Crock-Pot Potato Cheese Soup

This is the first time I have ever made this... it came out pretty good. Kurt said the only thing he would change is to add more onion but I think that is a personal preference. I will keep playing with it until I prefect it but it's a pretty good start. I typed this blog out as I did it so it's done in two parts. A list of ingredients is at the very bottom. VERY IMPORTANT: When using milk, sour cream or half & half these items should not be added until the last 20 to 30 min. These items can separate when cooked over a long period of time and they will curdle in your meal

The Night Before: I'm going to prep as much as I can tonight while Sarah is in bed so that I don't have to do as much with her under foot in the morning. Plus, we have somewhere to be in the morning and I need to get out of the house at a decent time. :o) Prep and store in the fridge, celery, onion, bacon and chicken broth. With all of this done, in the morning I will only have to peel and cube potato's. So much faster to prep the night before.

In the Morning:
In the crock-pot combine potato's, celery, onion, bacon, chicken broth, butter and water. Cook on Low for 8 hours. 20 minutes before serving add the pint of half & half and shredded cheese. I took a potato masher and mashed the potato's down so that there were not huge chunks of potato's. You can leave them big if you want to... again personal preference. Continue heating until warm the entire way thru and cheese is all melty.

Ingredients

3 ribs of Celery sliced in half and then cut into bite-size pieces
4 stalks? of green onion cut from top to bottom (minus the roots)
8 slices of bacon, crispy and crumbled ( I prefer to bake this in the oven, I don't like to fry. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, and place the bacon on it. Bake in the oven at 350 for 20-30 min or until it looks crispy.
4 cups of chicken stock or broth. I don't keep canned broth in the house sometimes I have it in the freezer from when I cook an entire chicken, but not this time. So I boiled water and added bouillon cubes. One bouillon cube per cup of hot water.
6 medium to large Potato's, peeled and cubed
1 cup of Water
3 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine
1 pint of Half & Half
2 cups of shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Planning Ahead

I honestly have to say I got this idea from someone else.. but I love it! It's so simple I have a hard time trying to figure out why I never thought of it. :o) We just got home from the commissary and Sarah went right down for a nap, so I had a little spare time. I love to crock pot but I don't always have the time in the morning to get everything ready... or I forget. So, here is what I did....

I took 2 ziplock freezer bags, and in one I put 5 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breast and in the other is pork cutlets.
In the Pork bag I have 3 pounds of pork, 1 can of diced tomato and some chopped green onions.
In the chicken bag, I have chicken and the seasoning from a McCormac seasoning packet (the packet was only 75 cents  :o) http://www.mccormick.com/Products/Herbs-and-Spices/Recipe%20Inspirations/Rosemary-Roasted-Chicken-with-Potatoes.aspx
I will let both of these sit in the fridge until tomorrow morning then toss them into the freezer. Then when I want them I can take them out and dump them into the crock pot (frozen is fine), and dinner will be done when we get home at the end of the day.
Simple easy and it will save me time down the line.. it took me longer to type all this than it did to prep everything.. LOL  Enjoy!

Macaroni & Cheese (Clardy Style)

(I may have used to many breadcrumbs.. but it was still really good). This is a long recipe to follow but it's not hard.. I promise. Just take it step by step and it will be fine.

Ingredients

• 1 package fully cooked kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/4  small onion, chopped
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• about 2 cups of shredded cheese ( I use a colby/montery jack mix)
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 can of diced tomato's (drained)
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs, or more as needed

I know what you are thinking.. Tomato's in Mac & Cheese??? but I'm telling you, it makes all the difference!! Try it :o)

1. Cook and stir the cut-up kielbasa in a large skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until heated through and beginning to brown. Remove the sausage from the skillet, and set aside.                
2. Fill a pan with lightly salted water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stir in the macaroni, and return to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well.
3. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the chopped onion for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook and stir the butter, onion and flour for 2 to 3 minutes to make a kind of paste, and remove from the heat. Whisk in the milk a little at a time, stirring constantly, until all the milk has been incorporated, and return to low heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook over low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, to finish cooking the flour. Whisk in the Cheddar cheese, a handful at a time, until all the cheese has been melted into the sauce and the sauce is hot and smooth.
5. Pour the macaroni into the cheese sauce, and stir to combine. Stir in the cooked kielbasa, tomato's, salt, and pepper.
6. Spoon the macaroni mixture into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. Bake for about 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crumbs are brown and the casserole is bubbling. Let stand for 15 minutes after baking, to set before serving.               

CrockPot Mexican Chicken

This meal costs about 12.00 to make and we eat this one night then freeze the rest for another time, so it's actual cost is 6.00 per meal to feed my family of four. :o)

This recipe is REALLY simple and I promise you that you can NOT screw it up..  This can be served on hamburger buns or in tortilla's to make taco's :o) The choice is yours

Ingredients:
A pack of boneless skinless Chicken Breasts ( I use a family pack)
1 package of Taco Seasoning
1 large can of Rotel or 3 small cans
Hamburger Buns or Tortilla's
and other fixings you may want (lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa)

 Place the chicken in the bottom of the CrockPot. Sprinkle the entire package of taco seasoning over the top of the chicken. Then pour the Rotel over the top. Place the lid on the CrockPot and allow to cook on low for 8 hours. About 30 min before serving use 2 forks and pull the chicken apart so that it is all shredded, let it continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes. Then place on buns, top with cheese and lettuce.

Chunkie Chicken & Biscuits

I was totally impressed... fast, easy and it was great to eat. No leftovers tonight!



Ingredients:

1 can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bag (16 ounces) frozen vegetable combination thawed
2 cans (4.5 ounces each) White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
1 package refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400°F. Stir the soup, milk, cheese and black pepper in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Stir in the vegetables and chicken.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the chicken mixture. Top the chicken mixture with the biscuits.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Mini Cheesecakes

This recipe was my grandmothers, I remember her making them for holidays. Then my father would make them once in a while, now it's me. They are very simple to make and delish!! Try them for yourself.

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling or fresh jam

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line miniature muffin tins with miniature paper liners.
2. Crush the vanilla wafers and place 1/2 tablespoon of the crushed vanilla wafers into the paper lined miniature muffin tins.
3. Cream together with an electric mixer the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Fill each miniature muffin liner with this mixture, almost to the top.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Cool and then top with a teaspoonful of cherry pie filling, or fresh jam.

Ratatouille Pork Chops

Ever since the Disney movie, Ratatouille came out I have been wondering what it was. We got alot of fresh produce from the local farmers so I started googling things to make with eggplant. When ratatouille came up I decided to try it. It was delish!

 As always substitute in what you have on hand or what you prefer. We happened to have yellow summer squash on hand so I used that instead of zucchini, and Kurt wanted mashed potato's instead or rice so that's what we did. :)

ENJOY!!!!!

4  Pork Loin Chops (bone in or out)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 green pepper chopped
1 onion chopped
2 cans of crushed tomato (undrained)
2 zucchini (or 1 large) thickly sliced
1 eggplant peeled and sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp fresh basil chopped (or 2 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper


In a non-stick skillet, (I used my electric frying pan) over medium-high heat, heat oil. Trim all visible fat from pork and brown for 3 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of chop. Remove from pan. Add garlic, green pepper and onion to pan and sauté for 1 minute.
Add whole tomatoes, crushing with a spoon. Add remaining ingredients, mix well, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Return meat to pan and continue simmering, uncovered, for another 15 minutes. Remove from heat and serve over pasta or rice.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

This was my first attempt at making anything with Rhubarb but it came out Delish, and it's very, very simple. I did cheat a little and use a store bought crust instead of making my own but I'm out of baking supplies and don't want to restock before the move. Hmmmmm, maybe that's why it was so simple..LOL
note*** I did prep the rhubarb... take a veggie peeler and run it down the sides of the rhubarb. Like Celery, rhubarb has a kind of stringy outer layer. It comes off very easy with a peeler.

Ingredients:
Store bought Pie Crust

1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) pieces

1 pound Fresh strawberries, cut into 1 1/2 inch (4 cm) pieces
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place 1 pie crust in the bottom of the pie pan and tap it in until it hugs the pan. Place the pie pan in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
In a large bowl combine rhubarb and strawberries. In a smaller bowl combine the cornstarch, white sugar, and cinnamon. Take 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture and spread it over the bottom of the crust. Take the remaining sugar mixture and pour it over the strawberry -rhubarb mixture, mix gently to combine.
Pour the filling into the pie-pan and cover with the top crust. Pinch the edges of the crust together, then cut slits (about 4) in the top of the crust to allow air to vent during baking. Sprinkle the top of the crust with lemon juice. Take foil strips and cover the edges of the pie.. this will keep the edges of the crust from cooking faster and burning while the pie bakes.
Put the pie in the preheated oven. Allow to bake for 30 min, then remove the foil strips and allow to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Allow to sit until cool.... filling will thicken as it cools.

‘Knock-your-socks-0ff Rhubarb Crumble’

This recipe is donated by Dori Luthy.. she makes this for my nephew Finn and it's all gone!!

Here’s my recipe for ‘Knock-your-socks-0ff Rhubarb Crumble’- a tangy/tart filling with a crunchy-sweet topping.
First layer:
approx 3 cups young rhubarb; unpeeled and diced
1 Tbsp unbleached flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (or other seeds/nuts? I also threw in a handful of sunflower seeds)
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Water

Topping:
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temp
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup unbleached flour
2/3 cup rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees. In a 9×9 baking dish or straight sided pie pan, combine the bottom layer ingredients and stir well to coat the rhubarb. In a medium size bowl, cream the butter with the flour and brown sugar, then stir in the oats. Smoosh this topping over the rhubarb. Bake at 350*F for 40 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender and the top is brown.
And can I recommend a side of vanilla ice cream, eaten quietly and slowly, while sitting out on the patio in the sunshine as the little one naps? Perfection.





Mom's Secret Chicken

This chicken recipe is one of my secret weapons.... it's very delish and only has 4 ingredients. Ingredient measurements are really to taste so feel free to add more then what I list... I always do..

Ingredients

2-3 pounds of Chicken
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
3 Tablespoons of Jam
                                                      1 packet of Dry Onion Soup Mix

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken in baking pan. (you can use any kind of chicken, breast thighs, cut up chicken.. doesn't matter) In a bowl mix together the BBQ sauce, jam (I like to use strawberry jam) and the soup mix. Mix everything together and pour over the top of the chicken. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.
I always end up adding more BBQ sauce and jam, you should do whatever you think tastes good. I know mixing those ingredients together sounds weird but I promise you it's wonderful!! I've never gotten anything but compliments. Try it out and let me know what you think. :o)

Sheperds Pie

My Mom used to make this all the time when I was younger and it has become a comfort food for me. Since then I have made it for my family on a regular basis and there are never any leftovers. To make this meal for my family of four the cost is 4.50, if I decide to make rolls then the cost increases to 5.00 but tonight I didn't have The time to make them.

Ingredients (vary depending on taste)

2 lbs of ground turkey or hamburger

1 can of green beans or corn

2 cups of gravy

6 servings of mashed potato

add salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown turkey and then place into a casserole dish. mix green beans(or corn) into cooked turkey. Meanwhile, cook mashed potato's and follow instructions for gravy. Top the turkey mixture with dollops of mashed potato's and cover with gravy. Any extra gravy can be poured over the turkey mixture to help retain moisture. Bake in the oven for 25-30 min, or until the top begins to turn brown.

When my Mom made this for us it was always made with hamburger meat and corn. I have a child who doesn't like corn and a husband who prefers ground turkey so I have adapted. As always feel free to ask questions or leave comments in the section below! Enjoy!!

Potato & Bacon Salad

I actually found this recipe on a website and tweeked it to be made the way I like it :o)

As with any recipe take out what you don't like and add in what you think would taste good. For example; this recipe doesn't call for chopped onion in it but I think it would be delish! The recipe also doesn't call for tomato's on the top but I always add them.


Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 4 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons mustard, or to taste
• 1 cup mayonnaise (or to taste)
• 3 stalks celery, minced
• 2 pounds small potato's   

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and cool.
2. Meanwhile, place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and place in a bowl of cold water to cool.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Then place bacon on a cookie sheet and bake in oven until crispy.(This can be done in a skillet too, this way is easiest for me)
4.  Peel the eggs, and place 3 of them into a large bowl. Reserve the rest for later. Mash the eggs in the bowl with a fork. Stir in the mustard, mayonnaise, celery, salt and pepper. Set aside.
5. Crumble 2 of the bacon slices into the mayonnaise mixture. Reserve the rest for garnish.
6. Peel and chop the potatoes, and stir into the bowl until evenly coated. Slice the 2 remaining eggs, and place on top of the salad. Crumble the remaining bacon over the eggs.

 I also like to slice tomato's and place them over the top....
Takes a little bit of time to cook all of the pieces but I can get other things done around the house while eggs and potato's boil. This recipe is a keeper in our house.. we make it all year long. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments below :o)

Making Quesadilla's

Hard to list a recipe for Quesadilla's.. a video was easier.. lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByuXFGj5uZ8

Quesadilla's are a fast and easy way to make dinner (or lunch) and it's great if you have picky eaters. In our house I prep everything ahead of time and put it all in bowls so I can grab and make as I go. Kurt likes to eat everything and Rich is very picky so this is a great meal that will make everyone happy because it is so easy to customize. I only show making Kurt's but it's the same for all. You can also make this in a skillet but then you can only do one at a time. The cost to make this for our family of 4 was under 6.00. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section below.
(Blogger had issues with the video so I had to link it to you tube... I will always try to put them on the blog. Sorry)

Here We Go!!

For those of you that have asked.. Here it is!!! My own little corner of the world where I can toss out recipes that I make for my family. I can normally feed my family a delish and healthy meal for around 5.00 for the four of us. Way cheaper than eating out and so much better for you. I only cook with what I have in my house and I don't normally shop for making a specific meal... what this means is that I cook out of what I have in my cabinets, some days you just make it up as you go but that is half the fun!

I may not have alot of time to post over the next few weeks, but I will add more things as I have the time. We are moving in 6 weeks so my time may become limited. Please feel free to ask questions or make comments under each post as you need to. I'll answer anything I can :o)