Cheesy Potato Soup

This is my most favorite soup! Add some french bread or rolls and your set! It's perfect with all these cold days we've been having! I usually double it or 1 1/2 it so we have leftovers! It's soooo yummy!

4 Cups Chicken Broth
2-3 medium potatoes, diced
1 Cup onions, chopped
2 large carrots, grated

Parboil that for 45 minutes in an open kettle.

White Sauce:
6 Tbsp. Butter
6 Tbsp. Flour
3-4 Cups Milk

Add white sauce to the veggie broth and add 3 Cups Monterey Jack or Colby Jack Cheese shredded at the very last. Let it all settle in together for at least 20 minutes.

Note: You might want to make it in a big stock pot so when you add your white sauce and cheese you have enough room :)

Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Stew

This is my first post to the kitchen, yeahhh! I made this today, and it is very yummy - just throw it all in the slow cooker and its ready in 8 hours. It is from WW so very low fat and calories.
This is also known as Tzimmes, a classic Jewish recipe.

2 Cups chopped onions
3 pound lean beef chuck shoulder, or brisket, or pot roast boneless, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large garlic cloves (I used 5-we like garlic)
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
1/2 pound baby carrots, cut in half if large
8 small uncooked new (i used small baby red) potatoes cut in half
16 prunes or dried apricots
4 TBS fresh lemon juice, divided (from 2 small lemons)
5 tsp honey, divided
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup beef broth or beef stock

Place onion, beef, garlic, sweet potatoes, carrots, new potatoes, prunes, 2 TBSP of lemon juice and 1 TBSP of honey in a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and broth: stir well.

Cook on low setting for 7 to 8 hours. About 5 minutes before serving, stir in 2 tsp honey and 2 TBSP lemon juice, cover and cook on low for 5 minutes.

For a thicker gravy, spoon 1 TBSP of flour into a cup and stir in 1/4 cup of the liquid from stew until it is lump free. Add the flour mixture to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes.

8 serving

Zucchini Bread = yum!

Zucchini Bread
+1 cup sugar
+1 cup brown sugar
+3 eggs, beaten
+1 cup oil
+2 cups zucchini, grated
+3 tablespoons vanilla
+1 teaspoons baking soda
+1 teaspoon baking powder
+1 teaspoon cinnamon
+3 cups flour
*optional - 1/2 cup chopped nuts or milk chocolate chips

Combine the sugars, oil and eggs. Beat well. Add the zucchini (I squeeze mine a bit to get some of the juice out) and the vanilla. sift the dry ingredients and stir into the creamed mixture.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes ... check with a toothpick before taking out of the oven.

makes: 2 large or 3 smaller loaves.

Cheesy Potato Spoon Bread

ingredients:
-4 cups mashed potatoes (leftovers and even instant work great)
-1 cup boining water
-1 cup flour
-3 Tablespoons butter
-1/2 teaspoon onion powder (garlic is fine too)
salt
-1/2 teaspoon white pepper (black works too, they don't taste that much different)
-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
-4 beaten eggs
Filling
-1/4 cup minced parsley (I use about 2 Tbsp. dry)
-10 ounces cream cheese
-6 ounces (3/4 cup) pepper jack cheese (any cheese is yummy)
Preheat oven 425 degrees
In a large bowl mix flour, butter, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Pour boing water over mixture for 1 minute. Add potatoes. Beat again. Add eggs. In seperate bowl, mix ingredients for the filling. Pour half of the potato mixture into a casserole dish (about 2 quart size or larger, I use a pyrex 2 quart covered baking dish but i don't use the lid, with this size I couldn't quite fit all the potato mixture in.) Make a well in the center and spoon in the cream cheese mixture. Pour the remaining potato mixture on top.
Bake for 1 hour
NOTE: Don't be fooled by the name Potato Spoon Bread its more like yummy mashed potatoes than bread.

Crash Hot Potatoes ..... I got this recipe off The Pioneer Woman and made them last night. They ARE as good as they look!!!

New Potatoes (or other small, round potato), Olive Oil, Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, and whatever herb you like. I used parsley
Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil.
Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make, and cook them until they’re fork-tender. I put mine in a steamer.
Next, generously drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan.
This will mean the difference between the potatoes sticking and not sticking, so don’t be shy here
When the potatoes are tender, place them on the cookie sheet……Giving them plenty of room to spread out.
Next, grab your potato masher and gently press down on the potato until it slightly mashes…
Then rotate the masher 90 degrees and finish flattening it. Of course, you don’t want to absolutely smash it into the pan—you want it almost to resemble a cookie.

Next, brush the tops rather generously with olive oil.
Next, grab some Kosher salt. I used sea salt. And be generous with fresh ground black pepper
Now, you can grab some chives…or thyme…or whatever herbs you have available and sprinkle over the top
Now throw them onto the top rack of a very hot (450-degree) oven, and cook them for 20-25 minutes…Or until they’re golden and crispy and sizzling.

Glazed Carrots and Peas

this is a yummy glaze to use with veggies! I'm pretty sure you could put it on about anything but I've only done it with carrots and peas :)

8 carrots, peel and cut 1/2 thick
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp butter
1 (10 oz) pack frozen peas
salt to taste

Cook carrots until tender, drain and add sugar, cornstarch, oj, and butter. Stir over low heat until thickened. Cook peas in a seperate pan (just like the package says) and drain and then add them to the carrots. Mix together and salt to taste :) This serves about 6 to 8 and both times I cooked it I doubled the recipe ... if you want more glaze you could double the glaze and not the veggies too! enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables

We love this yummy and simple way to make vegetables delicious.

4 plum tomatoes
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small yellow squash, diced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves fresh garlic, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil leaves
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and toss to mix. (If I make ahead, I put it in a gallon Ziploc bag)

Spread vegetables evenly on the baking sheet and bake or roast for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally or until onion is tender and vegetables begin to caramelize. Serves 4-6.

Marvelous Mashed Potatoes!

This is a really yummy recipe for mashed potatoes! You can make them the day before you eat them or the day of :)

5 pounds potatoes, cooked and mashed (about 12 or 13 regular sized potatoes)
1 8oz pack cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. garlic salt
pepper to taste

Combine mashed potatoes with all ingredients and mix together well. Place in a large casserole dish. (if you're making them the day before put it in the fridge at this point) otherwise ... cover and bake at 325 for 45 minutes. (if you just pulled them out of the fridge, let them stand for about 30 minutes at room temperature first then bake.) This makes about 8 servings :) Enjoy!

Harvest Soup

6-8 diced potatoes
diced carrotts
broccoli
cauliflour
celery
1/2 chopped onion
boil til tender

drain, keep 6 cups water and add 3 chicken boulions.
melt 1/2 cup butter, mix 1/2 cup flour til creamy, add to hot water.
put back in big pot add veggies and 8 oz velveda cheese. yummy, you can really add any veggies you want to this soup, zucchini is really good in it.

Cindy's Veggie Soup (this soup is worth 0 points!)

2/3 C sliced carrot 1/2 C diced onion 2 garlic cloves, minced 3C broth 1-1/2 C diced green cabbage 1/2 C green beans 1 Tbsp tomato paste 1/2 t. dried basil 1/4 t. dried oregano 1/4 t. salt 1/2 C diced zucchini in large saucepan, sprayed with non stick spray, saute carrot, onion and garlic over low, about 5 min add broth, cabbage, beans, tomato paste, basil, oregano, salt, bring to boil. lower heat and simmer about 15 min. stir in zucchini, heat 3/4 min. serve hot