Potato Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
5 cups diced potatoes
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cups water
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
3 cubes chicken bouillon
4 cups milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
In large pot boil potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and water. Boil about 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. DO NOT DRAIN.
In a separate large pot, melt butter, flour, chicken bouillon, milk, and cheese. Stir this mixture with a whisk the whole time it is cooking to keep it from getting lumpy or burned. Cook at medium heat to thicken. Add to other pot with potatoes and vegetables. Cook 10 more minutes.

Christmas eve Profiteroles

I'm totally just copying this post from my sister-in-law's blog. She served these on Christmas eve and they were so delicious. My husband who is usually not a big dessert eater had 3 of them. So I want to make sure I have this recipe easily at my fingertips because I will be making it again. Of course you can substitute the ice cream for any other flavor and serve any time of the year but the Farr's peppermint ice cream was delicious and very fitting for Christmas eve.

Step 1:

Cream Puffs

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.

Drop dough by 12 heaping tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degree for 30-35 minutes or till golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Step 2:

Fill Cream puffs with Farr Better Peppermint Stick Ice Cream

Step 3:
Drizzle with Hot Fudge Sauce. Recipe follows.

Hot Fudge Sauce

1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk

Bring the above ingredients to a boil and continue to boil for 7-8 minutes. Then remove from heat and add

1 tsp vanilla

Serve warm to hot.

Chocolate drizzled caramel popcorn

I found this recipe on My hombased mom last year. I instantly loved it because there was no messing with candy thermometers and no goopy caramel topping (although that kind of caramel popcorn is good too). Plus it turns out just right every time. It also reminds me of my first trip to New York City when I first tried chocolate drizzled caramel popcorn. I think this popcorn is just as good, if not better because I use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

Ingredients:
16 cups popped corn (I use my air popper)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Karo syrup
1/2 cup butter

Cook sugar, syrup and butter in a glass bowl in microwave on high for one minute. Stir and repeat for a total of five minutes. Should be hot and bubbly.

Add:
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Mix until foamy. Put popped corn into a brown grocery bag. Pour syrup into bag. Stir to coat. Fold bag over. Place in microwave and microwave for one minute and shake. Repeat. Microwave 30 seconds and shake. Repeat. (sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired and shake again--I never do this cause I like chocolate drizzle)

Pour popcorn out to cool on wax paper


Melt 1 cup ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips in the microwave--first for 1 minute and stir then for another 30 seconds and stir until there are no lumps. Then I take the chocolate and drizzle over the cooling caramel popcorn. I then place the pan into the refrigerator to let the chocolate set.

Gingerbread cookies

Photo courtesy of my 3 yr old : ) This is a delicous gingerbread recipe. Many years ago we used to make gingerbread houses and this was a great recipe to use for those as well.

Ingredients:
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
3 T cinnamon
1 1/8 tsp baking soda
1 cup shortening
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
1/3 cup water

Directions:
Sift together 1 cup flour, salt, spices, and soda into a bowl. In mixing bowl cream shortening, sugar, beat until light and fluffy. Add egg then slightly warmed molasses. Stir water into mixture. Stir in flour and spice mix gradually. Add remaining flour a cupful at a time just until dough is soft and moist to the touch. Chill dough 6-8 hours ( I chilled for maybe an hour and it was fine). Remove dough, roll out onto waxed paper until 1/8 inch thick. Cut into shapes and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Bake as dark as you can without burning (more important for crispy cookies or gingerbread houses I think--I wanted mine more soft so I just cooked for 8 min)

Royal Icing (for use for gingerbread house) Beat 2 egg whites, 1 tsp cream of tartar, 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar on high for 7-10 minutes. Put in a tightluy covered bowl or bowl covered with a wet cloth.

Peanut Butter cup cookies

Oh my, these cookies are soooo good! I saw these on Annie's Eats website and knew I had to try them right away. Imagine all my favorite things in one cookie--it was divine. I changed the recipe up just a little by using my sister-in-law's recipe for the cookie part and then used the idea of melted marshmallows topped with ganache and m&m's from Annie's Eats. Seriously, you must try these cookies.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
Reese's mini peanut butter cups
mini marshmallows
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp water
mini M&M's

Directions:
Combine white sugar, light brown sugar, and softened butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter, egg (room temp), and vanilla; blend for several minutes. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; fold in. Batter will be fairly loose. Chill for a couple hours (I didn't do this and my cookies were fine). Preheat oven to 350. Scoop 1/2"-1" balls into cup of mini muffin pan. Bake for 6-7 minutes or until edges turn brown. While cookies are baking make sure candy is unwrapped, easier to do if candy is cold. Remove pans from oven (cookie will be puffed). Firmly place buttercup into middle of each cookie. Edges should be even with or above candy. Top each cookie with 3-4 mini marshmallows. Return the pan to the oven and bake 2-3 minutes more, until the marshmallows have puffed up. Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool completely in the pan before removing them. (This is important! I tried removing them while still slightly warm – not a good idea.)

Once the cookies are completely cooled, transfer them to a wire rack over a sheet of wax paper or aluminum foil. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream, sugar and water to a boil, then pour the liquid over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Gently whisk the mixture together until smooth. Leave the glaze to sit until it thickens a bit to your desired consistency, then drizzle over the tops of the cookies. Sprinkle with mini M&Ms before the glaze hardens.

Refried Beans

First I'll apologize for the picture. I don't know how to make refried beans look good? I'm sure there is someone out there that could do it, but I don't have that skill. This is a very healthy version of refried beans and so easy to make. I made them in a crockpot but I just bought a pressure cooker and my sister says they are very good made in the pressure cooker and a lot faster. I will be trying them out for sure! This recipe is courteous of allrecipes.

Ingredients:
1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and
chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic 5 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black
pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
9 cups water

Directions:
1. Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
2. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

Chicken Feed aka Chex Mix

Ingredients:
1 box Cheerios
1 box wheat Chex
1 box Rice Chex
1 box Corn Chex
1 bag pretzels (straight)
2 lbs mixed nuts (we left this out : )

Melt together and pour over the above
1 lb butter
1 cup oil
2 T Worcestershire
2 tsp garlic salt

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients together. Stir in sauce. Bake in oven for 2 hours at 250 degrees. Stir every 15 minutes.