Loaded Potato Soup

Loaded Potato Soup

I got this recipe from my friend Christi Gibson.  I have been looking for a Potato soup recipe for years that resembled O'Charley's recipe because that is my FAVORITE!!!!  I revised it a little, because I didn't have certain things on hand, but gave you guys the true recipe. It is out of this world GOOD and hits the spot on those cold rainy sick days!  Hope you all enjoy!

3 lbs red potatoes, peeled and diced

1/4 cup butter melted

1/4 cup flour

8 cups half and half

1 16 oz package of Velveeta cheese (diced up)

white pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

1 tsp hot pepper sauce

bacon cooked crisp

shredded cheddar cheese

chopped fresh chives

a sprinkle of parsley (optional, and the original recipe called for fresh parsley, I used dired)

(I think I salted to taste also)

Cook the diced potatoes for around 10 minutes or until about 3/4 way done.  In a seperate large pot combine the melted butter and flour and mix until smooth.  Then place over low heat and gradually stir in the half and half.  Continue to stir until smooth and the liquid begins to thicken (I used the Silicone Sauce Whisk from Pampered Chef)  http://www.pamperedchef.biz/tonyabeasley?page=products-detail&categoryId=123&itemId=2481&productId=13823

It works great with stuff like this!

I also bumped up the heat a little so I could get the sauce to thicken.  Now add in your Velveeta cheese cubes and stir until all melted together.  Head back over to your pototoes and drain them, then add to your soup sauce.  Stir in your pepper, garlic powder, hot sauce and salt here tasting after adding to make sure your soup is spot on to your liking!

Cover and cook over low hear for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

When ready to serve, have your bacon crumbled in a bowl, shredded cheddar cheese and chopped chives all ready to add in!

~Now, sit back, relax and enjoy~

Home Made Macaroni and Cheese

Home Made Macaroni and Cheese

I stole this recipe from Paula Deen and then changed it just a tad bit to fit me!

2 Cups uncooked elbow macaroni

4 Tablespoons butter

2 1/2 cups grated Cheddar Cheese (She used Sharp..but I used both sharp and mild)

3 Eggs beaten

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1 (10 3/4 oz) Can condensed Cheddar cheese soup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

and more cheese for the top

Boil the macaroni in water until tender...and drain.  In a saucepan mix the butter and cheese and stir until the cheese melts.  In a separate bowl combine the eggs, sour cream, soup, milk, mustard, salt and pepper and stir well.  Then add in the butter/cheese mixture.  Then add the drained macaroni and stir again.  Place in a oven safe pan (8x10) and put more shredded cheese on top.  Cook at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until nice and bubbly on top with a nice browning.

Paula Deen puts hers in a crock pot and cooks it for 3 hours on a low setting...I'm not that patient so I gave you the quick version.

Shrimp & Pasta in Foil

SHRIMP & PASTA IN FOIL

This recipe is courtesy of the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.  I came upon her website around a year ago and fell in love!  She makes some incredible dishes and this is one of them!  If you haven't checked her out you need too!!!  Her website is:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/

The only thing I changed from her original recipe is that I added Parmesan cheese in the tomato sauce and again at the end on top of the dish! 

1/2 cup Olive Oil

4 Cloves of garlic (minced)

3- 14.5 oz Cans Diced Tomatoes (I used the fire roasted can tomatoes)

1/2 cup White Wine (you can substitute chicken broth)

2 Lbs of Jumbo or Large Shrimp peeled and deveined (I like getting the raw frozen peeled)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Fresh Parsley, chopped

1 Lb of Linguine (uncooked)

Red Pepper Flakes to taste (if you like it with a kick...I omit this ingredient)

Parmesan cheese 

1 Lemon

Okay, here we go:
Take out a large pot and fill it with water. Add some Olive Oil and garlic salt.  Cook the pasta for 1/2 the recommended cooking time (the recommended cooking time will be on the back of the box the pasta came in).  The pasta should not be all the way done.  I think I cooked mine around 7 minutes.

Now take your large skillet and heat 1/2 cup Olive oil over medium heat then add the garlic and saute for a minute. 

 *If you're like me and hate chopping garlic you can always get a Garlic Press..the one I use is from Pampered Chef (shocking I know)....here's the link:

http://www.pamperedchef.biz/tonyabeasley?page=products-detail&categoryId=123&itemId=2576&productId=26463

Dump in the tomatoes, wine (or chicken broth), and Parmesan cheese.  Stir the mixture together and season it with salt and pepper (and pepper flakes if you desire) and let it cook for around ten minutes. Make sure to taste, taste, taste to make sure you get your seasonings right!!

Meanwhile, prepare a huge piece of aluminum foil.  It should be large enough to hold the entire pasta dish (which is huge btw)  I use three long sheets of aluminum foil over a cookie sheet.  I layer them so the juices won't run everywhere. 

Take the shrimp and throw them on top of the pasta sauce.  Then throw the drained pasta  on top. Then  take everything and pour the it onto the foil.  Sprinkle some more Parmesan cheese over the top and then sprinkle the chopped parsley over the entire dish.  Tightly wrap the foil into a nice little (big) package.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Open the foil right before serving and drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over the top then squeeze lemon over the dish!

Meat Loaf Balls

MEAT LOAF BALLS

I have combined a few recipes to get to my desired liking of these meat loaf balls.  Instead of a classic loaf I decided a while back to make them into gigantic meatballs.  Jesse has some kind of phobia against meat loaf so my plan was to make him think it was meatballs.  Seemed to work and the Red's eat them up! 

1 lb Ground Beef

1 1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1/2 cup Chopped Onion

1/2 cup Chopped Bell Pepper

1 egg

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

1/3 cup Ketchup

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Mustard

(if you are a fan of tomatoes you can also add 1/2 can of petite diced tomatoes)

Topping:
 1/2 cup Ketchup
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Pull out your muffin tin and spray it will cooking oil spray.  Mix up all your meat loaf ball ingredients and start rolling them into big balls.  Place a ball in each opening of the muffin pan.  Then mix up your topping ingredients and yes I know that they are listed twice...just trust me!  Then spoon the topping over each meat loaf ball.
Cook for 35-40 minutes (depending on the size of your balls....yes snicker if you must)!  I like mine a little crispy on the outside so I usually lean more toward the 40 min mark.  But if you rolled out smaller balls just keep an eye on them...you don't want them to burn.....*snicker*.....

I made a side of mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli to accompany my lovely meat loaf balls....but you can add any side you'd like!  Hope you all enjoy, and as always feedback is welcomed.....um..encouraged even : )

 

Banana Bread

BANANA BREAD

Courtesy of my sweet cooking MOMMA!  Love her so much and love her food....hence the reason I gain 5 lbs every time I go home!

I grew up on this bread and it is my most favorite!  Hope you all enjoy!

1 1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup softened Butter

2 cups Plain Flour

2 Eggs

4 Tbsp Buttermilk

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

3 ripe Bananas

1/2 cup chopped Pecans

2 tsp Vanilla

Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.  Add eggs and milk...then add the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Add bananas, vanilla, and pecans.  Pour into a greased and floured loaf or tube pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for around 50 minutes (start checking on it around 40 mins though). 

For those of you who are new to cooking and have no clue what a greased floured pan is....then here you go:  A greased floured pan is one that you take butter or Crisco and grease it all up on the inside (and yes your hands get really messy....but great moisturizer...jk)....or you can put the butter or Crisco on with a paper towel...my method of choice.  Then you put a couple of tablespoons of flour in and swirl it all around getting every nook and cranny of that pan covered in flour..TADA!

If you make this leave me some feed back and let me know what you think!

Chicken and Dumplings

 *NOTE*  I am not the measuring kind of cook....especially if it is a recipe that I just know, or have don't have a recipe for...so I apologize beforehand for the lack of directions in the recipe! 



CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

1 Whole Chicken (any size)

1 stick of butter

1 can of cream of chicken

Salt & Pepper galore

Dumplings:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup ice water

To begin: break out your large stock pot and place the chicken in it (I like to rinse my chicken off first and make sure to pull the innards out of the chicken).  Cover the chicken with water in the pot.  Now sprinkle a generous amount of salt in the water (you can't over salt here...this is for making the chicken broth so be generous...if you want to play it cautious then you can always add salt to taste later).  Now add your pepper...again be generous but not as generous as the salt.  Don't you wish I measured things!  Now throw in your stick of butter....don't hesitate...just do it!

Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a boil.  Once boiling turn the heat down to medium low and place the lid on.  Boil on low for a good hour to hour 1/2.

When you are getting close to the chicken being done turn your attention to the dumplings. 

Just an FYI here:  I usually make two batches of the dumplings to make things thick.  That's the way we Richardson's like to eat around here!  So if you're like us and want thicker Chicken & Dumplings then you will want to make 2 batches as well....or double the recipe.

Mix the flour with the salt and mound together in a bowl.  Beginning at the center of the mound drizzle a small amount of the ice water over the flour.  Using your fingers and moving from the center to the sides of the bowl, gradually incorporate about 3/4 cup of ice water.  Knead the dough and form it into a ball.

Dust a good amount of flour onto a clean work place and roll out the dough...it will be very firm. (Make sure to flour your rolling pin as well). Work on it from the center out until you have it around 1/8 inch thick.  Then let the dough relax a bit.

Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces....I use my pizza cutter for this and just cut stripes and then cut them into the desired length.
(If you don't want to do this, you can always buy the frozen dumplings in the frozen bread section of the super market)

Now back to the chicken:  Pull the chicken from the pot and place in a pan to cool......you will let it cool for a while because you need to de-bone it.

Turn your heat back to medium heat and get a nice rolling boil.  Drop in dumplings one at a time stirring occasionally to make sure those bad boys aren't sticking.

When you have all the dumplings in reduce heat to medium and let cook for about 20-30 minutes, again stirring occasionally.

 Head over to your chicken.  Hopefully it's had time to cool....if not be careful and don't burn yourself.  De-bone and de-skin your chicken and pull apart the meat into bite size pieces.  After the dumplings have cooked dump in your can of Cream of Chicken and also dump in your chicken pieces.  Stir until the Cream of Chicken is well incorporated.

Now make some cornbread and enjoy!

Taco Soup

This recipe is so simple and delicious!  Really warms you up on a cold snowy day.  I was given this recipe by a friend of mine in Alabama.  It's a must try...trust me!

TACO SOUP

1 lb of ground beef

1 medium-large onion diced

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 pkg ranch dressing

1 can rotel

1 can diced tomatoes w/chilis

1 can whole corn

1 can creamed corn

1 can light red kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

Brown your ground beef and onion together until meat is cooked through. I like to put my taco seasoning in at this point and sometimes I use a 1/2 of another package just to give it a little more kick.....your call.  Open all your cans and dump....see how simple!  I like to rinse my beans before I dump them...but that's just me.  Dump in the ranch dressing package, and again I like to use a little more than what is called for.  Cook until warmed through.  Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and fritos!   Super simple, super yummy!

Chicken Parmesan...Sarge Style

I found this recipe while watching Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network one day and thought it looked yummy!  Only problem was that I didn't have all the ingredients on hand so I improvised!  I always have plenty of chicken, pasta and spaghetti sauce on hand!  So here you have it...Chicken Parmesan:

Chicken Parmesan

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup Italian style dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

butter

olive oil

Place the chicken breast between saran wrap or wax paper and pound until about 1/4" thick. 

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a plate.  On another plate combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Beat the 2 eggs together and leave in the bowl. 

Coat the chicken on both sides with the flour mixture then dip both sides into the egg mixture....then head over to the breadcrumbs and dredge both sides through that.

Heat 1 Tbsp of butter and 1 Tbsp of olive oil in  a large saute pan and cook chicken breasts on medium low heat for about 3 minutes per side or until cooked through (make sure your pan is hot before placing the chicken in there).  Add more oil and butter before cooking the other pieces of chicken.

I serve this over Linguine noodles and heated marinara sauce with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Hope you all enjoy...leave a comment below and tell me whether you liked it or not!

Pecan Pie

This recipe is one of my favorites. I love Pecan Pie, but sometimes they can be a little too sweet. This recipe seems to have the perfect combination...making it deadly! PECAN PIE

Courtesy of my late Aunt Louise Cooper

1 cup of pecans

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup karo syrup

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick of butter

Melt butter and mix with the sugar.  Add the eggs and mix well.  Add the syrup and vanilla and mix well again.  Put pecans in an unbaked piecrust.  Then pour the mixture over the pecans and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or unitl mixture seems firm.

Sit back , unbutton your pants and enjoy!

Chili

I was introduced to this fabulous Chili recipe a few years ago by a dear friend!  Original recipe courtesty of Heather O'Connor/tweaked by the Sarge

CHILI

1 onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic diced

1/2 green bell pepper chopped

1/2 cup chili powder

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 can (28 oz) petite diced tomatoes

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

1/8 tsp Cayenne red pepper

1 Tbsp beef granules

1/2 tsp salt

1 can dark red kidney beans

1 can light red kidney beans

1/4 cup ketchup

1/8 cup barbecue sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's)

Grab a large pot and throw in the ground beef. Add the chopped onions, chopped green peppers, diced garlic, and chili powder and cook all together *side note...this is where I use one of "my favorite things"  The Mix and Chop from Pampered Chef: http://www.pamperedchef.biz/tonyabeasley?page=products-detail&categoryId=96&productId=15658&itemId=2583&parentCategoryId=8 *okay...back to the recipe...

Cook until the meat is browned and everything else is sauteed!  Add in your tomatoes, tomato sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, red pepper, beef granules, and salt.  Stir all together and cover.

Now turn your attention to your two cans of kidney beans (when I double the recipe I only add one more can of beans and it is usually chili beans in mild sauce).  Open the two cans and drain, then give them a nice rinse under some water.....drain and then dump the beans into the Chili!

Cook everything till heated trough....then EAT!

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and some Frito's!