Potato Cheese Soup

I was looking through my old recipes and came across this one. It is from home ec in Junior High.  It sounded really good and easy, so I decided to make it on a cold, snowy day a few weeks ago.  I have made a few changes from the original recipe to update it.   It is now a soup that make about every other week.  

Potato Cheese Soup

2 potatoes peeled and finely diced

1 onion diced

1 c Celery chopped

Cook in water until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain potatoes and add to prepared white sauce.

Sauce

2 c milk

4 tb butter

4 tb flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 c grated sharp cheddar cheese

4 pieces bacon, crumbled

2 tb Parsley

In large saucepan, melt butter and combine with flour.  Cook for about 3 minutes to cook out the flour taste.  Add milk and stir over medium heat.  When sauce begins to thicken, remove from heat.  Add in cheese and stir to melt.  Add in cooked potatoes and parsley.  Garnish with crumbled bacon and shredded cheese.

Turkey Meatballs

One of my favorite Italian dishes is Spaghetti and Meatballs.  I have always wanted to make it at home, but my sister doesn't like hamburger.  I stumbled across a recipe for Chicken meatballs and adapted it for Turkey.  The reason for that is my grocery store doesn't carry ground chicken regularly.  Or if they do, it is gone by the time I get there on Saturday night.  These are moist and very flavorful.  I love to make these in big batches and freeze them.  They last about 3 months in the freezer.

Turkey Meatballs
1 lb Ground Turkey
1 Egg
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 c Italian breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh Oregano, chopped (substitute 1 tsp dried Oregano)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Place all items in bowl and mix with hands.  Shape into 1 inch balls.  I use my small cookie scoop to do this and it works perfectly.    Place meatballs on lined baking sheet.  Cook at 375 for 20 minutes.  Add to spaghetti sauce and serve over noodles.

Scalloped Potatoes

One of the few meats I can get my sister to eat, is ham.  Well, you can't have ham without scalloped potatoes, at least at my house!   They were a staple on many holidays while growing up.  They have become one of my favorite side dishes.  I researched lots of recipes and tried many, only to be disappointed.  They either were too much like the funeral potatoes Utah is famous for or had way too much cream in them.  Don't get me wrong, I love cream, but not the calories that come with it.  I decided to try evaporated milk instead of cream.  It was really good, however, I found fat free evaporated milk and decided to try that instead.  I couldn't even tell the difference.  The dish was still very creamy and delicious!   Also, I only use sharp cheddar cheese.  As my sister says, "If you can't taste it, why eat it!"   If I have the time, I will use my mandolin and slice the potatoes.  I bought my mandolin at Crate and Barrel.  I love it because it is so small and fits easily into my dishwasher.  I used to use my food processor, but that thing is big and causes way too many dishes!  If you don't have time, you can use the already sliced potatoes you can purchase at the grocery store.

Scalloped Potatoes

4 Small White Potatoes, washed and sliced very thinly
1 Small Onion, diced (can be omitted if you don't like onions)
1 can Fat Free Evaporated Milk
1/2-1 C Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
2 Tb Parsley
Panko Bread Crumbs
Oil Olive or Butter Spray
Salt & Pepper

Wash and slice potatoes with mandolin.  Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Put one layer of potatoes on bottom, layer onions, 1 layer of cheese, 1/2 can of milk, then salt and pepper.  Repeat layer of potatoes, then pour remaining milk over potatoes.  Salt and pepper top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Sprinkle with desired amount of bread crumbs and parsley.  Either spray top with butter spray or drizzle a little olive oil on top to create a crunchy, cheesy top.  Cover with foil and cook on 350 for 45 minutes. Remove foil and return to oven for an additional 15 minutes.

Caprese Sandwich

My Sister and I went to Cancun, Mexico a few years ago for vacation.  After a day of flying and having no lunch, we were starving by the time we got to the hotel.  The hotel was beautiful and had just reopened after a hurricane that did some major destruction in the area.  We were with a rather large group of over 100 people and we quickly filled that little restaurant up.  We were so hungry, that we decided to get an appetizer while we waited for our actual meal.  We decided to get the caprese sandwich.  Neither of us had ever had this before and it sounded so good.  It did not disappoint.  My picky sister even ordered it again a few days later!  We loved it so much, we decided to try replicate it at home.  We still talk about the food on that vacation because it was as fabulous as the hotel, room, pool and spa treatments we had.  The best part, the trip was free!  My sister was so nice to share that wonderful gift with me.  We have done many sister trips and this one was amazing!

Caprese Sandwich

2 Plum, Heirloom or Roma Tomatoes
1 Ball of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, sliced
6 Basil Leaves
4 Slices of Sour Dough Bread, sliced (Can use french bread)
Oil Olive
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Brush bread with oil olive and toast in oven.  Place mozzarella cheese on bread, tomatoes (salt & pepper these) drizzle with vinegar and top with basil leaves.  Top with other piece of bread and enjoy!

Bruschetta

When I went to visit my parents in Ireland, my Mom was so excited to see us! She even made us a special welcome meal.  After flying all day, it was a nice surprise.  It had been over 3 months since we had seen my parents and they were not only missing their daughters, but also the comforts from home.  We brought a suitcase full of special items from home, including a video of my brothers and their cute families.  Well, after eating some of the food there, I wanted to fill the suitcase up and bring some home.  My Mom learned from one of her Irish friends how to make bruschetta.  I can't believe I had to fly all the way to Ireland to taste this for the first time.  Ireland has some of the best produce I have ever had.  The tomatoes were from Spain and were delicious!  I love this stuff so much, I have even made it with canned tomatoes in the winter.  It isn't as good, but it still hits the spot.  My sister and I have ordered this at many restaurants around Salt Lake City, but she always tells me that mine is her favorite.  Well, I found some delicious tomatoes at the store the other day and made a batch.  You can really use any tomato you like.  I try to stick with heirloom, on the vine or roma.  They tend to have the best flavors, at least in my mouth!  If I have lots of time, I will seed the tomatoes.  If not, I just cut up everything and throw it in the bowl.  It really just depends on how much juice you really want.  Needless to say, there were no leftovers!

Bruschetta
4-6 Roma Tomatoes, finely diced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced or pressed
6-8 Basil Leaves, julienned
Salt & Pepper to Taste
1 tsp Oil Olive
Balsamic Vinegar for drizzling
1 Baguette, sliced and toasted

Mix all items in bowl, except the vinegar and bread.  Set aside for 30-60 minutes for flavors to combine.  Serve over the toasted bread and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. 

Panko Chicken

I saw a commercial the other day for fried chicken.  This is something I love, but do not eat very often.  My sister suggested that we by some shake and bake and make it.  I was against that!  Why have shake and bake when you can make your own?  She was a bit hesitant because she remembers loving that stuff as kids.  With her being so against meat, I almost bought it.   I kept hearing about panko breadcrumbs being so much better than regular breadcrumbs.  I found them at the store and they were on sale, so I decided to take the plunge.  I have not been disappointed.  They are so light and fluffy, but toast up nicely.  Well, I am glad we didn't buy them, because the recipe I threw together was so much better and she loved it!

Panko Chicken
2 Chicken Breast, cust in half and then pounded thin
1-2 tb Olive Oil
1/2 c Panko Breadcrumbs
4 tsp Parmesan Cheese, grated
Morton's Natures Seasoning

Pound chicken to desired thickness.  Coat baking dish with oil olive.  Sprinkle both sides of chicken with seasoning salt and place in dish.  Sprinkle tops of chicken with panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Drizzle chicken with remaining olive oil.  Cook on 350 for 30 minutes, or until chicken is done. 

Sauteed Spinach

Growing up, I was the only kid at my house that loved spinach.  My brothers and sister used to pay me to eat it when my Mom wasn't looking.  Little did they know, they were the ones missing out!  As my sister got older, she started eating it in salads and soup, but never really had it sauteed.  Well, I had a about a half of bag left in the fridge and decided to try something different. This would have been even better with mushrooms, bacon and a little feta cheese, however, I didn't have any in my fridge!  I couldn't believe how much the spinach shrunk down, so next time I will make a whole bag for the two of us to share.

Sauteed Spinach
1 bag of Spinach
1/2 Red Onion, sliced
1 Tb Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste
Balsamic Vinegar

Heat Olive Oil in pan and onions and garlic.  Saute until tender.  Add Spinach and salt & pepper.  Stir and watch spinach until it is all sauteed and wilted down.  This only takes about 2-3 minutes.  Drizzle with little balsamic vinegar before serving.

Spaghetti Sauce

Almost every summer growing up, I would help my Mom can tomatoes.  It was so much work, but so worth it in the end.  With those canned tomatoes, my Mom would always make the best homemade spaghetti sauce.  When I finally moved out of the house, I realized that I didn't really care for the spaghetti sauce I was buying at the grocery store.  I tried all of the different brands, but none of them really were my favorite. Don't get me wrong, I do have some of these in my food storage and have used them on long days when I don't want to make the good stuff.  But, I prefer to make my own sauce.  I don't have the time to do my own canning these days, so I buy canned tomatoes at the grocery store and let the sauce simmer for about 30-60 minutes to make the flavors better.  If I am not using homemade meatballs, I will brown ground turkey with a diced onion before making the sauce.  This is also the sauce that I use for my homemade lasagna.

Spaghetti Sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce (I use the small cans.  Can use 1 large can.)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tb oregano
1 Tb Thyme
1 Tb Basil
2 Tb Parsley
1 Bay Leaf
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste

Add all ingredients into saucepan.  Simmer on low for 30-60 minutes.  Remove bay leaf before serving.  Pour over noodles and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Pesto Pasta

Pesto Pasta

½ Box Penne Pasta

Homemade Pesto (Can use ½ c of store bought Pesto)

1 cup Tomatoes, diced

1 cup Artichokes, chopped

1 Avocado, diced

4 cups fresh Spinach

¼ c Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Cook Pasta according to directions on box.  Meanwhile, chop all veggies except Spinach.   When there is 30 seconds left in cooking, add Spinach to hot water.  Drain Noodles and Spinach and add back to hot pan.  Add chopped veggies, cheese and Pesto.  Reheat and salt & pepper to taste. 

Pesto

1 Bunch Fresh Basil leaves removed from stems (I use the small package you can find at your grocer’s produce department)

¼ c Oil Olive

¼  - ½ c Water

¼ c Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 Garlic Clove

2 Tb Pine-nuts

Salt & Pepper

Add all ingredients except Olive Oil and Water to food processor (I didn't want to get out my big food processor  so I used the Magic Bullet.)  Pulse until mixed together well.  Add in Oil and Water and pulse. 

Balsamic Chicken

Every week there is at least one night I stand in front of the fridge, trying to decide what to cook.  I then pull out everything that needs to be eaten, that I have forgotten I put in the drawers.  Tonight was that night!   After much thinking, I decided on Balsamic Chicken with Pesto Pasta.  My new favorite ingredient with pasta is an avocado.  It is actually quite delicious!  When using pesto for the sauce, the avocado adds creaminess that finishes it off quite nicely. 

Balsamic Chicken

1 pkg Chicken Tenders

2 Tb Balsamic Vinegar

1 Garlic Clove, chopped

1 Tb Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Add oil to pan.  Salt & Pepper Chicken on both sides and add to hot pan (medium high heat).  Cook chicken on both sides, until brown.  Add in Balsamic Vinegar and garlic cloves.   Cover with lid.  Cook until chicken is done, about 15-20 minutes.  

Tofu Stir-Fry

I love Chinese food and stir-fry is one of my favorite meals.  I can’t get enough of it!  My sister isn't a big fan of any type of meat, so I decided to switch out the chicken and try Tofu.  To my surprise, we actually loved it.  Tofu is very mild and will take on flavor very easily.  I love to serve it over brown rice, but recently tried brown rice noodles.  It was a nice change and very delicious!  I can’t wait to make it again. 

Tofu Stir-Fry

1 Pkg Firm Tofu

1 Head of Cabbage

1 cup chopped Celery

1 cup chopped Carrots

2 bunches Broccoli

1 onion, sliced

1 clove garlic

1 can Water Chestnuts

1 Tb Vegetable Oil

1 Tb Sesame Oil

1 tsp. Soy Sauce

1 cup Water with 1 tsp. Chicken Bouillon

Sauce

3 Tb Cornstarch

4 Tb Soy Sauce

3 tsp Sugar

Remove Tofu from package and wrap in paper towels to dry.  Heat Vegetable Oil in pan and add diced Tofu.  Add Soy Sauce and cook Tofu until it starts to brown, then remove from pan.  Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent.  Then add all of the veggies into pan.  Add water with bouillon and a little Soy Sauce and cover with lid to cook.  Stir about every 10 minutes, until veggies are tender.  Add Tofu back into pan and pour sauce in.  Cook until sauce thickens.   Serve or Rice or Rice Noodles.

Turkey Veggie Soup

I love soup!  I decided that Sunday would be a perfect day to make a soup.  I didn't want to look up recipes, so I came up with this on my own.  It ended up being a hit!  I served it with hot Italian herb bread. 

Turkey Veggie Soup

1 lb ground turkey, browned
1 onion, chopped
2 large potatoes, chopped
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 can green beans, drained
1 can tomato soup
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
1 cup carrots


Brown turkey with chopped onion in large soup pan.  Add all other ingredients, plus salt and pepper.  Cook until potatoes are cooked thoroughly, about 20 minutes.  Can cook in crock pot as well on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Mini White Bundt Cakes

My sister and I decided to make these after realizing we didn't do our visiting teaching and it was the second to last day of the month.  They ended up not only looking cute, but they were delicious!

I have a great bundt cake pan from The Pampered Chef that cooks 6 at a time.  I used a basic white cake mix from the store and cooked per the instructions for my pan.  Make sure to spray/flour them so they come out!  One didn't quite make it, so we were forced to eat it! :)  The glaze was super easy and delicious!  Because it was Easter the next day, we decided to color it pink.  This picture doesn't do it justice.  The glaze was thick and delicious!

White Chocoloate Glaze

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (We used fat free and couldn't tell the difference.)
1/2 c white chocolate chips
1 tsp Vanilla

Mix sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips in saucepan.  Cook, stirring constantly on medium heat.  Cook until all chocolate is melted.  Do NOT bring to a boil.  Once it is smooth, remove from heat and add Vanilla.  (I then added red food coloring until I got the pink color I wanted.)  Pour over cooled cakes.

Spinach Salad with chicken and strawberries!

The other night I made this delicious salad from items I forgot I had in my fridge.  It ended up being delicious! 

Spinach Salad with Chicken and Strawberries
Salad:
1 pkg fresh Spinach

1 cup chopped Celery
1 Cucumber, sliced
Red Onion slices (as much as you want)
3 Tb Sunflower Seeds
1/4 c Feta Cheese
10-12 Strawberries, sliced

1 c Mushrooms, sliced
1 chicken breast, cooked and sliced (I cooked in 2 Tb Fat Free Italian dressing)

Dressing:
1/2 c Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tb Dijon Mustard
1 glove minced Garlic

Mix dressing items in jar and whisk.  Pour about half of the bottle over  the salad.

Salad serves 2