Tasty Tuesday: Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, small dice
3 ribs celery, small dice
Kosher salt
1 pound spicy sausage, casing removed, broken into bite-size chunks
3 cloves garlic, smashed and finely diced
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
10 sage leaves, finely chopped
3 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped
10 cups stale cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups dried cranberries
3 to 4 cups chicken stock
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and celery and saute over to medium heat. Season with salt and cook until the vegetables start to become soft and are very aromatic. Add the sausage and cook until the sausage begins to brown. Stir in the garlic and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the walnuts, sage and rosemary and cook for another minute, then remove from heat.


In a large bowl mix together the cornbread, cranberries, and the sausage mixture. Add chicken stock and knead with your hands until the bread is very moist, actually wet. Taste to check for seasoning and season with salt, if needed and transfer to an ovenproof dish.


Bake the stuffing until it is hot all the way through and is crusty on top, about 30 to 35 minutes. MMMMM...stuffing!

Motivational Monday 11.21.11

Without inspiration, the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks. -Johann Gottfried von Herder

Tasty Tuesday 11.15.11

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients
1/2 cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
28 large (2 1/2-inch-diameter) white mushrooms, stemmed

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Stir the bread crumbs, Pecorino Romano, garlic, parsley, mint, salt and pepper, to taste, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl to blend.

Drizzle a heavy large baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, to coat. Spoon the filling into the mushroom cavities and arrange on the baking sheet, cavity side up. Drizzle remaining oil over the filling in each mushroom. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is heated through and golden on top, about 25 minutes. Serve.

Methodist Children’s Hospital Holiday Toy Donation Drive

This holiday season The Park at Walker’s Ranch is teaming up with our sister communities and Methodist Children’s Hospital to help give their sick children a brighter holiday. We would love & appreciate having your help in achieving this goal.

We will be collecting and donating items from the wish list we received from Methodist Hospital. If you are able to help you can drop off these items to our office starting Nov. 7th – Dec. 3rd.

In order to follow the hospital’s request, we are asking that you please not gift wrap the items. We are so excited to be able to help put a smile on the children’s faces when we drop these gifts off, and really appreciate anything that you can do. If you have any questions please feel free to contact our office at 210-764-0404.

Please consider the following when making a toy donation:
1) New and/or gently used toys are welcomed!
2) To be safe for our toddlers and infants, toys should not
include small pieces that can cause choking.
3) Stuffed animals must be new, and in their original
package due to infection control concerns.

SCHOOL AGE (5 – 12 Yrs Old)

• Board Games (Sorry; Connect 4; Yahtzee;Trouble; Monopoly; Guess Who; Skipbo)
• Matchbox Cars
• Magna Doodles
• Etch-a-sketch
• Arts & Crafts Kits (Jewelry Making; Paints;Sand Art; Stickers; Ceramic, etc.)
• Books
• View Masters
• Hand-held Electronic Games (Tetris;20 Questions; Hangman, etc.)
• Mr. Potato Head
• Remote Control Cars
• Puzzles
• Brain Teasers

INFANTS (0 -1 Yrs Old)
• Blankets
• Bibs
• Onesies

We thank you all for your support in this worthy cause!

The Park at Walker’s Ranch
B.R.I.D.G.E. Team
www.cwsbridge.com

Motivational Monday

We hope everyone is having a great Monday! Here is a little quote to make your week a little brighter!

"Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third."
- Marge Piercy

Drum roll please....

Hip-Hip-Hooray!
Drum roll please…

We want to announce the winner of our Second Chance drawing for a Motorola Xoom Tablet. Congratulations to Eliane! We want to thank everyone who participated in the CEL Survey this year. It is your opinion and your voice that helps make your community a great place to call home!

Tasty Tuesday 11/1/11: Game Day Chili

Ingredients
6 slices thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 cup beer (recommended: Budweiser)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (24-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (24-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
Lime wedges, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Shredded Cheddar, for garnish
Sliced scallions, for garnish

Directions
In large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly crisp, stirring occasionally. Once the bacon is browned, add the garlic, onions, bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder, oregano, and smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender and seasonings are aromatic. Add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Once beef is broken up and beginning to brown, add the pork. Break up with wooden spoon like the beef, and brown, until no longer pink, roughly 4 minutes. Stir in the beer and beans. Toss together, then add the crushed and diced tomatoes. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer the chili to serving bowls and garnish with lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheese, and sliced scallions.