Potato Leek Soup with Bacon

This was in the April 2011 issue of Food Network magazine.  I love how pretty this soup is and it was very good.  It will definitely be making an appearance next fall when it becomes soup weather again.



Potato Leek Soup with Bacon

2 Tb unsalted butter
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 c cubed crusty bread
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 c heavy cream (I used half and half)
1 1/2 c frozen peas (do not thaw)
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
*I added just a little bit of shredded Italian cheese blend

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Make croutons:  Melt 1 Tb butter, then mix in paprika in a bowl.  Add bread cubes and toss.  Spread on baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in large saucepan over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes.  Transfer with slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate.  Discard all but about 1 Tb fat from the pan.  Add remaining 1 Tb butter, then add leeks and garlic; cover and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add broth, 2 cups water, potatoes and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper; cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 mintues.

Puree half the soup in a blender, then return to pot.  Add cream and bring to a simmer.  Add peas and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with croutons, bacon and parsley.

4 servings = 446 calories

I got 8 cups out of this so I made 6 servings at 298 calories each.

This link is posted to:

Seasonal Sundays at Real Sustenance
My Meatless Mondays at My Sweet and Savory
Your Recipe My Kitchen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
Take a Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee Crafts
Made By You Monday at Skip to My Lou
Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Tuesday Night Supper Club at Fudge Ripple
Homemaker Monday at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven
Tasty Tuesday Parade of Food at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Cream of Broccoli Soup

I asked my mother in law for this recipe since hers was absolutely delicious!  This is what she sent me, although we both added some velveeta to ours.  You could leave out the ham to make it meatless too.

Creamy of Broccoli Soup or Broccoli Cheese Soup

4 cups chicken broth
1 large bunch broccoli, chopped (3 cups)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp salt
dash of ground pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 oz ham (1/3 cup diced)
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used half and half, my  mother in law uses evaporated milk)

Combine broth, broccoli, onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper in large saucepan over high heat.  When broth comes to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.  The vegetables will become tender.
Remove bay leaf and discard.  Transfer a little more than half of the broth and vegetable mixture to a blender or food processor.  Mix on low speed for 20 to 30 seconds.  This will finely chop the vegetables to nearly a puree.  (Be careful blending hot liquids. You may want to let it cool a bit before this step.)
Pour the blended mixture back into pot over medium/low heat.  Add flour and whisk until all lumps have dissolved.
Add ham and cream.  Continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the soup is as thick as you like it.
If you're adding cheese do it at the very end and just warm until melted.

This made 6 cups for me.  It says that it makes 4 servings as an appetizer or 2 servings as an entree but we got three servings easily out of this one.

This post is linked to:

It's a Keeper Thursday
Show Off Your Stuff at Fireflies and Jellybeans
Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin'
Recipe Swap Thursday at Prairie Story
Tuesday Night Supper Club at Fudge Ripple

Chicken Puffs

These would have been good if they had more filling in them.  I think since I used homemade crescent roll dough they  needed more filling than called for but I would make them again.

Chicken Puffs

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
3 Tb chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3/4 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
6 Tb butter
3 (10 oz) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough (or I used homemade crescent roll dough)

In medium saucepan over medium heat slowly cook and stir skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, onion and garlic.  Cook until onions are tender and chicken is lightly browned.

In medium bowl, blend chicken mixture, cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Unroll crescent rolls and divide in half to create 12 rectangles.  Place approximately one tablespoon of chicken mixture on each rectangle.  Fold into balls.

Arrange balls on large baking sheet.  Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Grilled Turkey and Swiss

The hubby was making grilled cheese one day for the kiddos and made this for himself.  We're on a big swiss cheese kick so we also had these for dinner one night recently.  They're very yummy!

Spread two pieces of bread with butter.  Place one slice butter side down in hot skillet.  Top with a few slices of turkey (or ham or roast beef, whatever your choice may be), and a slice or two of cheese (in this case, Swiss).  Place other slice of bread on top.  Flip and finish cooking other side.

I added a bit of mayo to the inside of mine, as well as a few slivers of onion.  Then we dipped the sandwiches in honey mustard.

Quick Burritos

Just a quick easy burrito I made to put in the freezer.  Wrap them individually and then you can just pull them out and nuke them.

Spread some refried beans onto a tortilla shell.  Top with some cooked ground beef (I seasoned mine with chili powder and cumin), taco sauce, and shredded cheese.  Roll up and wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.  Microwave when ready to eat.

Southwest Turkey Soup

You must like ground turkey to like this soup.  I think next time I may try it with ground beef.  I like turkey, but only if it's cooked a certain way, or with certain ingredients.  This wasn't bad, don't get me wrong, just may tweak it some next time.

Found the recipe in the Taste of Home magazine, December/January 2011 issue page 38.

Southwest Turkey Soup

In a Dutch oven, brown 1lb. ground turkey in 1 Tb olive oil. (I omitted the oil and added a small onion during this step.)  Drain if needed.  Add two cans rinsed and drained kidney beans, 2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth, 2 cups frozen corn, 1 cup salsa, 1 can (4 oz) green chilies and 1 Tb chili powder.  (I seasoned my meat with chili powder and cumin so I did not add anymore here.)  Bring to a boil; cover and simmer fro 10 minutes.  Serve topped with sour cream and fresh cilantro.

Serves 6

Baked Potato Soup

This is a receipe I grew up on.  Quick and easy, very adaptable to your tastes.

Baked Potato Soup

3 strips bacon, diced (I use real bacon pieces with the salad stuff)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
2 lg potatoes, baked, peeled, cubed (about 2 cups)
1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 cream
3 Tb flour
1 tsp salt and dried basil
3 cups chicken broth (I use a little more than this depending on the amount of cheese and thickness of the soup)
shredded cheddar (and/or Velveeta)

In large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp.  Drain, reserving 1 Tb drippings.  Set aside bacon.  Saute onion and garlic in dripping until tender.  (Since I use bacon pieces that are already cooked I saute my onion and garlic in some oil and butter.)  Stir in flour, basil, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.  Gradually add broth.  Bring to boil and stir 2 minutes.  Add potatoes and cream; heat through but do not boil.  Garnish with bacon, cheese, and parsley.  (I mix the cheese into mine, about a cup of shredded cheddar and 1/4 lb of velveeta)

You could easily add veggies to this.  Corn or broccoli would be good, maybe some red pepper.

This post is linked to:
Show Me What You've Got Thursday at It's a Keeper
Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin'
Recipe Swap Thursday at Prairie Story
Tip Day Thursday at Around My Family Table (where I was featured this week!)
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
Your Recipe My Kitchen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
Seasonal Sunday at Real Sustenance
Meatless Mondays at My Sweet and Savory (where my French Toast Casserole was featured this week!)
Mouthwatering Mondays at A Southern Fairytale
Homemaker Monday at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven

Ham & Cheese Puff Pastry - Redo

 Who knew puff pastry is SO good!  Remember when I tried this before with phyllo dough?  I didn't think it was all that bad but compared to this...I'll never do it the wrong way again!  These were so very good.  Definitely a keeper.

Thaw a box of puff pastry.  You'll need two sheets.  And just so you're aware, it takes longer than 40 minutes to thaw, like the box says.

Roll one sheet of puff pastry out to whatever size pan you'll be using to put it on.  Top with ham and cheese.  I used leftover ham from Christmas but deli ham would be fine too.  Swiss cheese was our choice but you could use whatever you like.  Roll out other sheet of puff pastry and place on top.  Seal sides with egg wash and also coat top with egg wash.

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until brown and puffed up.

**You could spread the pastry with mustard before you put the ham and cheese on but we chose to leave it off and just dip ours in the mustard as we ate it.  We used honey mustard and it was delicious!

This post is linked to:

It's a Keeper Thursday 

Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Tip Day Thursday



Spaghetti and Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 lb ground beef
seasonings:  I use garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, and some Tastefully Simple garlic garlic

Mix ground beef and seasonings well.  Roll in little balls and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix four regular size cans of tomato sauce and a packet of spaghetti seasoning, I use the Thick and Zesty...I think it's McCormick.  I also added a little extra seasoning, some basil, oregano, and garlic powder.  I let this simmer for a half hour or so, while the meatballs are cooking.

When everything else is about 10 minutes from being done, cook the spaghetti.  Drain and toss with butter.

Soy Glazed Salmon

I haven't been a big fan of fish as of late but I try to make it once a week for the rest of the family.  My son loves salmon (which is interesting since he's only four and the pickiest eater in the world!) so that was my choice this week.  I've made this once before and tasted it last night as I pulled it out of the oven and I must say, it was tasty!

Soy Glazed Salmon

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 lb filet salmon

450 degrees.  Line bottom of roasting pan with foil.  Coat rack with oil.  (I just used a baking dish, sprayed with cooking spray and rubbed the bottom with oil.)  Combine soy sauce, syrup, ginger and garlic in saucepan.  Boil over moderate heat until reduced to 1/3 cup.  Brush salmon with sauce; let stand 5 minutes.  Brush with more sauce.  Roast salmon for 10 minutes.  Add remaining glaze.  Broil 3 to 5 minutes 4 to 5 inches from heat.

This post is linked to:
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free
What's Cooking Wednesday at Turning Back the Clock
Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Chili

Basic Chili:

2 lbs ground beef
1 to 2 onions, depending on how big they are
2 cans chili beans
1 can white bean (I usually use Great Northern)
1 can red bean (dark red, light red, whatever you like)
1 packet chili seasoning (I used Williams brand, nothing else!)
Large can (I think it was something like 47 oz) tomato juice
Secret ingredient my grandpa used:  sugar, a few tablespoons, or as much to your liking.  I'm learning that a little sugar on meat make a huge difference in taste.  When I did those Double Decker Tacos it called for brown sugar, which I thought was a little strange, but it was the best tasting taco meat I've ever had.

Cook beef until almost done, drain if needed.  Add onion and 3/4 of the chili seasoning and cook until slightly soft.  Meanwhile, in crockpot add beans, NOT DRAINED, rest of seasoning, sugar and tomato juice.  Once meat is done add to crockpot.  My crockpot gets really, really hot so I do 2 to 3 hours on high or 4 or 5 hours on low.

Nachos

I've been craving nachos and decided to make our own for dinner the other night.  Don't these just look divine?!  And they couldn't be more simple.

I took a small thing of velveets, 1/2 lb I think?  I heated it in the microwave until mostly melted then added some salsa to it.  That was our cheese sauce.  I know, I know...velveeta?  I've got to find a good homemade sauce to try.

I put some sauce over my chips and added some scallions, black beans, tomato, and jalepenos to mine.  The hubs only put ground beef and cheese sauce on his.  Boring!  They were so good and will be made again, probably on a Sunday while watching football.

Double Decker Tacos

I don't eat tacos often.  I enjoy crunchy shells the most but they made too much of a mess and break all apart so I never eat those unless I make a taco salad.  And I'm just not a fan of soft shelled tacos.  But this combination was wonderful!  I think the reason I liked these is that the meat had a great flavor.  I added more veggies to the meat, zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, and red onion, just to get some veggies in for the hubby and because I like them.   I would definitely recommend this if you like tacos.  I ate two of them and really wanted to go back for more!

Double Decker Tacos

8 hard taco shells
8 corn tortillas (we used flour tortillas cut to size)
2 cups refried beans, warmed
1 lb ground beef
1 onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tb all purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1 tsp chili powder
dash black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp brown sugar
tapatio or other hot sauce, to taste
shredded lettuce
shredded cheddar cheese
diced tomatoes

Cook beef with onion and garlic.  Drain well and return to pan.  Toss meat with tablespoon of flour.  Stir in water, seasonings, brown sugar, and hot sauce.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and breaking any large chunks of beef into smaller bits.

Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat.  Lightly spray or drizzle with a little oil and cook corn tortillas until lightly browned on both sides (1-2 minutes per side)

Evenly spread about 1/4 cup of warmed beans over a cooked corn tortilla.  Place a hard taco shell inside and wrap tortilla so the beans are a layer between the hard shell and soft tortilla.

Fill with meat mixture, lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes.

This post is linked to:
What's Cooking Wednesday at Turning the Clock Back
Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin'
Recipe Swap Thursday at Prairie Story
Tip Day Thursday at Around My Family Table

Bread Machine Pizza Crust

 Made homemade pizzas tonight with homemade crust for the first time.  I've only ever bought premade crusts before.  This will be used quite often from now on...good texture, soft and chewy, and nice flavor.  I may add garlic to mine next time.

Bread Machine Pizza Crust

1 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tb honey
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cup flour (you can mix bread flour and wheat flour)
1 Tb yeast
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
2 Tb parmesan cheese

Add ingredients to your bread machine in the order listed.  Once cycle is finished plop dough onto floured area and divide into portions.  Let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Roll out each portion to desired thickness.  Continue to follow your pizza recipe for further instruction OR

For basic pizza--

Pre-bake crust for 8  minutes at 425 degrees.  Then top with whatever toppings.  Brush edges with olive oil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, until edges are brown and toppings are melty and gooey.

Meatball Subs

I had some meatballs in the freezer so I baked them in the oven, then threw them in a pot with some spaghetti sauce.  We served them with slices mozzarella cheese (because I was out of parmesan).

I usually just throw some different seasonings in my meatballs but when I use them for spaghetti, or something Italian, I usually use garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil.  If it's a little soft I may add a little bit of bread crumbs, or an egg if it's too dry.

Almond Rice Pilaf

This is my new favorite side dish.  In fact, I would eat this alone as a meal, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  I will say, however, you need to like onions because it does have a fairly strong onion taste to it.

Brown 3/4 cup chopped onion and 1/2 cup slivered almonds in 1 Tb butter.  Add 2 cups chicken broth; bring to a boil.  Stir in 2 cups uncooked instant rice (I use brown rice).  Cover; remove from heat; let stand for 5 minutes.  Serves 6.

Fish Sticks

Homemade Fish Sticks

4 filets of white fish (I used tilapia)
panko and/or bread crumbs
egg
flour
oil
seasonings

Put a couple tablespoons of flour in a bowl, crack one or two eggs into another bowl and beat, place bread crumbs and/or panko in another bowl and add seasonings as desired. (I used garlic powder, salt, and pepper.)  We like panko because it gets a little crispier but I didn't have quite enough so I used a mixture of bread crumbs and panko.  Normally I only use plain panko and season it up myself.

Cut fish into "sticks". Heat oil in skillet. Roll fish in egg, then flour, then egg again, then bread/panko crumbs.  Cook in oil for a few minutes on each side until browned and cooked through.

Grilled Glazed Drummies

We ran out of charcoal so I had to do these in the oven.  They were okay.  Not great, but good.  I think they would have been a lot better had they been grilled so we'll try it again sometime. 

Grilled Glazed Drummies

1 cup ketchup

1/3 cup soy sauce

4 tsp honey

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3 lbs. fresh or frozen chicken drummetes, thawed

In small bowl, combine the first five ingredients.  Pour 1 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag.  Add the chicken; seal bag and turn to coat.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade for basting.

Drain chicken and discard marinade.  Grill, covered, over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until juices run clear, turning and basting occasionally with reserved marinade.

Grandma Fuemmeler's Mac n Chees

This is my grandma Fuemmeler's macaroni and cheese but I can never get it quite the same as hers.  It did turn out good, very creamy and tasty, just not the same flavor as Grandma's.  I'll keep experiementing though.

I don't really have any measurements.  Last night I used about 9 oz of pasta, 1/4 lb velveeta, a small handful of shredded cheddar and a shake or two of salt and pepper.  Probably 1/3 cup of milk.  It's pretty easy to figure out though so just add a little and see, then you can always add more milk or cheese as needed.

Mac n Cheese

some type of noodle...preferably the small shell ones
milk
velveeta
salt
pepper

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain; add milk and velveeta and stir until melted.  Season with salt and pepper.

Twice Baked Potatoes

This is my grandma's recipe, although I've never gotten mine to taste as good as hers.  They take some time but again, you can freeze them.  Well, I think!  I haven't had them frozen before but I don't see why you can't so this time I made 8 huge potatoes and froze half of them.  We haven't had the ones from the freezer yet so I'm not sure if they'll be any good.

Twice Baked Potatoes

1/3 cup olive oil

8 baking potatoes

2/3 cup shredded cheddar

1 1/3 egg, beaten (don't ask me how to get 1/3 of an egg!  Just use one or two)

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 1/3 cup sliced green onion

2/3 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In small bowl, combine oil, salt, and pepper.  Rub potato skins with oil.  Bake 50 to 60 minutes.  When done, slice skin off top.  Scoop flesh into large bowl, reserving skins.  Add cheese, egg, butter, and half green onion.  Mash potatoes while adding milk.  Spoon into skins and top with remaining onion.  Bake 15 minute.