New Years Day Soup!

Ingredients:
1 pound dry black-eyed peas 3 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies, drained ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large saucepan with enough water to cover, soak the black-eyed peas 8 hours, or overnight.
Drain and rinse the soaked black-eyed peas, and return to the saucepan. Mix in the beef broth, dry onion soup mix, sausage, rice, and green chilies. Season with pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Add water as necessary to keep the ingredients covered with liquid.

Christmas Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork sausage 1 teaspoon mustard powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 eggs, beaten 2 cups milk 6 slices white bread, toasted and cut into cubes 8 ounces mild Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:
Crumble sausage into a medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly brown; drain.
In a medium bowl, mix together mustard powder, salt, eggs and milk. Add the sausage, bread cubes, and cheese, and stir to coat evenly. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cover, and bake 45 to 60 minutes. Uncover, and reduce temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until set.

Variations:


Ingredients:
7 slices white bread, crusts removed and cubed 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 6 eggs 3 cups milk 1 teaspoon ground mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions:
In a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish, combine the bread cubes and cheese. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper; pour over bread and cheese. Top with bacon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Non-Edible Cinnamon Ornaments

Ingredients:
1 cup ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon ground cloves 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg 3/4 cup applesauce 2 tablespoons glue

Directions:
In a medium bowl, stir together the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix in the applesauce and glue. Work the mixture with your hands 2 to 3 minutes to form a ball. If mixture is too wet, add more cinnamon. If mixture is too dry, add more applesauce.
Lightly dust a clean surface with cinnamon. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters, and use a toothpick to make a hole at the top for hanging with a ribbon.
Dry in a slow oven 200 degrees F (100 degrees C) for several hours, or air dry in a sunny spot for 4 or 5 days. When dry, decorate with gingham and/ or ribbon.