Archive for the ‘cooking’ Category

Dec

6
poplove

I am so excited for Christmas!  Gives me a great excuse to make all the goodies I want. ;)   Today I had fun making some oreo pops for a family party this weekend.  The first time I made any kind of cake pops they were mushy and misshapen and I thought that it would be my one and only time attempting them.   Buuuuuut I kept having a  major craving for them so I had to give it another shot.  I guess that a little practice is all I needed.  Now I actually have fun making them.  Think I caught that cake pop fever that’s going around…I have this overwhelming desire to put a stick in everything and cover it in chocolate!

Nov

11
loaded potato soup recipe

I have this thing about finding recipes, following them and then changing it up bit.  Almost everytime I’ve ended up with something amazing.  Too bad I don’t usually write down what I added.  So I hardly ever make the same thing twice, which can be a good or bad thing I guess.  I’m hoping that I remember what I did to make this soup though, it was sooooo delicious!  The kids even ate it! :)

Loaded Potato Soup

-8 cups red potatoes cut into small pieces  (I leave the skin on)

-6 cups chicken broth

-2 cups water

-1 tsp seasoning salt

-1 tsp white pepper

-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes ( more or less according to your taste)

-1/2 tbs kosher salt

-12 oz cream cheese (1 1/2 packages)

-1 tbs cornstarch

-1 package of bacon

Directions

Brown one package of bacon in the over while preparing the soup.

Combine potatoes, broth, water and seasonings into a large pot, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, continue to cook on medium until potatoes are soft.  Cut the cream cheese up into small pieces and stir into the mixture until completely melted.  Combine the cornstarch with a bit of water, should be a consistency that is a bit thicker than water.  To thicken add the cornstarch mixture into the pot and mix well.  Using a masher or mixer, mash the potatoes in the pot.  I like them to be mostly mashed but have a few chunks.  Continue to cook on low for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chopped the cooked bacon into small pieces and mix into the soup.  (Leave a little bit of the bacon out if you’d like it for on  top of the soup.)  For a little more flavor, add two tablespoons of the bacon grease to the soup.

Top off the soup with some left over bacon, shredded cheddar and sour cream if you’d like. :)

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3 comments
 
admin 

So glad you liked it Christine!

 ( Nov 17th, 2011 7:04 am)
Christine (MySweetPotato3) 

This was fantastic! I had it for dinner tonight and even my kids loved it! Thank you so much for sharing-the only alteration I did was use 1/2 sweet potato’s-It was delish!

 ( Nov 15th, 2011 7:32 pm)
Patricia 

hummmm, this made me hungry! delicious! and before I forget, congratulations…..

 ( Nov 11th, 2011 10:59 am)

Aug

1
super soft cookies

Annie’s Eats posts some of the best recipes.  I’ve made tons of them and they are tasty!  I was so excited when she posted one for big and soft cookies.  Mine didn’t turn out as pretty as hers but they sure are delicious!

Find the recipe here: http://annies-eats.net/2011/07/18/soft-frosted-sugar-cookies/

Nov

18
what’s for dinner-mexican beef enchilada casserole

So I love mexican food…burritos, enchiladas, chips and salsa, Taco Bell…  Whatever, Taco Bell is cheap and easy.   So after spending all the time mentioned in the previous post planning our dinners right away I wanted something I hadn’t planned on.   A serious mexican food craving came over me.  So I got to searching on the internet for some yummy enchilada recipes.  I wanted something a little different.  I was pretty dang excited when I found this casserole recipe.  My mouth immediately started to water.  So I wiped up the drool on my desk and got to cooking.  Now I was lacking a main ingredient for this recipe so I changed it up a bit.  Sorry I don’t have pictures.  If I’d known how dang tasty this was going to be I definitely would have broke out the camera.  Oh and hubby took leftovers of this to work today and shared some with his mom.  She texted me and asked me to bring it to Thanksgiving…yeah, it’s that good!  Ok, so here’s the recipe:

  • 1 pound ground beef (if can you get get ground sirloin do it!)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 medium jalapeno, diced
  • 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (10-ounce) can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
  • 3/4 (10-ounce) can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
  • 1 (10-ounce) can mild enchilada sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Essence, recipe follows
  • 1/2 package corn tortillas
  • 2 cups mexican blend cheese
  • Slice black olives
  • salsa
  • low fat sour cream
  • shredded lettuce

Emeril’s Essence

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Brown the ground beef in large skillet. Drain the excess grease and the add onion, garlic, jalapeno and Essence. Cook the mixture for 3 to 5 minutes or until the onion has softened. Add the tomatoes, mushroom soup, chicken soup and enchilada sauce.  Simmer until warm, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Tear the tortillas into medium pieces. Spray the bottom of a medium casserole dish with non-stick spray, then line the bottom with the torn tortilla pieces. Spoon on the ground beef mixture into a thin layer and then add a layer of cheese. Add another layer of tortillas and repeat with the beef mixture, finishing with a layer of cheese on top. Cover the casserole dish with foil to prevent the cheese from burning and place in the oven. Cook for 35 to 45 minutes.  Garnish with sliced black olives, shredded lettuce, sour cream and salsa.

Enjoy!

Nov

18
what’s for dinner

So this one day I made homemade potato soup and it was so good that I posted about it on my personal Facebook.  One of my friends commented that they didn’t think I ever ate at home.  So not true!  I’m in love with cereal and poptarts.  And if it would be listed under the desert category then it is welcome in my oven. ;)   Welllll, on another evening I posted a pic of the kids and I eating at Fazolis and the same person asked me if we always eat out for dinner.  Well, technically I’d have to say yes since it had been quite a while since I’d washed a pot or a pan.  In fact, the other day I’d noticed that my stove was pretty dang dusty….like on the knobs and buttons.  Another reminder that I hadn’t been cooking.

Let me say in my defense that I didn’t really grow up with parents that cooked a ton.  Although when they did it was mighty tasty (got to throw that in there, they may be reading this).  I was in charge plenty of nights to make dinner for me and my sister while my mom worked.   And man, I could make a mean pot of Hamburger Helper!

I did have an awesome grandma that could  sew and bake like no body’s business.  (I know she is the one that sparked my interest in sewing in the first place but that topic is for another day.)  Her pies were amazing!  And although I didn’t get to see her often since she lived in Wisconsin I’ve always had great memories of her.  I try to channel her whenever I’m about to tackle a new dessert.  And damn, can I bake !  haha Seriously, I can.

So back to the Facebook awakening…I’ve decided that I just have to commit myself to cooking more dinners at home.   Besides saving money it gives us as a family so much more time together.  (Like almost more than we know what to do with!)  A few days ago I spent a few hours online looking for recipes and coming up with a shopping list.  Exhausting.  Then the next day I made the trip to not only one but two grocery stores to get everything I needed.  Even more exhausting.  But after last nights dinner I know that it was well worth the time.  Even though I didn’t actually make a meal that had been on my list…didn’t feel like touching raw chicken that night!  I’ll tell ya on the next post what I made.

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