Baked Potato Soup

No Cream or butter here! This soup has all the creamy flavor of a loaded baked potato but little fat.

Baked Potato Soup:

5 medium baking potatoes diced small

1 cup of broccoli

3 cups chicken stock (maybe a little more or less)

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

2 tbs sour cream

4 slices deli ham

salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Put potatoes and broccoli in a large pot. Generously season with salt, pepper and garlic. Pour chicken stock until potatoes are just covered. Bring to a simmer until potatoes and broccoli are tender (about 15 minutes). Start mashing it all together. Add cheese and sour cream. If you have an immersion blender use it, but other wise a masher and a whisk will work. Once all combined add more chicken stock if needed to get the consistency you like.  

Preheat and oven to 400 degrees and lay your deli ham on a cooking sheet. Bake until crispy. Crumble into soup.

For a richer soup, substitute milk for some or all of the chicken stock.

Simple Pasta

Simple Pasta:

1 box Orzo pasta (any small pasta will work)

1 can diced tomatoes with garlic, oregano
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to package. Drain, but reserve about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Return back to the pot and add pasta water, can of tomatoes, parmesan, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Keep stirring over low heat until liquid is absorbed about 5 minutes. Ready to serve.

Italian Oven Fried Chicken

Italian Oven Fried Chicken:

4 chicken cutlets

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup panko

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 1/4 tbs italian seasoning

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven 400 degrees. Pat cutlets dry then drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning. Massage seasoning into each piece.

In a shallow pan mix bread crumbs, panko, parmesan, and rest of Italian seasoning, a pinch of salt and pepper.

Place a rack over a baking sheet so the steam can escape and your chicken with be crispy.

Put chicken into crumbs mixture and coat really well. Lay on rack

Bake for 10-15 minutes until top is golden brown and chicken is cooked through.

Try my simple pasta recipe as a side.

Triple chocolate sandwich cookie

Triple Chocolate Sandwich cookies:

2 package double chocolate cookie dough, roll or small squares

1 lb white chocolate

1/4 cup cream cheese

1 tsp bourbon, rum, or coffee

Form dough into little discs (1 1/2 inches) so that they bake flat and perfectly round. Bake cookies according to package direction and let cool completely.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Pour bag of white chocolate into small baking dish. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Stir then bake 10 more minutes. It should get a brownish tent to it and get crumbly. Remove and let cool a couple minutes. Then add your bourbon, rum, or coffee and fold in cream cheese. Mixture will still be very thick. Put white chocolate mixture between 2 cookies.

M&M Pretzel bites

M&M Pretzel bites:

1 bag of square pretzels

1 lb bag of chocolate discs (I found them at walmart if you can't find them use regular kisses)

1 lb bag m&ms

line pretzels about a couple dozen at a time on a cookie sheet and place a chocolate disc on each. Stick in a 350 degree oven for 1-2 minutes. Remove and press m&m into the center of each chocolate. let set on counter or in fridge until chocolate is firm again.

Appetizer Pizza Rolls

Appetizer Pizza Rolls:
1 package pizza pepperoni
Italian blend shredded cheese
2 package cresent rolls sheets or white cuts

Keep cresent rolls together and roll out flat. Keep together in sets of 2 for rectangles. Line each length wise with 10 pepperonis and a heavy sprinkle of cheese. Roll up into a pin wheel and slice into 1 inch or so pieces and bake about 10-12 minutes on 375 degreas.

Appetizer Stuffed Mushrooms

Appetizer Stuffed Mushroom:
1 block cream cheese at room temperature
1 lbs sage pork sausage browned and broken up
1 large package whole white button mushrooms

preheat oven 400 degrees
Wash mushroom and removed stems (should wiggle out) leaving only the mushroom cap. Mix cheese and sausage and stuff into mushroom. Put in a baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until top starts to brown and mushrooms are soft. There will be some liquid in the pan which is okay.

Put them in a baking dish small enough for them all to stand cheese side up.

Creamy Shrimp Pasta

Creamy Shrimp Pasta:

1 onion diced

2 gloves garlic diced

1/4 white wine

1 cup milk (what ever you have on hand. I used 2%)

1 tsp italian seasoning

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2 tbs sour cream

1 box spaghetti noodles (I used whole wheat)

1 lbs peeled shrimp

1-2 cups fresh spinach (depending on how much want)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook noodles to al dente (1-2 minutes less than package directions). While past is cooking drizzle a little bit of olive oil in a large sauce pan and saute onion and garlic with salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. Once softened add wine and shrimp. Simmer until almost gone then add sour cream, milk nutmeg, and parmesan and simmer about 3 minutes. Drain pasta and add to sauce along with spinach. Cover and let spinach wilt for a couple minutes. Keep tossing pasta until sauce is thickened and every noodle is coated.  

Chicken and Rice with Vegetables

Great One Pot Meal

Chicken and Rice with Vegetables:
2 chicken Breast (any chicken parts would be great)
1 cup carrots
1/2 cup cauliflower
1/2 cup broccoli
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken stock
2 gloves garlic minced
1 small onion minced
salt, pepper
paprika

Salt and pepper chicken then brown chicken in large skillet until well browned on both sides. Remove and set aside. Add minced garlic and onions and stir until softened. Add chicken stock, rice, and vegetables, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Add chicken back into rice sprinkle with paprika. Cover and let simmer 10 more minutes until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through.

Crock Pot Chili

Chili

1 lbs ground beef

1 large onion diced

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1 lager or 3 smaller cans rotel

1 can black beans

1 can white kidney beans (great nothern)

1 can red kidney beans

1 package chili seasoning

1 package sliced baby portabella mushrooms
       (optional)
chili powder
cumin



In a large pan add beef and onion and sprinkle generoursly with chili powder and cumin.Brown beef and onions and dump into crock pot.  Add rest of ingredients and mix well. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Taste periodically and add chili powder and cumin as necessary. Serve with sour cream, cheese, crackers or cornbread.

If you would rather cook on stove top, prepare the same way and simmer for 4 hours.

Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Bars (Paula Deen Recipe)

Crust:

1 package yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 tbsp melted butter

filling:

8 oz softened cream cheese

15 ounce can pumpkin

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

8 tbsp melted butter

1 16oz box powder sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven 350 degrees
Grease a 9x13 pan

Mix ingredients for crust until forms a dough and press into pan

Mix cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, and butter. Next add sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour over crust and bake 40-50 minutes until set, but still wiggles in the middle.

I like it cold and served with whipped cream.