Grilled Sausage & Vegetable Skewers with Pineapple BBQ Sauce

Pineapple BBQ Sauce:

1/3 Cup Pineapple Puree (*see note)

2/3 Cup BBQ Sauce (your favorite) 

Skewers:

1    Pkg. Smoked, Cooked Sausage/Kielbasa  (about 14 oz., sliced) 

1/2 Fresh Pineapple (cut into chunks)

1    Large Zucchini (sliced)

1    Red or Yellow Bell Pepper (cut into chunks)

3    Mushrooms (halved or quartered)

1/2 Red Onion (cut into chunks)

Instructions for BBQ sauce:

*Note: Place 1 to 2 cups of fresh pineapple into a blender and puree until it is smooth. Pass it through a fine mesh strainer and discard any solids.

Place a small saucepan on the grill top and combine the pineapple puree and BBQ sauce. Heat grill and stir sauce until combined and heated through. Set it aside but keep it warm.

Instructions for skewers:

Preheat the grill to medium heat. Thread vegetables and sausage on four 12 inch metal skewers, alternating items as you go. Lightly sprinkle each skewer with salt and pepper. Place the skewers on the hot grill and cook, rotating occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and the sausage is heated through and there are grill marks visible. Brush generously with the BBQ sauce and continue cooking for a couple more minutes, rotating them once or twice. Watch them closely so the sauce does not burn. Remove from the grill, brush with more sauce and serve immediately. Serves 4

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Best Ever Apple Pie Bars

Crust:

Cooking Spray

1       Cup Butter (2 sticks, softened) 

1/2    Cup Granulated Sugar

1/4    Cup Brown Sugar (packed)

2 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour

1/2    tsp. Salt

Filling:

6    Apples (peeled, cored, sliced)

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (packed)

1    tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1    tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp. Salt

Topping:

1 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour

1       Cup Pecans (chopped)

1       Cup Brown Sugar (packed)

1/2    tsp. Salt

3/4    Cup Butter (1 1/2 sticks, melted)

Caramel Ice Cream Topping (for serving)

Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch cake pan with parchment paper and grease it with cooking spray. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Press into the prepared cake pan, going about 1/2 inch up the sides. Bake until lightly golden, about 20 minutes.

Filling:
In a large bowl, toss apple slices, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt together. Spread this over the baked crust.

Topping:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pecans, brown sugar and salt. Stir in the melted butter until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle crumb topping over the apple slices and bake 1 hour or until the top is golden and the apple slices are soft. Let cool at least 15 minutes then slice into squares and drizzle with the caramel ice cream topping. Servings 18

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Vegetable Cabbage Soup

2    Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 

1    Large Onion (chopped)

2    Carrots (chopped)

2    Ribs Celery (minced)

1/2 tsp. Chili Powder

Salt

Black Pepper (ground)

1    Can (15 oz.) White Beans (drained, rinsed)
      
2    Cloves Garlic (minced)

1    tsp. Thyme Leaves

4    Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

2    Cups Water

1/2 Large Head Cabbage (chopped)

1    (15 oz.) Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes (chopped)

Pinch Red Pepper Flakes

2    Tbsp. Fresh Parsley (chopped)

Parsley Sprigs for garnish if desired

In a large pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add the onion, carrots and celery, season with salt, pepper and chili powder. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the beans, garlic and thyme and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broth and water and bring to a simmer.

Stir in the tomatoes and cabbage and simmer until cabbage is wilted, about 6 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the red pepper flakes and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley sprigs. Serves 6.

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Slow-cooker Corn Chowder

1 lb. Baby Red Potatoes (halved or quartered)

1/4 Cup All-purpose Flour

Salt and Black Pepper

8 Cups Low-sodium Chicken Broth

2 1/2 Cup Corn (fresh or canned)

2 Sprigs Thyme

1 tsp. Dried Basil

1 tsp. Onion Powder     

3 Cups Chicken (shredded)

1 1/3 Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

1/4 Cup Whole Milk

2 Tbsp. Heavy Cream

6 Slices Bacon (cooked, crumbled)

2 Tbsp. Fresh Chives (chopped, for garnish)

 Place potatoes and flour into a slow-cooker, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Stir in the broth, corn, thyme, basil and onion powder. Cook on high for 3 hours or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the chicken, cheddar, milk and cream until cheese is melty and fully incorporated. Heat for an additional 10 minutes to warm the chicken. Ladle soup into bowls and top with more pepper, bacon and chives before serving. Serves 6.

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