Crockpot Potato Soup

Potato soup is one of my favorite soups, and I have wanted to make it homemade for awhile, so recently I went online and found a recipe that sounded good and printed it out to try. I especially liked the fact that it was prepared in the crockpot, so I could start it in the morning and let it cook all day. There are many different and varied recipes for potato soup on the internet – if this one doesn’t appeal to you, you can surely find one that will. I found this recipe at the Potato Patch Recipes site, where you can find many yummy potato recipes for your table.

Ingredients
1/2 lb. thick sliced bacon
2 medium onions, chopped
10 medium (not large) potatoes
4 cups chicken stock (broth)
1 pint half and half
3-4 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves

Peel the potatoes and chop into one inch cubes. Place the potato cubes into a large bowl of water and quickly add a few squirts of lemon juice to the water. This will prevent the potatoes from turning brown.

Cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan but leave the fat in the pan. Dice up the bacon and refrigerate until serving time.

Add the chopped onions to the bacon fat in the pan and heat the onions until they become translucent.

Take all of the ingredients, except for the half and half and bacon, and put in the crockpot. Cook on low for 10-12 hours.

After 10-12 hours, add the half and half to the mixture and stir it in real good. There is no need (don’t do it) to cook the half and half. At this point, decide if you would like the potatoes in cube form in your soup or if you would like creamy potatoes in your soup. If you would like creamy potatoes, get out the masher and go to work.

Ladle the soup out into soup bowls and sprinkle the cooked bacon bits on top. I heated the bacon bits briefly in the microwave to take the chill off. We also added a dollop of butter and sprinkled Monterrey Jack cheese on ours.

I served this soup with cornbread on the side ~ delicious on a cool Fall evening!

Blessings,
Nancy

Bread Pudding

This is my Mom’s recipe for Bread Pudding. We enjoyed this many an evening after dinner while I was growing up. Since then, I have made it many evenings myself. I have a tradition of baking this for the first time each year on the first cold night of Autumn. I can always be heard to say, sometime around this time of year, that “this is a bread pudding night”. We had one of these chilly nights last week, so I made my first bread pudding of the year, To be honest, not everyone in my family shares my enthusiasm for this dessert, but that just leaves more for those who do. If you like custards, you will enjoy this recipe. I really like custards ~ for the flavor as well as the simple, old-fashioned homemade classic that it is.

Bread Pudding

1 egg, beaten
1 cup sugar
2 cups milk
dash salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3 biscuits (or bread slices), torn into small pieces
Nutmeg

Mix all ingredients and pour into greased square glass baking dish. Sprinkle nutmeg on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

I doubled the recipe for my family. It tends to flatten a bit after it comes out of the oven, but serves up nicely in bowls. Enjoy it the next cool Fall evening where you live!

Blessings,
Nancy

Poppy Seed Chicken

Oh my, that does look just like another one of my Chicken Stuffing recipes (or here or here), but it really isn’t – not a hint of stuffing anywhere! It does have cheese in it, of course.

I got this recipe from a friend at church (thanks Hannah!), and then realized that I had another recipe for Poppy Seed Chicken in my recipe file that called for the addition of cheese, so I combined the two recipes and came up with my own version. I doubled the recipe and the two pans ended up feeding us for two nights (yippee!!). The first night I served it over white rice, and the second over brown rice, which was even better.

Ingredients

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese
1-2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 stick butter
2 sleeves Ritz crackers

Start with thawed, rinsed chicken breasts -

Cut up chicken into small chunks -

Combine chicken, soup, cheese and poppy seeds in a bowl, mixing well -

Crush crackers (or have your helper crush crackers – my kids just love to do this!) -

Melt butter and mix together with the crushed crackers -

Place half of the cracker mixture in the bottom of a buttered 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Spread chicken mixture over the top of the crackers -

Top casserole with the remaining cracker mixture -

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Serve over hot buttered rice -

Yummy!

Blessings,
Nancy

Fried Apples

I grew up eating fried apples every visit to my grandparent’s home. Grandmama would always cook up dishes and dishes of fresh vegetables from their garden and fried apples were always included, although I believe she bought her apples at the store ~ I don’t remember any apple trees on the property. They were my favorite part of every meal at their house.

So, naturally when I grew up, I wanted to learn how to make them. I don’t know the recipe Grandmama used (if she used one), but when I was first married I found a recipe for Fried Apples in the local newspaper, and I have kept it and used it ever since. I haven’t really made them very often, usually opting for the ease of opening a jar of applesauce, but sometimes I just get a craving for them, and then I pull out this recipe and head to the store for some Granny Smiths. I double this recipe, but even then, they shrink down so much that I don’t get a huge bowl. I may triple it next time. Anyway, they’re pretty simple, if you follow the directions and don’t improvise too much ~ don’t ask me how I know this!

Ingredients
4 Granny Smith apples (or any tart green apple)
3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Begin by coring the apples and cutting them into wedges (about 8 pieces to an apple) ~

Bring a large saute pan to medium heat (I used my electric skillet).
Add butter, then apples. Saute until apples are beginning to caramelize (about 5 minutes) ~

Add brown sugar and completely caramelize (do not burn), until apples have a shiny candy appearance (10 minutes) ~

Here they are ready to eat, served in Grandmama’s old vegetable dish ~ sweet and delicious!

Blessings,
Nancy

Pigs in a Blanket

Always a popular meal around here (unless I put mustard in them, which I stopped doing since one person – who will remain nameless – can’t stand mustard.), we had this for dinner last week with french fries on the side. I think I got the recipe years ago in a magazine, but I noticed they have been putting it on the side of the crescent rolls can lately. Here is the way I make them, although I always double this recipe ~

Ingredients
8 hot dogs
4 slices American cheese
1 can (8 count) crescent rolls (refrigerated)

-Cut a slit down the middle of each hot dog.
-Fold a slice of cheese in half and then in half again (you now have four pieces)
-Fit two pieces of cheese into the slit of each hot dog.
-Wrap each hot dog in a crescent roll and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
-Bake at 375 degrees for about 12-15 minutes, until rolls are golden and cooked through.

Kids especially like this one!

Blessings,
Nancy

Baked Spaghetti

This is a delicious Spaghetti casserole that feeds lots of people. I have taken it to new mothers a number of times, and always have gotten great reviews. It is easy to make and wonderful with a green salad and bread.

Ingredients
12-16 oz. spaghetti, cooked and drained
2-4 Tblsp. butter or margarine
1 Cup Parmesan cheese, divided
24 oz. Ricotta cheese
1 lb. ground beef
1 jar Pasta sauce
8 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese

Combine hot, cooked spaghetti with butter in 9 x 13 dish. Stir to melt butter.
Add 1/2 Cup Parmesan and stir to coat.
Spread Ricotta cheese over spaghetti. Sprinkle with 1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese.
Brown ground beef, drain, add Pasta sauce and cook until bubbly.
Spoon sauce over cheeses.
Top with Mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan.
Cover with non-stick foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes
Uncover and bake another 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Have you figured out yet that I love cheese?

Blessings,
Nancy

Chicken Stuffing Casserole ~ #3 of 3

Okay, it’s time for the third (and final) installment in the Chicken Stuffing recipe series. I call this one Tanya’s Chicken Stuffing because . . . you guessed it, I got the recipe from my friend Tanya. It is a bit of a cross between the first two recipes which you can find posted here (#1) and here (#2).

Like it’s sisters, this casserole is delicious and satisfying, and very easy to make – making it a winner in our house! Add a green salad or green vegetable and you’ve got dinner.

Ingredients
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6-8 slices Swiss cheese
2-4 cans Cream of Chicken soup
Pepperidge Farms herb seasoned stuffing (dry)
1 stick of butter

Place chicken breasts in 9 x 13 baking dish.
Lay cheese slices over all.
Spread cream soups over top -

Melt butter in medium microwaveable bowl.
Moisten stuffing in butter -

Here is what the stuffing bag looks like, in case you’re not familiar with it -

Sprinkle stuffing over the top of the casserole.
Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until chicken is cooked thoroughly -

(Sorry for the blur!)

Enjoy!

Blessings,
Nancy

Okra Fresh From the Garden

Our okra plants have really taken off this year. They have always been a good crop for us, but have done especially well this year. Maybe it’s that dose of fertilizer that Jeff gave them a little while back ~ or maybe it’s the “organic” fertilizer left by the two barn cats who, for awhile there, were using this garden plot as their litter box. No matter what the cause, these plants have gotten huge and are producing okra for cutting daily.

Here is what I do with them once cut. They usually gather on the kitchen counter for a few days until I get around to slicing them. Then I get out my cutting board and knife and start slicing.

Now, I only cook okra one way around here, and that’s fried ~ I do not care for the stringy mess that comes from the other ways of cooking it, but fried okra? – well, I grew up on that. Remember I do live in the South. So, during the summer, I keep a Ziploc freezer bag (gallon size) in my freezer, in which I have placed a mixture of corn meal and flour (no measuring here, just mix some together). As I slice the okra every few days or so, I place the slices in the freezer bag and shake it all up to coat it well.

I then place the bag back in the freezer until next time. As the bag fills up, I have ready-to-go okra waiting for me to fry up with a meal ~ especially good with fried chicken and mashed potatoes or corn on the cob (don’t ask me how our corn crop went this year ).

Blessings,
Nancy

Chicken Stuffing Casserole #2 of 3

Here is the 2nd installment in the Chicken Stuffing Casserole series ~ the first can be found here. Around my kitchen this second recipe is referred to as “Jeina’s Chicken Stuffing Casserole”, due to the fact that I received the recipe from my sister-in-law Jeina. I have had this recipe the longest of the three and have made it so many times that I can do it by memory – which is good because I seem to have misplaced the actual recipe card. I have made this for my family many times, but have also made it many times to take to families with new babies, etc. It is simple to make and satifying to eat. Here we go ~

Ingredients

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut up into small chunks
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 soup can milk
4 oz. sour cream (1/2 of a small tub)
pepper to taste
1 stick butter, melted
1 small package Pepperidge Farm Stuffing

Cook chicken breasts (I boil mine) and cut up into small chunks. I double this recipe for my family so this picture shows twice the amount of chicken you will need -

Mix together soups, milk, sour cream, chicken and pepper until well blended -

Melt butter in microwave -

Stir butter together with stuffing until moistened. I usually use the Herb Seasoned stuffing, but had the Cornbread stuffing on hand, so I tried it and it was really good, as well -

Place half of the stuffing mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish -

Pour chicken mixture over the stuffing in the dish –

Top with remaining stuffing mixture -

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes -

Uncover and bake 10 more minutes or until golden and bubbly -

I served this with green beans and Hawaiian rolls, yummy! -

And chocolate cake for dessert, double yummy! -

Enjoy!

I will post my third and final Chicken Stuffing Casserole recipe when I get around to making it again.

Blessings,
Nancy

Crockpot Barbecue Pulled Pork

Here is a wonderful easy dinner that is so perfect for these lazy, fun-filled days of summer. We had dinner about a month ago at my sister-in-law’s home and she served this for dinner. It was delicious, so, of course, I asked for the recipe. It turned out to be a recipe on the back of this McCormick seasoning packet -

A few weeks ago, pork loin went on sale, and so I decided to try cooking this myself. I bought two packets of seasoning and about 6 lbs. of pork loin to be sure that I had enough for our group. It turned out to be plenty with extras to eat on for lunch throughout the week (always love that!). I will give you the ingredients for a single recipe ~ you can double it on your own if you so choose -

Ingredients
1 pkg. McCormick Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning
3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder roast, well trimmed (I used pork loin and it was fine)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar

Place pork in slow cooker.
Mix seasoning, ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar until blended. Pour over pork.
Cover and cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH.

Remove pork from slow cooker.
Shred pork, using 2 forks.

Return pork to slow cooker; mix and heat with sauce before serving.

Couldn’t be easier! And it was kind of fun shredding the pork – it fell apart so easily.

There are also instructions on the packet for using this to make BBQ Spareribs, if you prefer.

Serve it up on hamburger buns with french fries and some cole slaw (wish I’d thought of that when we had it!) and you’ve got the perfect summer evening meal!

Blessings,
Nancy