Baked Potato Soup Y’All…Loaded! I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and thought I would give it a try since almost every other recipe for potato soup calls for milk or  half and half.  The main liquid here is chicken stock which I find more flavorful.  The changes I made were sour cream instead of yogurt and more chicken stock than called for because the soup was really thick, not that there’s anything wrong with that…  End results were unanimously thumbs up all around.  This is one I will be adding to the rotation of soups I cook this fall and winter.  Enjoy! Clicky here for the recipe: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/fully-loaded-baked-potato-soup-2/ View high resolution

Baked Potato Soup Y’All…Loaded!

I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and thought I would give it a try since almost every other recipe for potato soup calls for milk or  half and half.  The main liquid here is chicken stock which I find more flavorful.  The changes I made were sour cream instead of yogurt and more chicken stock than called for because the soup was really thick, not that there’s anything wrong with that…  End results were unanimously thumbs up all around.  This is one I will be adding to the rotation of soups I cook this fall and winter.  Enjoy!

Clicky here for the recipe: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/fully-loaded-baked-potato-soup-2/

Thank you Scars on 45 for your help in raising money for Alyssa!

https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/alyssadivers/createorsignin

Durl's Diary: Eat my shorts!

scarson45:

I love pugs…always have. Everyone else seems to think they’re a really ugly dog, but to me that makes them more cute. It’s always been my plan to get one someday…and maybe a cat too. However, after meeting ‘Louie’ the french bulldog at our friend Bobbi’s house in Denver last week, I think I may…

(Reblogged from scarson45)
Perfect texture and a great balance of sweet with the tart fresh blueberries.  I sprinkled a little sugar on top just before baking which resulted in a sweet crisp top.  Great for breakfast or dessert. Blueberry Muffins 3 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup vegtable oil 1 egg 1 1/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups fresh blueberries  Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together sugar, oil, egg, yogurt and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together flour, soda, powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and stir gently just until mixed.  Then gently fold in the blueberries.   Bake 25 minutes. View high resolution

Perfect texture and a great balance of sweet with the tart fresh blueberries.  I sprinkled a little sugar on top just before baking which resulted in a sweet crisp top.  Great for breakfast or dessert.

Blueberry Muffins

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegtable oil

1 egg

1 1/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups fresh blueberries 

Preheat oven to 375.

Whisk together sugar, oil, egg, yogurt and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, soda, powder, salt and cinnamon.

Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and stir gently just until mixed.  Then gently fold in the blueberries.  

Bake 25 minutes.

Lasagna Soup I know, right?  Since I discovered Pinterest, my car, purse, countertops, etc. are all cluttered with printed pages of recipes and crafty ideas most of which will be fruitless.  But whenever I sift through the piles of good intentions and sort the what was I thinking ideas (a wreath of lemons, really?) into the trash, there still remains one of the first things I saw on Pinterest, a recipe for Lasagna Soup.  I printed the first one I came across but later I came across several variations including the Paula Deen version. I can’t imagine why I didn’t try this sooner and I can’t imagine my life without it.  Or Pinterest.  Or The Bachelor.  Win win.  Winning.  And can we vote on what happened to Courtney’s upper lip?  Was it an allergic reaction to a bee sting or a prosthetic lip that is forever frozen in that annoying face she makes when talking ugly about Emily?  What an awesome train wreck this season! Anyway, here’s the recipe.  Try it, it’s scrumptious. 1 lb lean hamburger 1 onion chopped   1 green pepper chopped 2 cloves garlic minced salt & pepper 2 Tbsp Italian Spices 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes 1 14 oz can tomato sauce  32 oz chicken broth 1 Tbsp sugar 1 cup parmesan cheese 2 cups shredded mozzarella or 2 balls fresh mozzarella sliced for topping 1 pkg noodles - Fusilli or Rotini Brown hamburger with onion, green pepper, garlic and spices.  The lean hamburger doesn’t have to be drained but if you don’t have lean just don’t add your spices until after it’s drained.  Stir in tomatoes, sauce, sugar, and broth.  Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Add parmesan to the soup and stir.  Cook pasta al dente before adding it to the soup.  Ladle the soup into individual bowls, top with the mozzarella and put the bowls on a baking sheet under the broiler just until the cheese melts and starts to turn light brown.  This happens fast.  Serve with cheesy garlic bread. Enjoy! View high resolution

Lasagna Soup

I know, right?  Since I discovered Pinterest, my car, purse, countertops, etc. are all cluttered with printed pages of recipes and crafty ideas most of which will be fruitless.  But whenever I sift through the piles of good intentions and sort the what was I thinking ideas (a wreath of lemons, really?) into the trash, there still remains one of the first things I saw on Pinterest, a recipe for Lasagna Soup.  I printed the first one I came across but later I came across several variations including the Paula Deen version.

I can’t imagine why I didn’t try this sooner and I can’t imagine my life without it.  Or Pinterest.  Or The Bachelor.  Win win.  Winning.  And can we vote on what happened to Courtney’s upper lip?  Was it an allergic reaction to a bee sting or a prosthetic lip that is forever frozen in that annoying face she makes when talking ugly about Emily?  What an awesome train wreck this season!

Anyway, here’s the recipe.  Try it, it’s scrumptious.

1 lb lean hamburger

1 onion chopped  

1 green pepper chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

salt & pepper

2 Tbsp Italian Spices

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 14 oz can tomato sauce 

32 oz chicken broth

1 Tbsp sugar

1 cup parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella or 2 balls fresh mozzarella sliced for topping

1 pkg noodles - Fusilli or Rotini

Brown hamburger with onion, green pepper, garlic and spices.  The lean hamburger doesn’t have to be drained but if you don’t have lean just don’t add your spices until after it’s drained.  Stir in tomatoes, sauce, sugar, and broth.  Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Add parmesan to the soup and stir.  Cook pasta al dente before adding it to the soup.  Ladle the soup into individual bowls, top with the mozzarella and put the bowls on a baking sheet under the broiler just until the cheese melts and starts to turn light brown.  This happens fast.  Serve with cheesy garlic bread. Enjoy!

Red Potato and Corn Chowder More soup!  For this chowder you cut the corn from the cobs then add the cobs to the water to boil the potatoes for your stock.  I actually used half water, half chicken broth for my stock and it was delicious.  Boiling the cobs in the stock gave it a huge amount of flavor.  As a matter of fact I added extra heat and spices to balance the corn flavor.  The only thing I would do differently is add more potatoes to add to the heartiness of the soup since there is no meat in it and I am a serious carnivore.  This didn’t take a lot of time to put together and everyone enjoyed it. Adapted from Gourmet: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-Corn-Chowder-242862 View high resolution

Red Potato and Corn Chowder

More soup!  For this chowder you cut the corn from the cobs then add the cobs to the water to boil the potatoes for your stock.  I actually used half water, half chicken broth for my stock and it was delicious.  Boiling the cobs in the stock gave it a huge amount of flavor.  As a matter of fact I added extra heat and spices to balance the corn flavor.  The only thing I would do differently is add more potatoes to add to the heartiness of the soup since there is no meat in it and I am a serious carnivore.  This didn’t take a lot of time to put together and everyone enjoyed it.

Adapted from Gourmet: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-Corn-Chowder-242862

View high resolution
View high resolution
Christmas Cookies! The title of this recipe is “The Best Cut-Out Sugar Cookies”.  I haven’t made a ton of these before but I did make them a few times when the kids were younger and I have to say I agree that this is definitely the best tasting cut-out cookie I’ve ever made or eaten!  They have lemon extract and lemon zest in them and it really evens out the sugary icing.  They have a great buttery, lemony flavor and they cut out clean and don’t spread much while they cook.  I think the trick may be to pick 3 or 4 different shapes and icing/sprinkle colors to help save time.  The first night I made the small batch recipe and used 7 or 8 different cookie cutters only to realize it would take forever to make all the colors I needed to decorate the different shapes.  They were disappearing as fast as I could get them iced and by the end of the night I only had a handful of cookies left.  The second night I made the huge batch and only used a few cutters with 3 different icing colors and had much better results, not to mention tons of cookies.  Win! You can find the recipe here: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/recipe-best-cutout-sugar-cookies-038629 View high resolution

Christmas Cookies!

The title of this recipe is “The Best Cut-Out Sugar Cookies”.  I haven’t made a ton of these before but I did make them a few times when the kids were younger and I have to say I agree that this is definitely the best tasting cut-out cookie I’ve ever made or eaten!  They have lemon extract and lemon zest in them and it really evens out the sugary icing.  They have a great buttery, lemony flavor and they cut out clean and don’t spread much while they cook.  I think the trick may be to pick 3 or 4 different shapes and icing/sprinkle colors to help save time.  The first night I made the small batch recipe and used 7 or 8 different cookie cutters only to realize it would take forever to make all the colors I needed to decorate the different shapes.  They were disappearing as fast as I could get them iced and by the end of the night I only had a handful of cookies left.  The second night I made the huge batch and only used a few cutters with 3 different icing colors and had much better results, not to mention tons of cookies.  Win!

You can find the recipe here:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/recipe-best-cutout-sugar-cookies-038629