Baked Potato Soup

It's definitely soup season. Not only is it the ultimate comfort food, but it is easy on the checkbook, too.

I got this from my favorite website for food.. allrecipes.com... and I loved it.

This is my version.

Baked Potato Soup

4-5 slices of bacon, sliced (I have to cook at least 6 slices as the Bacon Theif always eats about half of it before I can use it)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of flour
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups of chicken stock
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup of half and half or whole milk.
2 tbsp hot sauce

shredded sharp cheddar cheese and sliced green onions for garnish

Cook the bacon on medium-low until crispy. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Cook the onion and garlic in the bacon fat until the onions are translucent. Sprinkle with flour, basil, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add chicken broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Turn down the heat to low. Take a potato masher and squish the potatoes to give the soup a thicker consistency. Drizzle in the milk and hot sauce and serve with the garnishes.

*Note* You can use leftover baked potatoes for this soup. Just add them in with the milk instead of with the chicken stock. It'll give a smoother consistency.
If you like thicker soups, increase the flour to 4 tbsp. We prefer a thinner soup in our house.

Taco Soup, via Cuatro Molinas

My friend Denise posted her recipe for taco soup a few weeks ago. My mouth watered just reading it. So, I made it today. It is delicious.

A few different things I did:
-Dylan won't eat black beans, so I substituted dark red kidney beans instead.
-I threw in a jalapeno instead of the garlic, because I didn't have any on hand.
-I left out the boullion. I don't care for all that extra salt.

It was delicious. We served it just as pictured (except we both forgot about the chips until after we were finished!) It will certainly be filed in our family favorites.

Thanks Denise!!

Hearty Beef Stew

Sometimes you just need something warm in your belly. This is one of those dishes. EASY, delicious, and exactly what ya need when the weather is chilly. Or if you're feeling a little sick, this hits the spot!

Hearty Beef Stew

1lb of beef stew meat
3 russet potatoes, diced (leave on the skins for the vitamins)
2 large carrots (I don't peel my carrots when I'm making stew or soup), chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic
Steak seasoning
1/4 cup flour
S&P
1 pkg Lipton onion and mushroom soup mix
2 tbsp tomato paste (I like the the kind in the tube)
4 cups water

Put the stew meat in a big ziplock bag. Sprinkle it with steak seasoning, salt and pepper, and flour. Close the bag and then shake it until the meat is coated. Heat a soup pot with some vegetable oil. Pour the stew meat in and cook until browned- about 5-6 minutes.
Add the veggies. Salt and pepper. Squirt the tomato paste and sprinkle the Lipton soup mix. Pour the water on top and stir it all together. If you like a beefier flavor, (did I just make up a new word?) add a beef boullion cube. Cover and simmer until all of the veggies are tender.

Serve with some yummy bread.

Squeeeee!

I am so excited that The Pioneer Woman has written a cookbook. I am even more excited that she is doing a book tour, and she is coming to DALLAS!

Wahoooo! Tuesday, December 1st, at 7pm, at the Preston Road Borders store. The book comes out October 27th. She'll be signing copies.

I. Can't. Wait.

I have made a dozen or so of her recipes. They are always fun, easy, and delicious. And whoever does her food photography is amazing. She turned us on to migas, coq au vin, chicken spaghetti.. etc. She rocks. And she has a great sense of humor!

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

I'll be honest. I'm a sucker for a delicious, calories-don't-matter and the more-cheese-the-better, stick-to-your-ribs kind of casserole. If it's got a crunchy topping, bring it. If it's ooey gooey and makes you want to take a nap, even better.

So who else would I try a recipe from than comfort food's queen, Paula Deen? Granted, I totally changed this recipe from her original. I love her, but she loves to dirty every bowl in her kitchen and add 48 steps that really are unnecessary, know what I mean? I guess if you have Food Network interns doing your dishes for you, you might dirty every dish in the cabinet, too. It might be fun.

My mom actually told me she made this. As she described it, I knew it sounded awesome. So I gathered my ingredients and made it the first time pretty much by the original. It was good. Dylan liked it, and he's not a big casserole kind of guy. But I love him anyway. I do have to say that it tastes completely different than you think it will. In a good way, trust me. And this picture shows a DOUBLE batch. It's usually much smaller.

I made it for a farewell party at school tomorrow. A fellow preschool teacher is leaving to stay home with her kids, and everyone signed up to bring some food to celebrate and wish her well. I will personally miss her daughter, Sadie, who was in my class. She is the sweetest thing.

Now I like to go a little heavy on the spicy side. We eat many a jalapeno in this house, and our favorite seasoning is Tony Chacheries. So if you aren't a fan, cut back!

I tweaked the recipe to get this one, and I love it.

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

1lb shrimp, peeled and devained, and cut in thirds (I use frozen, but any other kind is fine as long as they are raw)
2 tbsp butter (it IS a Paula Deen recipe, you know)
1/2 cup chopped green onions (green parts and white parts)
1 chopped green pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pkg of long grain and wild rice mix (I used Rice-a-Roni, but Uncle Bens is just fine.. whatever you got)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup mix
2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese

Cook the rice mix as directed on the box. Add the cream of mushroom soup to it. In a skillet, melt the butter and saute the onions, green pepper, garlic and shrimp. Sprinkle Tony Chacheries (or whatever Cajun seasoning you prefer) all over the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are JUST pink. You don't want to cook them completely. Those bad boys still have to bake in the oven. Besides burned chocolate cake, the only other cooking sin I recognize is overcooked, rubbery shrimp. For shame!!

Mix the rice mix and the shrimp mix together. I usually dump it all in the rice pot. I still have plenty of room at the top. Fold in the cheese, reserving some for the top (remember the gooey cheese layer). Pour it all into an 8x8 glass casserole dish and bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes, or until it's ooey gooey.

This doesn't taste like you expect it to. It's pretty freakin' awesome. Rich, but heck, it is a casserole.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Yesterday was the first day of fall, and also marked my second cold of the school year. Yeah, it's only been 3 weeks.

So, to kick off the fall, I made some just-as-the-doctor-ordered chicken soup. The basic chicken soup recipe can be made with whatever noodle/potato/rice combo you like. It's very versatile. Or you could thicken it by adding some flour to the veggies and making biscut dough for chicken and dumplings. You could also add a package of prepared long grain and wild rice soup and 1/4 cup of heavy cream and you have chicken and wild rice soup.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

4 chicken thighs, with skin and on the bone
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup of chopped carrots (I used baby carrots)
1 cup of chopped celery (I like the leafy parts at the top)
salt and pepper
poultry seasoning
dried tyme
1 large can of chicken stock (low-sodium)
1 package of three-cheese tortellini from the refrigerated aisle.

In your soup-makin' pot, heat some oil on the stove. Salt and pepper the chicken thighs, and put them skin-side down in the hot oil. Brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan, and take the skin off. Pour out most of the chicken grease, and return the pan to the stove. Add the veggies and cook until onions are soft. Be sure to scrape up the yummy chicken bits from the bottom of the pan. Season the veggies with poultry seasoning, tyme, salt and pepper. Pour the chicken broth over the veggies. Bring to a boil. Then, nestle the chicken thighs back in the soup and cook until the chicken falls off the bone. That usually takes about 10-12 minutes. Take the chicken out again and let it cool so you can pull the meat off the bones. Put the chicken back in and add the tortellini. Boil until the tortellini are cooked, no more than 5 minutes.

Seems like a lot of steps, but honestly, this whole soup can be pot-to-table in 45 minutes or less. And it tastes so good!

I am so ready for fall. I need to get a new crock-pot (my birthday's coming up soon, and that's what I'm asking for), so look for my favorite comfort foods and crock-pot recipes.

Enjoy!

Warm German Potato Salad

I had some authentic warm German potato salad at Oktoberfest many years ago, and ever since, I've been on the hunt for another recipe that hits the spot. I haven't been successful. Until now. Most of the ones I try have mayo or sour cream, and the one I had didn't. It was gooey and sweet, but had a vinegry bite.

I discovered a recipe on Allrecipes.com and tweaked it a bit. Here's what I did.

Warm German Potato Salad
6-9 small/medium red potatoes
6 slices of bacon
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp white sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Boil the potatoes whole in a pot of salted water. Drain and cool. Unless you have bionic fingers. These are some hot potatoes (pun intended.. har har)!


Slice them into rounds. Or chunks. Whatever makes you happy!


Slice the bacon into small pieces. If it gives you trouble, stick it in the freezer for a few minutes. I do this with raw chicken breasts and steak if I need to slice it thinly. It keeps the meat solid so you can slice it easier. Sprinkle it in a frying pan. Render out the fat. Scoop out the crumbles with a slotted spoon, but leave the grease in the pan. (You're smelling it in your head right now, aren't you?)


Sprinkle the flour, sugar, water and vinegar into the bubbly bacon grease. Stir with a spoon or whisk (if your pan allows such metal concoctions) until blended and thick.


Toss in the potatoes. Okay, don't toss them. Gently lay them in the pan. You don't want broken spuds. They are delicate creatures, you know! Slowly stir the potatoes to coat. Add the bacon. Sprinkle the green onions on top.


Serve warm or room temperature. Which my mom always calls "BT" (body temp). That kinda grosses me out though. Do you really want to think about body temp while you're trying to eat? No.

My next recipe will be the summer salad I ripped off from Panera Bread Co. :-O
Stay tuned!!

Banana Walnut Bread

Mmmmm, is there anything better than the smell of bread baking? It's defintely on my list of top 5 smells!
I had some bananas that were too ripe to eat, so the best thing to do with them is make bread!
*side note*: If you have over-ripe bananas, you can do many things with them. Peel them, chunk them, and stick the chunks in a ziplock and freeze. Use frozen in smoothies to help make them thick. Or you can thaw the chunks and use them for bread in the future.

This is my favorite banana bread recipe. It's really good. If you don't have buttermilk, you can use regular milk. You can make sour milk by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a 1 cup measuring glass. Add milk to make the total volume 1 cup. I didn't have vinegar either, so I just used regular old 2% milk. I also subsituted mini chocolate chips for the nuts before and it was delicious.



Banana Walnut Bread

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (applesauce can be substituted to cut down on the fat)
2 tbsp buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 ripe medium-large bananas (mashed)
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325. Spray a large loaf pan with baking spray (it has flour added). Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and add the sugar and oil. Add the flour to the mix. It will be very thick and gloppy at this point. Trust me, it will smooth out once you add the rest.
Add the buttermilk, vanilla, and mashed bananas. Stir until smooth.
Pour 1/3 of the mix into the loaf pan. Sprinkle on the first 1/2 cup of nuts. Then pour the rest of the banana bread into the pan. Sprinkle the rest of the nuts on the top. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife inserted comes clean. I find it takes closer to an hour. Take it out of the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Slides out perfectly if you use the baking Pam spray.

My notes: This bread gets lovely and dark brown on the outside, making for a crunchy, delicious crust on the outside. The inside is moist and very flavorful, despite the short ingredient list.
I also ran out of white flour after measuring 1 1/2 cups, and used 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, and it came out just fine.
I also leave the nuts out of the middle because the boys eat this and Charlie doesn't care for the nuts. It's easier to pick them off the top!

I plan to make small loaves as Christmas gifts, along with my strawberry freezer jam.

Slather on some buttery spread and enjoy!! The boys are desroying a piece right now as we speak.

Chicken Club Pasta Salad

I promised I would include pictures when I started this blog, but I made this for a party, and by the time I remembered about the pictures, I was about 4 beers into the night and trying not to catch the chicken wings that were on the grill on fire.

So, trust me, this looks like a pasta salad. My husband, who usually doesn't care for pasta salad, was very interested in all the toppings for this, and was caught many times digging into the bacon and cheese chunks and retreating sheepishly into the other room when I called him out.
The ingredients look like the most delicious baked potato toppings of all time.

Chicken Club Pasta Salad

8oz rotini pasta (I used whole wheat because it doesn't taste any different).. any other shape you like is just fine, too.
2 cups diced chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken, but leftover chicken would be awesome in here, too. And a good way to use leftovers)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup cubed cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced green onion
6 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup Italian dressing (I used creamy Italian)

Cook pasta per the directions on the box. Drain and cool! COOL!!! Seriously. You want it cold. You can run water on top of it, throw in some ice cubes. But if it's not cool, it will absorb all of the dressing and the salad will be dry.
Assemble all of the ingredients, exept for the mayo and salad dressing. Mix those together in a separate bowl. Pour the dressing on the salad and toss. Refrigerate.

If you're going to make this in advance, like I did, leave the avocado out until just before you serve it. It will get all brown and mushy if you don't. And that's not yummy-looking.

This salad is a great alternative to the generic pasta salads you usually see. It's really good, and I had many people ask me what was in it. I will certainly make this again!!

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies of All Time

I'm not kidding. These babies really are the shizzzzz. I think it's the combo of all brown sugar and a little milk. They stay soft in the middle and crunchy around the edges. The perfect cookie, in my opinion. I got this recipe, funnily enough, on the inside package of the Crisco sticks. I really prefer those to butter. They make for fluffier cookies. I've used this recipe to make a bunch of different combos: 1/2 chocolate chip, 1/2 Peanut butter chips; chocolate chip and walnuts; chocolate chip and pecans; just chocolate chip; mini chocolate chip.. you get the picture.

3/4 cup Crisco butter-flavored shortening
1 1/4 cup of packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (use the good stuff!)
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream Crisco and sugar. I've made these with a hand mixer and a stand mixer. Either is just fine. Add egg, beat until just blended. Add the milk and the vanilla extract.
Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add slowly into the wet mix, so's not to cover your entire kitchen in flour. Mix until JUST done (don't want tough cookies... at least not in your cookie jar). Blend in chocolate and nuts.

I use an ice cream scoop to measure out the dough. 2 tablespoon size works for me. I get 16 on a cookie sheet, which makes exactly 2 batches.
Cook for about 12 miutes, or until your desired crispiness. The husband prefers them done more than I do. I like a softer cookie, and he likes 'em crunchy. Whatever you like!

See, I'm making them for you!!

All of the ingredients are mixed together. So fluffy!


You could stop right here and grab a spoon....


Please don't judge me for my cookie sheet that is a million years old. It's the only decent cookie sheet I own.


Ta-da!! Get yourself a glass of milk and go to town!


Try these bad boys out and tell me they aren't the best, easiest chocolate chip cookies ever.
This recipe is very easily doubled (or even tripled). I nested hardcore before Van was born, and in addition to the mountain of frozen meals I made, I made a triple batch of cookie dough and it froze beautifully. Shape it in a log, wrap it in plastic (wax paper would be best, but I don't ever have that)... keep it in the freezer to use when you're craving cookies. Just thaw them in the fridge and then slice and put in your mouth-er a cookie sheet and bake. Yeah, bake them.

My Mission, Should I Choose to Accept It

Hi!
This blog has been created with love for those of you out there who are looking for new recipes, honest reviews of meals and every day products. I'll be adding pictures of the things I make and review. My goal is to make easy, delicious meals, and finding those little every day things that make my life as a mom and wife easier. I get stuck in a cooking rut sometimes, so having this blog will help me to continue to try new recipes and revamp our old stand-bys.

From time to time, I may ask friends to guest review... which I think is really fun!

I love to cook. LOVE it. I'm always looking for the simple meals that my family will love that don't include 30 ingredients and 10 pots and pans.

I hope you enjoy, and maybe even try a recipe or two. Please feel free to comment with your yays and nays; things you have done or would have done differently.