·       2T Sugar

·       2 tsp. Salt

·       4T Sunflower Oil (Gma prefers canola, but this has an incredible taste!)

·       5.25C Flour; may need extra for kneading

·       Substitute 1/4 – 1/2 of regular flour for whole wheat flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water; let sit for 3-5min, then mix other ingredients, flour lastly and one cup at a time. Mix the last cup or two of flour by hand on a lightly floured surface; may need more flour so it does not stick too bad. Dough should be stretchy and slightly sticky, but not sticking to the counter. Cover dough with sheen of oil; cover & let rise from 15-30min while making sauce. Use oil to spread dough over pans to prevent sticking.

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Jenny’s Sauce   (yields enough for 2 pizzas)

·       1 can ea. of Tomato Paste, Sauce and Soup

·       2 minced Garlic Clove (or 1-2tsp Garlic Pwd)

·       3tsp. minced Onion (or 1tsp. Onion Pwd)

·       1T Taco Seasoning

·       Parsley, Oregano, Thyme, Ground Pepper … all to taste.

OR my [SPICIER] favorite way…

·       1 28oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes

·       1 small can of Tomato Sauce

·       1 T Olive or Sunflower Oil (for sautéing)

·       3-4 (or 2 T worth) Minced Garlic Cloves

·       Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Sea Salt, Ground Pepper, Oregano, Thyme, Parsley all to taste [I like a lot of thyme, oregano and ground pepper.]

·       Optional lemon zest for extra zing! I really like this!!

Sauté the oil with red pepper flakes and garlic for no longer than a minute; do not let garlic brown. Add tomatoes & sauce, followed by remaining seasonings to taste. The best taste-test is a sauce-dipped pepperoni!

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Cover dough with pizza sauce and toppings. Bake the finished pizzas at 400F for 15 – 20min until crust on bottom is lightly golden brown and crispy. Do not pack pizzas too full of toppings or they will not bake completely. Enjoy!

Hint: Mix ½ pkg. Cheddar with 2pkg. Mozzarella, and sprinkle grated Parmesan and Romano on top for best pizza cheese!