Brunch Pizza

Ingredients:
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
½ pound sliced bacon, chopped
½ pound bulk pork
½ pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon butter
8 eggs, lightly beaten
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sour cream
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella
Optional: Picante sauce, extra sour cream

Directions:

• Unroll crescent dough in a greased thirteen by nine baking dish; seal seams and perforations.  Bake at 375° for six to eight minutes or until golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook bacon and sausage over medium heat until bacon is crisp,  and sausage is no longer pink  Using a slotted spoon, remove meat to paper towels; drain, reserving two Tablespoons of drippings.  Using the drippings, saute mushrooms, onion, and green pepper.  Remove and set aside.
• Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add eggs, cook and stir until almost set.  In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, and Italian seasoning; spread over crust.  Layer with eggs, sausage, bacon, sauteed vegetables, tomatoes, and mozzarella.
• Bake at 375° for fifteen to eighteen minutes or until cheese is melted.  Serve with picante sauce and additional sour cream if desired.

Makes 12 servings.

Beef and Spinach Lo Mein

Ingredients:
¼ cup hoison sauce
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon water
2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1 pound beef top round steak, thinly sliced
4 teaspoon canola oil, divided
1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained
¼ cup sliced green onions
1 package (10 ounces) fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 red chili pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, garlic, and pepper flakes.  Pour ¼ cup into large resealable plastic bag; add beef.  Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for ten minutes.  Set remaining marinade aside.
• Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in large skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in three teaspoons canola oil in batches for one to two minutes or until no longer pink.  Remove with slotted spoon and keep warm.
• Drain spaghetti and set aside.  In skillet or wok, stir-fry water chestnuts and onions in remaining oil until onions are tender.  Stir in spinach, spaghetti noodles, and reserved marinade.  Cook and stir for two to three minutes or until spinach is wilted.
• Return beef to the pan; heat through.  Garnish with chili pepper.

Makes 5 servings.

Beef Sirloin Steak with Baby Spinach

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 boneless beef sirloin steak, ¾ inch thick, cut into four pieces
1 large onion, sliced
1 small red pepper, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (10 ¾ ounce) condensed cream of mushroom soup
½ cup water
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bag (7 ounces) baby spinach
Hot mashed potatoes

Directions:

• Heat one Tablespoon of oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Add beef and cook until well-browned on both sides.  Remove beef from skillet.  Pour off fat.  Heat remaining oil in skillet.  Add onion and pepper and cook for one minute, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic and cook until vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring often.
• Stir in soup, water, vinegar, and rosemary in a skillet and heat to boil.  return beef to skillet, reduce heat to medium.  Stir in spinach.  Cover and cook for two minutes or until desired doneness.  Serve with potatoes.

Basic Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped yellow onions (about 3 medium)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 teaspoons freshly ground Italian seasoning
2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups low-sodium fat-free vegetable broth
3 (28 ounces, each) cans no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

Directions:
Saute onions in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat for five minutes or until tender.  Add sugar and next three ingredients; saute for one minute.  Stir in vinegar; cook thirty seconds.  Add broth and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for fifty-five minutes or until sauce thickens.

Makes 11 cups.

Garlic-Chive Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 (24 ounce) package steam-and-mash potatoes
1 Tablespoon butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces fat-free cream cheese
2/3 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cups chopped fresh chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
Microwave potatoes according to package directions.  Meanwhile, melt one Tablespoon of butter in small skillet over medium heat; add minced garlic and saute one minute.  Transfer cooked potatoes to large bowl.  Add garlic mixture, cream cheese, milk, chives, salt and pepper.  Mashed to desired consistency.

Makes six servings.