Friday, February 10, 2012

Baked Potato Soup


I seriously love this soup. It is SOOooo yummy. Your kids will gobble it up. I make it when it's 3 or 4 in the afternoon I don't have any meat thawed for supper and I don't know what to make for dinner! Just throw some potatoes in the oven and the rest of the ingredients are what I usually have in the fridge. With a salad or fresh veggies on the side and you have a great meal.

Baked Potato Soup

3/4 cup butter
3/4 sup chopped onion
3/4 cup flour
2 (1 L) boxes of chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk
8 baked potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp basil
shredded cheddar cheese
chopped green onions
1pkg (about) crumbled, cooked bacon (i sometimes just used the packaged bacon from costco)
sour cream (optional)

Melt butter, fry onions until clear and add flour and mix till thickened. Over heat, add chicken broth slowly until smooth and creamy. Slowly add evaporated milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/2 tsp basil, it gives really good flavour). Scoop out 3 - 4 potatoes and mash. Then add to the cream broth mixture. (I took my Braun hand blender and whipped it up to smooth out the potatoes.) Take the rest of the potatoes and remove skins (I left some of the skin on.) Chop into large chunks and add to the soup.

To Serve: Place a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, bacon bits and green onion on top of each serving.

Serves about 10-12 people.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

 oreo-cupcakes.jpgChocolate Oreo Cupcakes

1 pkg    chocolate cake mix
1 pkg    instant chocolate pudding mix (4 serving box)
1 cup    sour cream
1 cup    veg. oil
1 tsp     vanilla
4          eggs
1/2 cup  warm water
2 cups   oreo's finely chopped (about 24 cookies)

Preheat over to 350 and line muffin tins.
In a large bowl mix together cake mix, pudding mix (in powder form), sour cream, oil, vanilla, eggs and water. 
(Do not over mix batter as it will make the batter turn to pudding). 
Gently stir in oreos and divide batter into muffin cups. 
Bake for 20 minutes or till top is springy to touch. Cool completely.

Cookies and Cream Frosting

1 stick   butter (1/2 cup)
8 oz      cream cheese (room temperature)
3 cups   powdered sugar
12         oreos finely chopped
1 tsp     vanilla
pinch     salt

Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy (2-3 minutes).
Slowly add sugar 1 cup at a time, then add salt and vanilla.
Gently stir in oreos. Do not over stir. 

ENJOY!
I recently had these at a Super Bowl party and they were FANTASTIC! I seriously thought they were better than crazy cake cupcakes, just the perfect cream cheese icing, not too cream cheesy but dreamy and delicious and so moist, i was in heaven and ate too many! I haven't made these myself yet, but got the recipe and will be making soon for Nixon's bday party I hope, :)
Chops-BLOG-450x305.jpg
San Francisco Chops 
{Slow Cooker}
from melskitchencafe.com (I love that blog, seriously too many good eats, and they always turn out!)
*Note: you can use boneless or bone-in pork chops. I’ve used both and either way, the meat becomes so tender it is falling apart so you can fish out the bones, if you are using bone-in chops. Just make sure that the pork chops you use are on the thicker side – about an inch thick. The dish benefits from the quick browning of the pork chops and although I know some of you will roll your eyes at this step, you’ll be grateful for the depth of flavor it provides. DO NOT skip this step it makes ALL the difference and takes 2 minutes. Also, the red pepper flakes do not add spiciness, instead, they add a dimension of flavor the dish needs to come together. You can reduce the amount to a pinch but don’t omit completely.
*Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
Hot Cooked Rice, for serving ( I used brown rice)
DIRECTIONS:In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is simmering and hot. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops for 1-2 minutes on each side in the hot oil until golden. Transfer the chops to the slow cooker. Add the garlic to the drippings in the skillet and stir constantly over medium heat until the garlic is aromatic and golden (but not burned or it will turn bitter!). Stir in the soy sauce, broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the meat is tender. If using bone-in pork chops, fish out the bones from the slow cooker. Remove the chops from the slow cooker to a shallow pan or plate – they will most likely be falling apart in tenderness at this point. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the chops to the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker heat to high and cook for 30 minutes to an hour longer, until the sauce is slightly thickened. If you want a super duper thick sauce, once you remove the chops from the slow cooker, pour the sauce into a pan and place it over medium heat on the stove. Add the cornstarch slurry and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thick. Add the pork and heat through.
Serve the tender chops over rice and garnish with green onions, if desired.
*This was REALLY really yummy, Elias kept stealing all mine! I should have made more and it was SOOO easy to make, the prep took no time at all. I served it with brown rice and steamed broccoli, try not to overcook them, you want it falling apart, I didn't have time to cook on low for 7 to 8 hours so I just did it on high for 4, it probably would have been even better if it was cooked on low, next time. enjoy!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Lemon Dill-icious Salmon

If you do not like lemon, dill, or salmon you can stop reading this post right now, cause this recipe has a lot of each. I dont know about you guys but i'm alwyas looking for quick, easy, and healthy recipes to make cause i have about a 30 min. window of time to make dinner while hazel has her last nap and my kids aren't fighting. This is a gooder. Like i said, quick, easy, healthy. Oh and i buy the salmon fillet from costco for this recipe, not the steaks, but you could do either! Enjoy!

ALSO*** This website has changed my meal planning FOREVER!!! Pepperplate.com It is an online meal planning site that links to your phone, compiles grocery lists, etc. AMAZING!!! check it out!
Salmon with Lemon and Dill
    • 1 pound salmon fillets
    • 1/4 cup butter, melted
    • 5 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon dried dill weed
    • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder ( i use real garlic minced, 3 cloves)
    • sea salt to taste
    • freshly ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
    2. Place salmon in the baking dish. Mix the butter and lemon juice in a small bowl, and drizzle over the salmon. Season with dill, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper.
    3. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until salmon is easily flaked with a fork. ( i usually cover it with foil for the first 15 min, and then remove foil for the last bit. DO NOT overcook, gross)

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Layered Lemon Dessert



Okay, seriously. You'll think you've died and gone to lemony-cheesecake heaven once you've tried this stuff! SO scrumptious.

CRUST
2 cups All-purpose flour                   
1 cup Butter (or hard margarine)       
1 cup Finely chopped pecans

SECOND LAYER
1 cup Whipping cream
2 Blocks of cream cheese, softened
1 cup Icing (confectioner’s) sugar

THIRD LAYER
2 Envelopes of lemon pie filling (not instant) enough for 2 pies  
2 Large eggs (see Note 1)

TOPPING
2 cups Whipping cream
2 tbsp. Granulated sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
Chopped pecans, for garnish

Crust: Measure flour into medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add pecans. Stir. Press firmly in ungreased 9 x 13 inch (22 x 33 cm) pan. Bake in 350°F (175°C) oven for about 15 minutes until golden. Cool.

Second Layer: Beat whipping cream in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Using same beaters, beat cream cheese and icing sugar in large bowl until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Spread evenly over crust.

Third Layer: Prepare pie filling according to package directions, using 2 eggs. Cool, stirring often. Spread evenly over Second Layer.

Topping: Beat all 3 ingredients in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Spread evenly over Third Layer.

Garnish with pecans. Cuts into 24 pieces.

Note 1: Use 2 whole eggs instead of the 4 yolks the package instructions call for.