Creamy Baked Potato Soup

With the temperatures dropping, a good hearty bowl of soup is whats called for. My Creamy Potato Soup is just whats in order! If you want it thick and chunky, no need for the blender. In my family though, it needs to come out smooth as silk.

This serves about 4. My rule of thumb is one large potato per person. If you have only small or medium potatoes add extra to the pot.

4-6 Potatoes, peeled and diced

Chicken Broth to cover potatoes

Fresh Nutmeg, about 10 grates ( or 1/4 tsp ground)

1 Garlic Clove, minced

2 cup Milk or Half and Half

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Cheddar, shredded

Bacon Bits

Sour Cream

Chives or Parsley (optional)

1) In large saucepan, bring potatoes, broth, nutmeg and garlic to boil and cook until tender, remove from heat. 

2) Place about half the mixture in a blender with milk and Parmesan, blend to a creamy mixture.  Return to pot and reheat til just starting to form bubbles.

3) Spoon into serving bowls and top with shredded cheese, bacon, sour cream and chives. Enjoy!

Confetti Brown Rice

Last summer I had to go through surgery and was then able to get my iron levels back up to where the doctors were comfortable. My body rejected any vitamins in pill and liquid forms so I had to figure out how to ingest more iron through my meals. Spinach became my very best friend during this time. I put spinach in EVERYTHING! Confetti Rice is a dish I created to help get myself both energy and extra iron.

This makes about 4-6 servings.

1 cup Instant Brown Rice
1 Carrot, peeled and diced
1 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Garlic, minced
1 tsp Parsley, dried
1 cup Baby Spinach, chopped

1) Cook rice according to package.

2) Meanwhile, melt butter with oil in small saucepan. Add carrots and saute until carrots are crisp-tender  about 8-10 minutes, then add the garlic and parsley and saute another 2 minutes.

3) When rice is done, add the spinach and fluff with fork, replace lid and let sit 5 minutes. Add the carrot mixture and stir.

This goes great with my Chicken Adobo!

Chicken Adobo

I always like to try out new things in the kitchen. I can sit for hours in front of the television watching the Food Network or the Cooking Channel. Unfortunately, most of the ingredients asked for are unheard of out here. Its bad enough I drive 41 miles (one way) to get to the grocery store, but then I cant find the things I need. So, I have to learn to adapt.

I picked this recipe up with Giada De Laurentiis a while back and had to give up on making it her way. So, instead we have the West Texas version of a Philippian dish that really makes your mouth water as its bubbling away!

Looks yummy doesn't it? In the picture I have it being served with my own Confetti Rice. They make a great pairing.

1 cup White Wine Vinegar

1 cup Soy

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

4 cloves Garlic, crushed

2 Bay leaves

2 tsp crushed Red Pepper (more or less depending on taste)

6-12 Chicken Legs

2 cup Chicken Broth (enough to partially cover the chicken in its pot)

3-10 Limes Depends on the size as well as how tangy you want it)

3 tbsp Corn Starch

1 tbsp Water

Parsley or Cilantro, chopped

1) In large bowl whisk together vinegar, soy, sugar, garlic, bay leaves and red pepper. Pour over chicken, cover and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours to marinate.

2) Pour chicken with its marinade and chicken broth to almost cover the chicken, into dutch oven or large pot and place over medium heat for about 50 minutes (it took almost and hour and half since I live up on a mountain), until meat just begins to fall off bone. Remove chicken to platter. 

3) Raise heat on sauce to medium-high. Squeeze in the juice of limes, tasting as you go, then stir well. 

4) In small bowl combine the corn starch and water, add to sauce and whisk to incorporate. 

5) Continue cooking until sauce thickens, about another 5 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley or cilantro.

Salisbury Steak

I remember growing up and having T.V. Dinners placed in front of me for dinner. My favorite was always Salisbury Steak. All that gooey gravy the steak would float in, the crisp green peas and of course the mashed potatoes. Yum. In later years Better varieties of the classics began to appear on the freezer shelves, but I always stuck to my guns when it came to Salisbury Steak.

So now I have come up with my own version of this classic oldie... thanks in part to Rachael Ray of the Food Network. It's pretty simple and even the pickiest man who eats only "Meat & Potatoes" will love it!

This serves 4

1 Egg, beaten

1/2 Carrot, shredded fine

3 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

3 tbsp Parsley, dried or 1/4 cup fresh, chopped

1 tsp Celery Salt

1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper (or to taste)

1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

2 tbsp Onion, grated

2 tbsp Garlic, grated

1/4 cup Unsalted Saltine Crackers, crushed fine

1 lb Ground Beef

1) In large bowl, mix together egg, carrot and Worcestershire sauce. Add in parsley, red and black pepper,  and celery salt, stir. Drop in meat then the garlic, onion and crackers.

2) Divide meat mixture into 4 loaves and form each into ovals. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes on the lower rack. Move rack and sheet to upper level to finish baking. 

Serves well with Lemony Green Beans and Smashed Potatoes!

Surprise! It's Carrot Cupcakes!

Now I know this isn't a big favorite of most peoples... not even mine. I'm more of the deep rich chocolate variety. And since I'm sooo NOT the baker in the house, I didn't want to attempt to "bake" a cake. But I've learned how to make muffins pretty darn well using our Toaster oven... without them coming out hardened, blackened or just plain hollow.

But, these little beauties have a secret surprise hidden in them. I used both chopped walnuts and white chocolate chips inside these wonderfully sinful cupcakes!

1 box Carrot Cake Mix

3 Eggs, beaten

1 Carrot, shredded fine

2/3 cup Oil

1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1 cup Water

Walnuts, chopped

White Chocolate Chips
1 can Cream Cheese Frosting

1) In large bowl, mix eggs, carrot and oil. Add cake mix, cinnamon and nut meg, mix well. Add water and blend until smooth.

2) Generously spray muffin tin with Butter Flavor Spray.  Place oven temp to 350. (325 if using a toaster oven)

3) Place 1 tbs of cake mix in bottom of all muffin tins. 

Then add a sprinkling of nuts and chips (use as many as you personally like). Top off with cake mix to make it 2/3 full.

4) Bake at 350 for half the time as stated on cake mix box. Rotate muffin tins and finish baking.

5) Let cool about 10 minutes then remove from tins and finish cooling completely before adding the frosting.

Capalini al Forno ala West Texas

This is a dish I found while watching Giada De Laurentiis. This was one of her old family recipes that her mother had written and passed down. Well, living where I do, finding the right ingredients is down right impossible. So we had to tweak things just a bit to get them to turn out right. But it came out rather well with very little left overs! Serves 6-8.

16oz Angel Hair Pasta, uncooked

4 Tbsp Butter

1 cup Parmesan, grated

1/4 cup fresh Baby Spinach, chopped

1/4 cup fresh Parsley, chopped

3 Eggs, beaten

1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

1/2Lb Bacon, Thick Cut, chopped, lightly fried (just until its about half way to crisp)

Crushed Red Peppers

1 cup Mozzarella, shredded

Olive Oil

1) Preheat oven to 350.

2) Cook pasta to package directions, drain in colander. Place butter in hot pot and return pasta. Add cheese, parsley, spinach and eggs, mix well.

3) Spray generously a spring form pan or a casserole pan. 

4) Sprinkle bottom with bread crumbs to form a bottom crust. Then layer Pasta mix, bacon and mozzarella and repeat starting with the bread crumbs until you come to the top of the pan. Finish off with bread crumbs, parmesan and parsely. Drizzle oil over top.

5) Bake for about 50 minutes until nice and golden. Let side for 15 minutes before removing from pan and cutting. If using a casserole, leave in pan when cutting.