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Cooking Prayer:

“As the grains of wheat once scattered on the hill, were gathered into one to become our bread, so may all your people, from all the ends of earth, be gathered into one in you.”

Gracious God, all that you create is good. As we create meals and snacks to nourish our bodies, bless us and bless our creations, so that we can continue to be your hands and feet in this broken and weary world.

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Pesto:

Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (can sub half the basil leaves with baby spinach, kale, or arugula)
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (this is an estimate… I always just eyeball it until the consistency seems right)
Splash of Lemon Juice (just a little bit… gives the pesto a kick)
1/3 cup pine nuts (any kind of nut can be used. I used almonds for this batch and have used pecans a lot in the past)
3 garlic cloves, minced (or – more if you are a garlic fan like I am… I use A LOT)
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, & Lemon Pepper to taste

Instructions
Blend basil, cheese, nuts, and garlic in a food processor. Add lemon juice and olive oil and blend again. Add spices and blend one final time. Pesto stores well for several weeks in a mason jar in the fridge. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays and store frozen pesto in Tupperware or a freezer bag for quite some time!

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Boujee Mac & Cheese:

Ingredients
For the macaroni:
10 ounces elbow macaroni pasta or cavatappi, boxed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Garnish:
Chopped Chives or Scallions

Instructions

1. Line large baking pan with foil and heat the oven 350°F.
2. Boil the pasta: Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium high heat. Add olive oil and salt to the water. Add the macaroni once water is boiling. Cook until the pasta is firm-tender.
3. Drain the pasta: Drain the pasta into a colander. Add back to the stock pot.
4. Mix in Yogurt, Milk, & Cheese:  Mix in Greek yogurt and milk. Make sure pasta is coated. Mix in feta cheese… it should melt fairly quickly. Mix in one package of Monterrey/Jack blend cheese and the Tillamook mild cheddar cheese. Mix until cheese is fairly melty.
5. Mix in Rotel & Sausage: Mix in drained Rotel & the sausage. Make sure it is all fairly evenly distributed. The mac & cheese will have a red tinge at this point because of the Rotel.
6. Add Spices & Scallions to taste: Mix in spices to taste & mix in ½ of the scallions.
7. Put in Baking Pan: Transfer the Mac & Cheese mixture into the foil lined baking dish. Smooth the top.
8. Top with Cheese & Scallions and bake: Top with ½ of the second package of Monterey/Jack blend cheese (top should be covered evenly, but not piled). Place in oven for 20 to 25 minutes until cheese on top is melted. Broil on high for 5 minutes until top is golden brown. Cool briefly before serving.

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Meaty Marinara Sauce:

Ingredients

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, zucchini, garlic, and ground meat. Cook until meat is completely browned.
2. Add whole tomatoes (with juice) and gently break apart with the spoon.  Stir in remaining ingredients. (You can skip using the whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste and just use a pre-fab jar (or 2) of pasta sauce if you are in a hurry.)
3. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 20 minutes or until sauce reaches desired consistency.
4. Serve over spaghetti or enjoy in your favorite recipes. Freeze or refrigerate to store.

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Jambalaya:

Full Disclosure – I had several boxes of boxed Jambalaya mix in my pantry so I doctored those up with chicken, sausage, & fresh veggies and just went with that… but this is my FAVORITE from scratch Jambalaya recipe… EVER!

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium.
2. Stir in the sausage, onion, celery, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic. Sprinkle on salt and ground black pepper and stir again. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and the uncooked rice. Then stir in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to boil.
4. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Simmer the jambalaya until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
5. Stir in Worcestershire and Hot Sauce.

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Roasted chicken with Rosemary Potatoes & Asparagus:

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 400°F.
2. Prepare 3 baking dishes by lining them with foil.
3. Lay chicken in baking dish and coat with olive oil. Season with spices to taste. (The chicken in my image also got doused in Hatch Green Chili Salsa because I was trying to create space in my fridge and was getting rid of condiments. 😊)
4. Spread diced potatoes in a baking dish and coat with olive oil. Season with spices to taste.
5. Cut bottoms off the asparagus. Lay in baking dish or on a broiler pan. Coat with olive oil. Season with spices to taste.
6. Bake chicken and potatoes in preheated oven until chicken reaches internal temperature of 175°F and potatoes are soft.
7. Remove chicken. Broil potatoes on high until tops are golden brown.
8. Bake asparagus 10-15 minutes. (It will turn bright green)

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Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. (I use my KitchenAid Stand Mixer)
3. Add sugars, softened butter, vanilla, and eggs.
4. Stir in Chocolate Chips.
5. Drop mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake 8-10 minutes.