Creamy Potato Soup

There is just something about soup that tastes SO GOOD during the Fall. I got this recipe from a friend, who got it from a friend, who got it from...well you get the point. Im not sure where it was orignated from, but it is a very good soup! I was in the mood for something "comforting" last night for dinner, and thought I would give this a shot. It was very good! I added a couple dashes of red pepper flakes and garlic to mine but I'm sure it would taste good as it is too! I served it with a BLT-AG sandwich (Avacado and smoked Gouda cheese...MMM!) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 quartered potatoes (I like the skins on, but you can peel them)
2-4 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium sized onion, diced
4 chicken bouillon cubes, or granules
1/2 cube butter
1 can evaporated milk (or regular milk if that is all you have)
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (whatever you have)
Parsley
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper
Bacon bits

Directions:

Place potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and chicken bouillon in a large soup pot and fill with water just enough to cover the potatoes. Boil for 30 minutes. Do NOT drain the water. Mash the potatoes a little bit to your liking. Add the butter, milk, and can of cream of mushroom/chicken soup and parsley. Stir together. You can simmer until you are ready to serve. When ready, add the cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Top with the crispy bacon bits.

Next time I make it, I am going to add some pureed calliflower and broccoli so my kids get some extra veggies!

Sweet N Sour Chicken (version 2)

Here is another version of my all-time favorite "fake out" meal! This is one that my mother prefers and makes often. I love to make it in the mornings and leave it on the "warmer" until dinner time. It is also fairly EASY! Enjoy!

*My hubby prefers the pineapple tidbits instead of the chunks so you can make it to your liking!

I also use my pre-cooked, shredded chicken from the freezer to make it even easier to throw together.

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless cubed chicken

1 Tbl oil

1 cup green/red pepper strips

1/2 cup onion strips

1 Tbl corn starch

1/4 cup lite soy sauce (low sodium)

1 can (8 oz) chunk pineapple in juice

1 1/2 Tbl lemon juice

3 Tbl brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Cook chicken in hot oil in large pan until well browned.

Add peppers/onions and cook 1-2 minutes

In a separate bowl wisk the cornstarch and soy sauce making sure that there are no lumps of starch. Add the pineapple and juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic powder.

Pour into pan with chicken and bring to a full boil.

Serve over hot cooked rice

Party Meatballs

This is a great appetizer for any occasion! Each time I take them to a party or football watching get-together, I always leave with my crockpot empty! You can bet that I will serve these at the next Super Bowl Party! :) They make a great hit...and are EXTREMELY EASY! You can also make a meal by serving them over rice/noodles and pairing it with a salad and veggies. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen meatballs (if you use a Costco/Sam's Club bag, use 1/2 - 1/3)

8 oz. Russian salad dressing

15 oz. jellied cranberries

1 onion soup mix packet

8 oz. can crushed pineapple (optional)

Directions:

Place everything in the crockpot and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

We have been MIA and in behalf of all the sisters, I want to apologize! It seems that each one of us has one excuse or another! The older ones (Jennifer, Stephanie, and Christie) are juggling their kids starting school, moving, and sports/activities! Sarah just delivered their second child...a beautiful baby girl. We are SO EXCITED that baby Stella is here and that both her and Sarah are doing great...as well as her hubby and little boy! Me, well I haven't had much of the cookin' spree that I usually ALWAYS have because I am preggo again and battling some morning sickness! But I do have a recipe to share that I made this evening for dinner! It came from my mother and I must say that this soup is AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!!! My two year old determines not to eat anything green, but when he took the first bite of this he ate the whole entire bowl and ended up soaking up the remainder with his roll! Yes, I felt very proud to have him eat something healthy (without a struggle)! Thanks again Mom! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Chicken Broth (32 oz)

1 bundle/package Aparagus, trimmed and chopped into 2 inch pieces

2 cups Milk

Onion, only a few slices and chopped

1/4 cup flour

3 Tbl Cornstarch

Salt, Pepper, Parsley, to taste

Directions:

In a large soup pot, pour in the broth and heat on low-medium

Grab another pan and steam the asparagus in a little water

When the asparagus is tender place in a blender/food processor and add remaining ingredients except the chicken broth

Blend until everything is well combined and smooth

Pour into the heated chicken broth and turn up the heat and wisk continuously until the soup begins to boil and thickens up

Serve with your favorite garlic bread or dinner roll and serve with a salad on the side

Roasted Whole Chicken

Rather than a recipe, this is more of a suggestion. Recently I went to an erichment class that taught money saving tips. One of the mini classes was about using whole chickens and saving some money that way. Whole chickens seem to be more economical. I have found that I can get three to four meals out of one whole bird. I can usually find a whole bird at the grocery store for about $.88/lb or $3.52 for 4lbs! It does take a couple minutes to clean the cavity and prepare the oven for baking, but to me, it is definitely worth the savings! If I decide that I am going to cook up one bird, I usually throw in another one to save me from heating up the oven again! Its a money saver and time saver! :)

Preparing a whole chicken:

Clean and scrub the cavity till water that runs thru is clear. (I buy the birds that are already cleaned of all the giblets and neck so I don't have to touch those...the kidneys are always included so I do remove those)

Take a good look at the outside of chicken to make sure all the feathers have been plucked. Yes, sometimes they are missed by the butchers!

Pat dry and rub your favorite seasonings/butter on the inside and outside of the bird.

Usually I use salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic, parsley

Feel free to insert lemon slices, whole cloves of garlic, or onion in the skins.

Place a piece of celery or stuffing in the cavity for added flavor! :)

Put chicken in roasting pan and cover (if you don't have a cover/lid, make a tent-like cover with foil and secure tightly)

Place in preheated 350 degree oven for about 2 hours!

**This is a great Sunday Meal as you can put it in before church and it's ready when you come home (If you keep it in for 3 hours, I would suggest turning the oven down to 325)! The extra meat can be shredded and frozen for future meals. A good idea is to divide the remaining meat into separate amounts for other dishes. Place each divided amount into freeze-safe baggies, date, and store in your freezer!

Big Papa's Fingerlickin' BBQ Sauce

I am a HUGE FAN of anything drenched in BBQ sauce! It happens to be my favorite condiment and my hubby knows that whenever we go out to eat at a burger joint, he HAS to order me LOTS of sauce! So when my Father-in-Law made some ribs and asked me to taste-test his sauce, I JUMPED on the opportunity! IT WAS AMAZING!!! I seriously think he should try out for the Next Food Network Star...I know he could win with those DELICIOUS RIBS!!! He reluctantly shared the BBQ sauce recipe with me and I couldn't feel more priveleged to share it with you! We now have a full bottle of this stuff in our fridge AT ALL TIMES! Seriously. It is great on everything and SUPER EASY to prepare! My hubby came up with the name, and I printed off the label! Enjoy! :)

*Again, please forgive my blurry picture!

Ingredients:

2 cups bottled bbq sauce (whatever you already have)

1 tsp Creole Seasoning

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup A-1 Steaksauce

1 1/2 Tbl lemon juice

1 teaspoon liquid smoke (you can also try the Chipotle Liquid Smoke for more of a "kick")

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a saucepan

Wisk it all together over medium-low heat until all the sugar is dissolved and everything is combined well

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

My friend Shannon submitted this recipe into our ward cookbook and the name is a PERFECT fit for these muffins!  Seriously.  My hubby LOVES blueberry muffins and when he tried these babies he was in HEAVEN.  They are super MOIST and the crumb topping is AMAZING.  I seriously could go on and on so you are just going to have to try these out for yourself and see.... I promise you will agree that these blueberry muffins REALLY are TO DIE FOR!!!  Thanks Shannon for sharing our family's ABSOLUTE favorite blueberry muffin recipe EVER!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour (1/2 white & 1/2 wheat works fine)

3/4 C white sugar

1/2 t salt

2 t baking powder

1/3 C vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 C milk

1 C fresh blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 C flour, 3/4 C sugar, salt and baking powder.

Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup.

Mix egg, oil and milk mixture with the flour mixture.

Fold in blueberries.

Fill muffin cups to the top and sprinkle with crumb topping.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. 

Crumb Topping:

Ingredients:

1/2 C white sugar

1/3 C all-purpose flour

1/4 C butter

1 1/2 t cinnamon

Directions:

To make topping mix together 1/2 C sugar, 1/3 C flour, 1/4 C butter and 1 1/2 t cinnamon.

Mix with fork and sprinkle over muffins before baking.