Potato soup

Sorry my cameras down but here's a new recipe! I'm back!!!! Only been 6 months.... Yikes.



Ingredient
3 pounds all-purpose potatoes, scrubbed and pierced in several places
1 tablespoon stick butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
3 cups milk ( I use half &half)
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons pepper

TOPPINGS: shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon & chopped scallions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes 1 hour or until tender when pierced. Peel when cool enough to handle. Melt butter in a 4 to 6 quart pot over medium low heat. Stir in onions and garlic, cover and cook 10 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add 2/3 of the potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Add broth, milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Season to taste before serving. Cut remaining potatoes in small cubes. Add to soup and stir gently to reheat. Sprinkle each serving with toppings.

Cherry Cobbler

This is one of my Grampa's favorite things. So my grandma made it often. Sometimes she substituted peaches for Cherries because that is another one of my Grampy's favorite fruits! I stole her recipe after she passed away and have made it when I need a reminder. Its the sweet things in life that get us through.

Whatcha Need:

2 – 2 1/2 cups sweetened fruit
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter

*Note*  Just add about a cup of sugar (or since I had twice the fruit, I used nearly 2 cups of sugar) to sweeten the fruit.

How to :

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Put the stick of butter in the pan and pop it in the oven to melt the butter.  In a bowl combine the sugar, flour, salt, baking powder and milk.  Take the pan with the melted butter out of the oven and pour the batter over the top of the butter, like this.

Place the fruit over the batter.  If your fruit is very juicy, dip it out with a slotted spoon.  Some juice is okay, but you don’t want too much.

Bake it at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  When it comes out of the oven it will look like this.

Pot Roast

This is a meal that everyone has had. This is a meal that has been warming bellies on cold days for centuries. Its just like Mama made! Pass it down, carry the tradition on.


Whatcha Need:

1 lean chuck roast, boneless, about 3 to 4 pounds

grill seasoning, such as steak seasoning or similar, or salt and pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 slices bacon, diced

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, diced

3 ribs celery, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups dry red wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 large fresh or dried bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon of dried leaf rosemary, crumbled

2 cups frozen pearl onions or fresh peeled pearl onions

How to Pot it up:

Heat oven to 300°. Sprinkle grill seasoning or salt and pepper all over the roast.

In a large Dutch oven or oven safe pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Sear the roast on all sides until browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the roast to a plate and set aside.
Saute the bacon until almost crisp. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain. Remove and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings. Add chopped onion and celery to the drippings and cook until just softened. Add the garlic and carrots and saute for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste, wine, and chicken broth. Put the roast and bacon back in the pot and add the bay leaves, rosemary, and pearl onions. Bring back to a simmer. Cover tightly and bake for 3 hours, turning the roast after 2 hours.
Strain juices from the roast and pour the juices into a saucepan. Cover the roast and vegetables and keep warm.
 
Put the saucepan with strained juices over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed. Slice the roast and serve with the vegetables and juices.

Shredded Beef Taquito's

Taquito's are one of my favorite go to foods in the whole entire world. They are just a roll full of gooey, hearty, delicious crunchy yum. They are so easy to make and a great meal, snack or party favor. Enjoy, spread the love!

Whatcha need:

2-3 tablespoons canola oil
10 corn tortillas (I used white, but you can use yellow as well)
2 cups cooked shredded beef (recipe follows)
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
Guacamole- Make your own, please (recipe on blog)
non-stick spray

How to roll um:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray baking  sheet with non-stick spray.

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, fry each tortilla one at a time until soft, about 30 seconds per side (you want them soft so that you can roll them). Add more oil if needed. Transfer to plate using a paper towel to separate each tortilla.

To assemble, spoon 2 tablespoons of meat mixture into tortilla and roll closed. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all are rolled.

Bake in oven for 15 -20 minutes or until ends start to brown. Remove and sprinkle cheese on top. Turn oven setting to broil and broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven.

Top with shredded lettuce and guacamole. Serve with salsa for dipping.

For Shredded Beef:

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoons pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 (3.3 pound) beef roast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 onion quartered
• 3 garlic cloves

In a bowl mix together salt, pepper, chili powder, granulated garlic, cumin and oregano.

Rub mixture all over beef roast to completely coat.

In a large pan heat olive oil. Brown roast on all sides, about 5 minutes per side.

Place in slow cooker. Add onion and garlic. Pour in water and beef broth. Cover and cook for 8 hours.

Remove from slow cooker and shred.

Broccoli, rice and Chicken Casserole

Who doesn't like casseroles? Only people from a different planet. Something about a one dish meal that is so satisfying. Its a comfort food that you should never do without.

Whatcha need:

2 cups water

2 cups uncooked instant rice

1lb of cooked Chicken cut in chunks

1  can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup butter

1 cup milk

1 package frozen chopped broccoli

1 small white onion, chopped

1 pound processed cheese food

How to do it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Mix in the instant rice, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

In a 9x13 inch baking dish, mix the prepared rice, chicken, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, butter, milk, broccoli, onion, and processed cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Stir halfway through cooking to help cheese melt evenly.

Churro's

Its 10pm on a Saturday night and i decided to get inventive. I made homemade Churro's because they are so delicious and i never ever thought it was possible to make! They are super easy, super delicious and a perfect snack for my plus 3.  Ive learned that nothing is impossible! I found 2 recipes and combined them to make what i thought would be perfect. And oh was it.

Whatcha Need:

1 cup water
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup white flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar & 2 TBS
1/2 to 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, depending on taste

How to do it:

Preheat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil in a 10 to 12 inch frying pan to 375 degrees F.
In a separate dish mix the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon and set aside
.

In a 3 qt. sauce pan add the water, brown sugar, salt, 2TBS sugar and butter and heat to a good boil.

Remove from the heat and add the flour. Stirring in the flour will take some muscle. Mix it in until well blended.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and vanilla together and then add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until well blended and all the egg is completely mixed in.

Fill your decorating tool with the churro recipe dough and attach the largest star tip you have.

Test your oil by placing a small amount of dough in it. The dough should bubble up right away or that means the oil is not hot enough and a soggy churro is on the way.

Once the oil is hot enough, squeeze some dough (with decorator) into the oil about 4 inches long. I used my finger to release the dough from the decorator. Careful not to burn yourself.

You should be able to cook 4 or 5 churros at a time. Cook them about 1 minute and turn them over with a slotted spoon. Cook an additional minute or two. You're looking for that nice golden brown color.
Remove the churros with the slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel-covered plate to absorb excess grease.

While still warm, roll each churro into the dish with the sugar and cinnamon until coated.

Guacamole

Tonight is Taco night and what goes better with taco's than Guacamole (besides a Margarita that is). Its so easy and so delicious.


Whatcha Need:

3 Avocado's - when purchasing them, give them the 'squeeze test'. Must be kinda mushy. Firm = No good
1 Medium tomato
1 small onion
Cilantro- About a 1/4 cup
1 lime
Cumin- to taste
Salt- to taste

How to do it:

First open  your avocado and remove seed and scoop the 'meat' out of it and put it in a bowl. With a fork gently smush up the avocado. But leave it chunky

Next dice up you tomato, onion and cilantro- dice them finely and throw in the bowl with your avocado

Next add your cumin- I usually use a tablespoon or more because i love the flavor but use to your taste. Same goes with Salt. Use to your liking

Lastly, squeeze 1 lime into the yummy green mixture. This gives it an extra kick and also keeps the avocados from turning brown.

Extras: My plus 3 eat this so I don't ever get to put jalapeno's in it. but feel free to add some if you like a little heat. You can also add corn, which is delish too!

Serve on chips, tacos or however you want!