Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Oh, yeah, you heard right; Loaded Baked Potato Soup! What, another soup recipe? Yep, it's that time of year, and I'm snowed in right now. Well, not really "snowed in" as much as "colded in"; the windchills have been below zero for the past 48 hours. So, soup it is! And homemade soup, to boot! I wanted something a little heartier than the standard cream of potato soup recipe I usually use (my maternal grandmother's recipe), so I "doctored" it a bit, resulting in Loaded Baked Potato Soup! Try it yourself!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
(adapted from Lucile M. Beckner's Cream of Potato Soup recipe, circa 1960)

4 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup finely diced onion

6 potatoes, cubed

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups milk ( I used a combination of leftover heavy whipping cream and 2% milk)

4-5 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, melt butter and add onion.  Saute onion until soft.  Add potatoes, chicken broth and enough water to cover potatoes. Bring to a low boil, and then simmer until potatoes are soft.  Add milk and bacon.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Got Soup?

While winter continues to slowly grind on, my crock pot is getting a workout! Even though this weekend we've had a bit of a warming-up, it's still not shorts and flip flops weather! Puttering around in the kitchen is one of my favorite things to do, and I like the feeling that something's on the stove, in the oven or simmering away on the counter in the crock pot. It's no secret I like food....

Anyway, I was in the mood for something different (God forbid I should make the same thing twice in the crock pot!), so I scoured my big recipe binder for something I've been meaning to try but hadn't gotten around to.  Voila the winner: Tomato Basil Parmesan Bisque (actually, it's called "soup" by my source, but "bisque" sound so much fancier, don't you think?) I'm not a big tomato soup fan, but this was more like a creamy, savory pasta sauce.  Definitely a keeper!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Bisque

(adapted from a recipe posted by randomthoughtsandthrills.blogspot.com)

2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 cup finely chopped carrots

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil, or 1/4 cup fresh basil

4 cups chicken stock/broth

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1 cup Parmesan cheese (I used a 5-cheese Italian blend)

1 1/2 cups half and half or evaporated milk

salt and pepper to taste

Combine tomatoes, carrots, onion, oregano, basil and chicken stock in a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.  About 30 minutes before serving, make a "roux": melt butter over low in a saucepan and add flour.  Whisk constantly for a minute, then slowly stir in one cup hot soup.  Add another cup, then another, then another, and stir until smooth.  Add all back into slow cooker.  Stir, and then add the Parmesan cheese and half and half. Salt and pepper to taste. Add additional oregano and/or basil if needed (the slow cooker makes the spices a little bland over time).  Cover and cook on low an additional 30 minutes before serving. 

Oh my, how decadent this tastes! I served mine with slices of Asiago foccacia bread - yum!

Pineapple Upside-Down Muffins!

If you've been following this blog for very long, you know how much we love muffins at my house. And, you know how much I like trying new recipes, too! This week, I was perusing my pantry, while snowed in, and found a can of crushed pineapple. A quick search on Pinterest, and voila, a clever twist on a classic dessert. These are super yummy muffins; perfect for a quick pick-me-up on cold winter mornings! 

Pineapple Upside-Down Muffins 
(a big thanks to http://littleindiana.com for the recipe!)

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, you can add one tablespoon of lemon juice to one
                              cup milk and let set 5 minutes-which is what i did)
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease muffin tins well.  Spoon the 1/4 cup melted butter evenly into tins (about a teaspoon in each).  Sprinkle brown sugar over the melted butter in each tin. Spoon pineapple over top of brown sugar in each tin, and then set aside.

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Make a well in the center. In another bowl, combine eggs, milk and 2 tablespoons melted butter.  Add quickly to flour mixture and combine, but do not over-mix.  Spoon batter into muffin tins.  Bake for 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool and remove from muffin tins. Serve pineapple side up! Enjoy!

Historic Soup for a Blustery Day

When it's as cold as the North Pole, soup is always on the menu at my house! I must confess I did NOT make this soup; my stepfather did. I just pulled it out of my chest freezer and heated it up. Not that I couldn't make it, mind you, and I probably will, because it is sooooo awesome! It also has a fun background: according to my mom, it is called "Senate Bean Soup" , as it was served in a popular Washington D.C. restaurant many years ago, and was their specialty.  My stepfather got the recipe from his grandmother, so it's kind of dated and quirky (in a good way). 

Senate Bean Soup 

one bag white navy beans, rinsed

one smoked turkey leg 

one small/medium onion, chopped

one carrot, chopped

one potato, chopped

Cook all together in a big pot (with lots of water in it) until the meat falls off the turkey leg. Remove leg and pick off meat (it should take approximately 4 hours).  Mash bean mixture with a potato masher until desired consistency.  Put meat back into bean mixture.  Add a bit of Worcestershire sauce (a splash or two).  Add some salt and pepper, mix and heat.  

My stepfather's version had lots of pepper in it; making it "zesty".  My mom suggested serving the soup with cornbread - yum!

New Year's Brunch

I know I'm a little late with this post, but, what with blizzard warnings, and such, I've been all kinds of busy! We hosted my Dad for brunch on New Year's Day, and, of course, I had to try out a new recipe! I thought about making the standard "breakfast casserole" thing, or the ever-popular Overnight Caramel French Toast (have I posted THAT recipe  before? I don't think so...), but finally decided to go with this easy baked breakfast thing I found on Pinterest (big surprise).  I don't have a name for it, perhaps cheesy, hammy hashbrowns bake? I daresay the leftovers were better than the "original"! Yum!

Cheesy, Hammy Hashbrowns Bake (adapted from a few sources)

4 cups frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
one package Canadian bacon slices (8-10 slices), diced
one cup shredded cheddar cheese
12-ounce can evaporated milk 
one large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 X 11-inch baking dish with non-stick spray.  Layer half of the hashbrowns, half of the onion flakes, half of the Canadian bacon and half of the cheese in the baking dish. Repeat with another layer.  In a small bowl, combine evaporated milk, egg and seasoned salt.  Pour over hashbrowns mixture and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.  Uncover and bake another 5 minutes. 

*You can also prepare this the night before, which is what I did.  Just cover with foil and throw into the refrigerator.  In the morning, put it in the oven and turn on the oven to heat up. DO NOT put the cold baking dish into a hot oven or it could break! Bake as directed. Enjoy!

 For brunch, along with coffee, mimosas and the "bake", I served chocolate chip banana muffins (see 9-20-11 post for recipe; I omitted baking cocoa and added some milk chocolate chips) 

and colorful fruit skewers. 

So pretty it should be in a food blog! Ha ha!