Sausage Roll
Perfect Potato Soup
Don’t let the smell of fresh baked bread become a thing of the past! Not as long as local grocery stores are stocked with frozen bread dough, a way to bring the goodness of fresh baked bread into your home without a bunch of kneading and rising. Frozen dough is great for making a loaf of hot, home baked bread and a great base for other recipes including this delicious Sausage Roll. The bread dough is rolled out, brushed with a beaten egg, and spread with browned sausage and grated Cheddar cheese. Then the dough is rolled up, jellyroll fashion, brushed with additional beaten egg and is baked for 25 minutes. Perfect Potato Soup is a wonderful accompaniment! The soup starts by frying bacon in a large saucepan. The bacon is removed, crumbled and set aside, and the onion goes in the bacon fat for a quick sauté. Cubed potatoes and water are added and simmered for 15 minutes. Two cans of cream of mushroom soup and milk go in and are heated through. The soup is then ladled into bowls and served. Quick and easy! Set the tone for this fantastic meal with Spring Salad dressed with Apple Cider Vinaigrette. Most of the components of the salad can be prepared well ahead of time. This combination of crisp greens, crunchy apple, spiced pecans, and crumbled blue cheese is simply divine!
Spring Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette and Spiced Pecans
Spiced Pecans:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Dash cayenne pepper
1 cup pecan halves
Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in the pecans. Stir constantly until sugar is caramelized and pecans are toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour on a foil-lined baking sheet to cool.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup apple cider
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or jar. Stir or shake to combine well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Salad:
6 cups mixed lettuce greens
3 whole mushrooms, sliced
3 green onions, sliced
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1 apple, cored and cut into cubes
Toss the salad greens with Apple Cider Vinaigrette. Divide greens among 6 salad plates. Divide remaining ingredients among the salads and top with Spiced Pecans.
Serves 6.
Sausage Roll
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
1 egg, beaten
1 pound spicy sausage, cooked and drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Roll the bread dough into a large rectangle. Brush dough with beaten egg, then sprinkle sausage and cheese evenly over dough. Roll up jellyroll fashion and place on a large baking sheet. Let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush outside of roll with remaining beaten egg. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown on outside and cooked through. Serves 6.
Perfect Potato Soup
6 slices bacon
1 cup chopped onion
4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 soup cans milk
Fry bacon until crisp in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove bacon from pan, crumble and set aside. Add onion to bacon fat and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and water. Cover pan with lid and cook for 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Stir in salt, soup, and milk. Heat through but do not boil. Serves 6.
