Wild rice is Minnesota’s state grain, and it has a hearty flavor that compliments the sausage and mushrooms in the casserole. If wild rice isn’t available where you live, brown rice might work as a substitute, though we haven’t tried that.

Sausage, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Casserole
(Serves 6-8)
By Jane and Michael’s Gourmet Extravaganza (Adapted from the Food Network)

• 1 1/3 cups (8 oz) of wild rice, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 12 oz pork sausage (we used 4 beer brats with the casings removed and it added a great flavor to the dish!)
• 1 medium red onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 8 oz baby portabella mushrooms, quartered into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, optional (or possibly fresh cilantro)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, combine the wild rice and chicken broth and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 50 minutes. The rice is done when the grains are tender and split open. Drain the rice, saving about 3/4 cup of the broth, and transfer the rice and the saved broth to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet and brown the sausage meat, breaking it up into small pieces while it is cooking. Add the sausage meat to the same bowl that the rice will go in.

Add another Tbsp of butter to the pan, and sauté the onions over medium heat until they are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and thyme and cook 2 minutes more. Place the onion mixture in the large bowl with the sausage.

Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter in the pan, and sauté the mushrooms until they are lightly browned. Add the mushrooms, and the parsley, to the large bowl with all the other ingredients.

Gently stir all the ingredients together, and add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until heated through. Enjoy!

Sweet Mashed Potatoes
(Serves 5-6)
By Jane and Michael’s Gourmet Extravaganza

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 3 large russet potatoes
• 4 Tbsp butter
• Seasoned salt, to taste
• Whipping cream, optional

Peel all the potatoes and dice into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in a saucepan and add water to cover potatoes. Heat to a boil and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Mash well with a potato masher, and then stir in butter. Add seasoned salt to taste, and cream if potatoes are not creamy enough.

For this recipe, we used teriyaki-glazed pork roast, pineapple tidbits, and fresh red peppers as the base of our filling. However, we’ve also substituted a fresh spinach filling into the pizza with great success. You can add any ingredients you like, as long as you layer them in the same general order as described below. It’s really not hard to make, so give it a try and enjoy the taste of Chicago-style deep-dish pizza in your own home!

Chicago-style Hawaiian Deep-dish Pizza
(Serves 3-4)
By Jane and Michael’s Gourmet Extravaganza

• 2 recipes of Italian-style pizza dough
• 8 oz shredded or sliced Swiss or Provolone cheese, divided
• 12 oz teriyaki-roasted pork loin, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 can (24 oz) pineapple tidbits, drained
• 1/3 cup diced sweet red pepper
• 1/3 cup diced green pepper
• 1/2 of a red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup bbq sauce
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1+ cups pizza sauce

Press the pizza dough into a 10-inch nonstick springform pan, so that it goes up about 3 inches onto the sides of the pan. Cover the dough with half of the cheese, and then with your toppings (for this pizza, we used pork, pineapple, red and green peppers, onion, garlic, ginger, bbq sauce, and cilantro). Top with the remaining cheese, and then pour pizza sauce over the top until the cheese is completely covered.

Chicago-style Hawaiian pizza with toppings

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden and sauce is bubbly. Let cool at least 5 minutes before serving.

Quick & Easy Rice Cooker Mexican Rice
(Serves 4-6)
By Jane and Michael’s Gourmet Extravaganza (Adapted from Food.com)

• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (we use 2 1/4 cups water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes)
• 3 oz tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 large jalapeño pepper, minced
• Dash pepper
• Dash red pepper flakes
• 1 large bay leaf (we’ve found that this is essential to eliminating the “canned” taste from the tomato paste)
• Cilantro, as a garnish (optional)

Combine all ingredients, except bay leaf and cilantro, in a rice cooker. Place the bay leaf on top and cook according to manufacturer’s directions. When the rice is finished cooking, remove the bay leaf and stir. Serve, garnished with fresh cilantro if desired.

When we made this recipe on Tuesday night, I served it with grilled asparagus, a fresh salad, and breadsticks. It’s a delicious and simple meal that would be great for any occasion!

Teriyaki Salmon with Grilled Asparagus
(Serves 2)
By Jane and Michael’s Gourmet Extravaganza (Adapted from Allrecipes.com)

• 1 lb fresh salmon fillet
• Garlic salt, to taste
• Lemon pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 bunch of fresh asparagus

Season the salmon fillet with garlic salt and lemon pepper and place in a large resealable bag. Mix together the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and oil and pour into the bag with the salmon. Seal well and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Marinaded teriyaki salmon

To bake the salmon, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the salmon in a foil-lined baking dish, and drizzle with a bit of the marinade. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the salmon flakes when tested with a fork and is cooked all the way through.

Trim the cut ends of the asparagus and grill while the salmon is in the oven. (I use our George Foreman grill, but you could also cook the asparagus in a skillet with a bit of oil).

Teriyaki salmon

Pepperoni and Hawaiian Pizza Spiral Breads
(Makes 1 loaf)
By Jane and Michael’s Gourmet Extravaganza

For the pepperoni pizza spiral bread:

• 1 recipe Italian-style pizza dough
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• Italian seasoning, to taste
• About 20 slices of pepperoni
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 of a medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• Garlic salt, to taste

For the Hawaiian pizza spiral bread:

• 1 recipe Italian-style pizza dough
• 1/2 cup bbq sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce)
• Italian seasoning, to taste
• 3 thin slices of ham, cut into 1-inch squares
• 1/3 cup pineapple tidbits, drained
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• Garlic salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll the pizza dough into a 8-inch by 14-inch rectangle. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the dough, leaving a 3-inch margin on one of the short ends, as pictured below. (The 3-inch margin will help prevent the filling from bursting out of the bread as it bakes).

Pizza dough topped with pizza sauce and pepperoni

Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the sauce. If you’re making the pepperoni pizza bread, top with pepperoni, garlic, and onion. If you’re making the Hawaiian pizza bread, top with ham and pineapple. For both breads, sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over the rest of the toppings.

The pizza bread is ready to roll up!

Carefully roll up the pizza dough, beginning at the short end with toppings. Turn the loaf into a nonstick 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan and press down to seal edges. Let rise for 15 minutes. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Pizza bread, ready to be baked

This panini recipe would be great to keep around for next Thanksgiving’s leftovers. But why wait? Turkey is delicious year-round, and so is this sandwich.

Cranberry Turkey Paninis
(Makes 2 panini sandwiches)
By Jane and Michael’s Gourmet Extravaganza

• 2 English muffins (I used sourdough)
• 4 tsp cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup turkey dark meat, sliced
• 1/3 cup turkey light meat, sliced
• Dried rosemary, to taste
• 2 Tbsp whole cranberry sauce
• 2 tsp butter, softened

Slice each English muffin in half, and spread cream cheese on the uncut side of each half — the cut sides of the English muffin will be the outside of your paninis. Top two of the halves (cream cheese side up) with the turkey and sprinkle with dried rosemary. Top each sandwich with cranberry sauce, and cover with the remaining English muffin halves, cream cheese side down.

Cranberry turkey panini assembly

Carefully butter the outsides of each sandwich. Cook on a panini press for 4 minutes, or in a skillet, until the panini is heated through and golden brown on both sides.

Tomato Onion Garlic Bread
(Makes 15 pieces)
By Jane and Michael’s Gourmet Extravaganza

• 2 recipes of Italian-style pizza dough
• 1/3 cup pesto
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 of a small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced

Prepare pizza dough as directed. After the dough has risen once, punch down and press into a greased 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish. Let the pizza dough rise a second time, for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Spread pesto over the top of the pizza dough, and top with garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the dough is golden and slightly pulled away from the sides of the dish.

Baked tomato onion garlic bread

Remove the garlic bread from the pan and let cool slightly before cutting into pieces and serving.

Lattice-topped Apple Pie
(Makes 1 pie)
By Jane and Michael’s Gourmet Extravaganza

• Pastry for a double crust pie
• 6 or 7 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg
• Dash of salt
• 1-2 Tbsp butter
• Additional sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add apples and gently toss to coat.

Roll out half of the pie pastry and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Fill with apple mixture. Use the remaining dough to make a lattice top over the apple filling. Fold the edges of the bottom crust over to seal the top and bottom crusts together.

Sprinkle the pie with sugar and dot with small pieces of butter. Cover the edges of the pie with a pie shield or pieces of aluminum foil. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the apples are tender. Let cool at least 45 minutes before serving.

This year, my new year’s resolution was to bake Michael one pie a month. So, it’s only appropriate that I begin the year with the recipe for our favorite pie crust. It’s a butter and shortening crust from KitchenAid that is simple to mix up. While the dough is resting in the fridge, you can make the pie filling of your choice — or simply use a canned pie filling to make things even easier. I used this crust last summer to make a delicious blueberry pie, as pictured above, and today I’m baking an apple pie as I write this post. This no-fail pie crust is delicious every time.

Favorite Pie Crust
(Makes 2 9-inch pie crusts)
By Jane and Michael’s Gourmet Extravaganza (Recipe from KitchenAid)

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup shortening, chilled
• 2 Tbsp butter, chilled
• 5-6 Tbsp cold water

Using an electric mixer, mix flour and salt at low speed until combined. Cut in shortening and butter until only pea-sized pieces of shortening remain. Continue to mix at low speed while adding water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is fully moistened and begins to hold together.

Divide the dough into two balls and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator 15 minutes before rolling out as needed for your pie recipe.