Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup

A thick, hearty soup that is not only incredibly delicious, but insanely easy to throw together. I adore anything that you can throw into your slow cooker without a second thought, and this recipe is definitely one of them. Not to mention the super yummy end results!

Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup

2 (32 oz.) bags cubed hash browns
2 quarts chicken broth
2 cups water
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 small onion, chopped
pepper to taste
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened***
toppings: bacon, cheese, green onion, steamed broccoli

  In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, broth, water, soup, onion, and pepper. Cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before serving, stir in cream cheese,  stirring occasionally, until combined. Garnish with toppings of your choice. Makes 10-12 servings

***Do not use fat free cream cheese. Regular cream cheese or low fat work well, but the fat free cream cheese does not melt, and ends up giving your soup an odd texture.

Pantry Salsa #2

This version of the recipe came about when I accidentally ended up with several cases of cans of "medium" heat diced tomatoes and green chilies. It was way too spicy for me to use the whole can, and my kids refused to eat it, so instead I figured out how to use it with my other recipe with just a few modifications. To make things easy, I divide up the entire can of tomatoes and chilies into 1/4 cup portions and freeze them in baggies so I can just pull one out to make salsa anytime, and that way I'm able to actually make use of the numerous cans of spicy tomatoes and chilies in my food storage.

Pantry Salsa #2

2 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup 'Medium' or 'Hot' Ro-Tel, undrained
1 TBSP. dried minced onion (or 2 TBSP. diced fresh onion)
1 tsp. minced garlic (in the jar)
1 TBSP. lime juice or lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
1 TBSP. dried cilantro (or 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped)

Throw everything into food processor bowl. Pulse lightly until well mixed and slightly chunky, but not pureed. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve. Makes about 4 cups. 

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars

I love making bar cookies because sometimes I don't have the time or patience to bake 4-5 sheets of cookies. With a bar cookie, all you do is mix the batter, spread it in the pan, bake it, cool it and cut into bars and serve.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars

2 1/8 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup butter, melted, slightly cooled

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chip

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position. Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with foil, letting the excess hang over the edges of the pan by about 1 inch so you can grab those edges and pull the brownies from the pan after they have baked. Spray the foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula. Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 24-28 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil overhang and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Makes 18 bars.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

For me, the little pieces of potato are what make this soup so awesome. I don;t know why, but it just does. I love making this soup any time of year, especially on bread baking days, because nothing is more delicious with a bowl of homemade soup than slices of homemade bread to go along with it.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

2 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on
1 TBSP. salt
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
3 TBSP. chicken bouillon granules
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
pepper to taste
8 oz. medium or wide egg noodles***

Place the  chicken in a large Dutch oven or stock pot and cover with water. Add salt. Bring to a boil, making sure to skim off the foam and the fat. Add the onion and bring to a boil again. Reduce to a active simmer, cover and let cook for 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the soup and set on a plate in the fridge for a minute to help it cool a bit. Add carrots, potatoes, celery, bouillon granules, thyme, bay leaf and pepper to the soup pot. Add enough water to bring the soup up to about 5 1/2 - 6 quarts. Bring back to a boil. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken, dice the meat and add it to the soup pot. Let it actively simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes. Add the egg noodles and cook until the noodles are done, (about 7-9 minutes). Adjust seasonings to taste. Makes about 5-6 quarts of soup.

***You can substitute 2 bags of frozen cheese tortellini for the noodles for a fun change of pace. Just add them instead of the noodles, cooking to package directions. Serve each bowl with a a sprinkle of freshly shredded Parmesan on top.

*note* This soup freezes well, but if you're going to freeze the entire batch, I suggest making the soup up until you add the noodles, divide into freezer containers and freeze. Once thawed, heat to boiling in soup pot, then add the uncooked egg noodles and proceed to cook them as directed, serve and enjoy. This keeps the noodles from overcooking once you cook them, freeze them, then re-heat them again. But if you're just going to freeze the soup in individual servings, it's ok to have the cooked noodles already in there.

Matzo Ball Soup

I was surprised at how easy this was to make, not to mention just how much I loved the matzo balls. I've never been much of a dumpling fan in soups, but these were different, in the yummiest way possible. I'm totally sold on Matzo Ball soup, and I will be making this often!

Matzo Ball Soup

  Matzo Balls:
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup selzter or club soda
3 TBSP. vegetable oil or reserved chicken fat
2 TBSP. chopped fresh parsley
1 cup matzo meal
1 tsp. salt
1/8-1/4 tsp. black pepper
 Soup:
1-2 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on
1 TBSP. salt
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
1 tbsp. chicken bouillon granules
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf


Place chicken in a large Dutch Oven/soup pot and cover with water. Add the salt. Bring to a boil, making sure to skim the foam and fat. Add the onion. Let boil, covered, for about 30 minutes.
 Meanwhile, combine the Matzo Ball ingredients together in a large bowl. whisk them together, mixing well. Cover and chill for 30 minutes - 1 hour.
 Remove the cooked chicken from the soup to a plate and set in fridge to help cool down. Skim out any other pieces fat or foam. Add the carrots, celery, bouillon granules, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and chop the chicken up into bite size pieces. Add them to the soup.
 Take matzo ball mixture from the fridge. Moisten your hands with water and scoop out dough and lightly roll into 1-inch balls. Drop each ball into the soup as you make them, until you have no dough left. Reduce the heat to a medium simmer. Cover your pot with a lid, and let the Matzo Balls cook for 30-40 minutes, undisturbed. Do not lift the lid during cooking time if you can help it! When done, ladle two Matzo Balls and some soup into each bowl and enjoy! Makes about 20-24 Matzo Balls and 4-6 quarts of soup.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

I love making my own seasoning mixes, and this one does not disapoint.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

1/2 cup chili powder
1/4 cup onion powder
1/8 cup ground cumin
1 TBSP. garlic powder
1 TBSP. paprika
1 TBSP. sea salt

Put all ingredients into a jar cover and shake. Store in a cool dry place.

***To Use***- 3 TBSP. of Taco Seasoning Mix = 1 (4 oz.) packet

Homemade Ranch Dressing #2

Another recipe for homemade Ranch dressing, because one is never enough:)

Homemade Ranch Dressing #2

1 1/3 cups low-fat buttermilk

2/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise

2/3 cup low-fat sour cream

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. dried dill

1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. salt

1/8-1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk to mix thoroughly. Chill for several hours to let flavors blend.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

I remember my Mom making these for us when I was little, so I was excited to come across this recipe recently on Mel's Kitchen Cafe. It really is easy, and delicious, and I like being able to add more whole grains to our diets tucked neatly into a yummy pancake! *note* this recipe only works with whole wheat kernels, do not try and substitute whole wheat flour, it won't work. But you can use any whole wheat kernel you prefer, Hard White, Soft White, Hard Red, Kamut etc. Also, I have subbed oil for the melted butter, and ***milk/vinegar mixture for the buttermilk, and both substitutions work equally as well as the original ingredients.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

1 cup wheat berries/kernels
1 cup buttermilk***
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 tsp. sugar
1 TBSP. baking powder
5 TBSP. butter, melted
3/4 tsp. salt

 Combine the wheat berries/kernels and the buttermilk in a blender and blend on high for 3 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and thick. Add the 1/2 cup milk and continue to blend for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until the batter is smooth. Cook the batter on a hot griddle for pancakes or in a waffle iron for, well, waffles!

***Buttermilk Substitute- Pour 1 TBSP. vinegar or lemon juice into a measuring cup. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the 1 cup line. Let sit for 5 minutes. Use in your recipe as needed.

Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets

My kids love oatmeal for breakfast, and they especially love those packets of instant oatmeal even better. But the packets are so small that they often wind up using two of them, which doesn't end up being an economical meal option after a while. So I found a tutorial on how to make my own packets and went from there, and this recipe is the end result. One batch will fit in a #10 can and I have the cooking instructions written on the lid so my kids can easily make this themselves in the mornings. They love eating it, and I love how inexpensive this is to make. Win-Win!

Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets

10 cups quick cooking oats, divided
2 tsp. salt
1 cup non-dairy creamer 'or'
2 1/2 cups instant non-fat powdered milk
1-2 cups brown sugar (I use 1 1/4 cups)

Place 7 cups oats, salt, and creamer in a large bowl. In a food processor or blender, place the remaining 3 cups of oats and the brown sugar and pulse/blend until the oats are like flour and the sugar is mixed in. Pour the oat flour/brown sugar mixture into the oats in the bowl and mix well. Pour mixture into a large airtight container and attach the instructions for preparation, or divide the mixture into individual baggies in 1/2 cup increments. Store in a cool dry place.

**To Use** Pour 1/2 cup oat mixture into a bowl. Add 3/4 cup water and stir. Cook in mircowave for 1-2 minutes until done. Stir and let cool for a few minutes. Top as desired and enjoy.

**Add-Ins** You can easily add your favorite freeze dried fruit to your oatmeal, just add it in before cooking either in your bowl once you add the water, or you can add it to each individual baggie for even quicker morning prep. For every 1/2 cup of oat mixture or baggie of oat mixture  add 1/4 cup freeze dried fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, peaches, raspberries, bananas, pineapple etc. You can also add 2 tbsp. mini chocolate chips. If you prefer fresh fruit, just add your fresh fruit of choice to your oatmeal after cooking.

Raspberry Blondies

For easier cutting, cover and refrigerate blondies for at least 1 hour before slicing into bars.

Raspberry Blondies

1 cup all-purpose flour 
1 tsp. baking powder 
1/2 tsp. salt 
8 TBSP. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 cup packed light brown sugar 
1 large egg 
1 tsp. vanilla extract 
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds, pecans or mixture of nuts 
1 cup fresh raspberries
  
Preheat oven to 350º F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with heavy-duty foil, leaving at least a 1-inch overhang on all sides. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in brown sugar until moistened. Let cool slightly. Off heat, whisk in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in nuts. Scrape batter into baking pan, smoothing top with a spatula. Scatter berries over batter. Bake until blondies are set in center, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Grasping overhanging foil on opposite sides of pan, lift out blondies and place on cutting board. Cut into 16 squares and serve.