Slow Cooker Potato Soup

 This is one of our families favorite soups and it is so easy!  Now that the weather is getting colder, it is soup time again.  

Ingredients

1.   1/2 large onion, diced
2.   2 cloves of garlic, minced
3.   32 ounces of chicken stock (I use low sodium)
4.   1 30 ounce bag of frozen shredded hash browns
5.   3 Tbs. of butter
6.   1 Tbs. of flour (we use gluten free)
7.   1 cup of water
8.   1 cup of milk of your choice 
9.   1/4 tsp salt
10. 1/2 tsp of pepper (I don't measure this, I just added it to taste)
11. 1/2 Tbs. of onion powder
12. 1 Tbs. of dried parsley
13. 1/3 of a block of cream cheese, cut into cubes

Toppings:
Shredded cheddar, diced green onion, chives, bacon bits

Directions:

1.  In a small pan on the stove, or directly in your slow cooker, melt the butter.  Once the butter is melted, add in the onion and sauté until slightly softened, approximately 3-4 minutes.
2.  Add in the garlic and sauté  another minute, careful that the garlic doesn't burn.
3.  Add in the 1 Tbs. of flour and sauté   for another minutes.  Remove from heat or turn off the multi-cooker.
4.  Add in the broth, hash browns,  water, milk, and seasonings.  Stir to combine. Add the cubed cream cheese to the top. 
5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

A lot of recipes don't add the cream cheese in during the cooking time, but wait until the soup is done,  You can do that, but I have not had any issues cooking it all at the same time.

Serve with you favorite toppings and enjoy.

Comfort Food!

Sausage, Potato, Pepper Bake

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium onion

2. 6 large baking potatoes

3. 1/2 tsp of salt

4. dash of black pepper

5. 1/2 Tbs. of dried basil

6. 2-3 Tbs of olive oil

7. 2 pounds of mild Italian sausage (hot will work too of that's what you have on hand or prefer)

8. 2 large or 3 small green peppers

9. 3/4 cup of water

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Slice the onion in thin strips

3. Cut the potatoes roughly into 1/4 inch pieces

4.  Layer onion and potatoes on the bottom of a greased baking dish

5. Cut peppers into rings (this time I cut them into slices because the kids prefer that) and place on top of potatoes

6. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and basil (above measurements are approximates.  I season to taste and sometimes add garlic powder and onion powder depending on my mood.  Season the way you like it)

7. Pour oil over veggies and mix, then add the 3/4 cup of water

8. Arrange sausages on top and piece each link with a fork

9. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour

10. Uncover and bake for another 20-30 minutes until sausages are browned and the potatoes are tender

Makes 6-8 servings 

I sometimes serve this with a side salad and rolls or fresh Italian bread.

Enjoy!!
 

Happy Thanksgiving

 I didn't post a menu plan this week.  I actually did do one, but the big boys surprised us by coming home from college on Sunday instead of Tuesday and I just enjoyed having them home.  I did put together a menu plan, but it got all switched about with the early arrival.  But all was good, and everyone has been fed.  I'm so glad they came home early.  The time is going by too quickly though.

I started some Thanksgiving prep on Tuesday and will soldier on today.  The following is our Thanksgiving menu:

Classic Herb Stuffing I make Gluten Free bread in my bread machine for the "bread" part, then cut it into cubes and toast it in the oven.  I posted a link to the closest recipe I could find online, but the recipe I use is from an older Joy of Cooking recipe book.

Perfect Mashed Potatoes from Martha Stewart.  The boys love these.  They really are perfect.  I make 10 pounds.

Sweet Potato Casserole Due to nut allergies, I leave out the nuts and add more marshmallows.

Gluten Free Gravy This isn't the recipe I use, but it's close (I do not add soy sauce, and I do add other seasonings like thyme, sage, and rosemary).  My original recipe came from a blog called Gluten Free Girl.  I don't think the blog is available anymore.

Cranberry Sauce Every year I make this.  And every year no one eats it.  It's a tradition (lol).

Green Beans with Bacon from The Hillbilly Kitchen.  Some years I make a green bean casserole, some years just plain green beans.  I'm trying this one for 2022.

Libby's Pumpkin Pie I just use the recipe on the back of the can.  I sub Ener-G egg replacer for the egg, and I use Wholly Wholesome GF Pie Shells for the crust.  Many, MANY years I struggled trying to make a gluten free, egg free, nut free crust that didn't fall apart and was still edible.  I found these shells a few years ago and never looked back.  They work just fine.

The Turkey Sometimes I use a roasting bag, sometimes I don't.  I basically I combine the butter and herbs and rub down the bird under the skin and on top of the skin.  My husband will fry a turkey too and his brine and seasonings are his own concoction.  He's in charge of that one. My baked turkey is pretty simple and classic (and yes, I stuff it... ssshhh don't tell one.  I know it's now a no-no).  This is my turkey roasting pan and I swear it does all the magic.  It's not that I'm a good turkey cook, it's that you can't go wrong with this pan. 

I hope you have a happy, blessed Thanksgiving!  

Weekly Meal Plan 2/18/22 to 2/24/22: Feeding the Family

 What day is this?  Tuesday?  I'm all confused because of the day off for Presidents Day.  Yesterday seemed like Sunday, and today seems like Monday.  I'm sure by Friday I'll get it all figured out.

This week's meal plan is ever changing.  The meals are the same, but they are getting shifted around thanks to an ever-changing schedule.

Friday:  Baked Salmon, veggies, and tater tots

Saturday:  Chili, rolls

Sunday:  Red and White Mostaccioli from The Food Nanny, rolls

Monday:  Mediterranean Turkey Burgers from Budget Bytes, cucumber salad

Tuesday:  Mexican Pizzas

Wednesday:  Saucy Hungarian Red Potato Goulash from The Cozy Apron 

Thursday:  Cleanup day or Slow Cooker Sticky Garlic Chicken from Six Sisters Stuff

I also made the Potato Leek soup for this week.  It's perfect for lunch.  The recipe can be found in Twelve Months of Monastery Soups Cookbook.  If you love soups like I do, this cookbook is the BEST.

Wednesday March 2nd begins Lent.  We usually do meatless Mondays AND meatless Fridays during Lent.  I also try to do fewer complex meals during Lent.  I have a new cookbook on the way, and I can't wait to see how the recipes are.  But I do have a meal plan for next week already put together.  Ash Wednesday is strict fast and abstinence, so that meal will be meatless and very basic.  The boys need their protein though, so they will probably have fish to go along with their meal.  We are supposed to get hit with snow toward the end of the week, so I have a Walmart pick up scheduled for Wednesday.  

Do you have any plans for Lent??

Have a blessed week!

Recipe: Vegetable Soup

 Two snow days and temperatures below zero called for some warm, comforting soup.  The last two weeks I made Italian Wedding Soup which I LOVE, but this week I decided to make something meatless.  I had a craving for vegetable soup, and I had a lot of vegetables in my fridge that needed to be used, so vegetable soup won out.

Ingredients:

1. 3-4 garlic cloves, minced

2. 1 sweet onion, chopped

3. 1 large or 2 small turnips, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces

4. 1 zucchini, chopped into bite sized pieces

5. 2 small tomatoes, chopped

6.  2 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces

7.  2 celery stalks, diced

8.  1 tsp. of Herbs de Provence

9.  1 Tbs. of Italian seasoning

10. 2 cartons of low sodium vegetable stock (8 cups total)

11.  1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

12.  salt and pepper to taste 

13.  2 cups of baby kale, chopped

14.  1 Tbs. olive oil

Optional ingredients:  1 Tbs Better Than Bouillion, 1/4 tsp. of smoked chipotle pepper powder

Directions:

1.  Heat 1 Tbs. of olive oil in a large stock pot and add the garlic until fragrant.
2. Add the onion, turnips, zucchini, carrots, and celery and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
3.  Add the tomato, seasonings, vegetable stock, and beans and simmer for 30-40 minutes (taste after 15 minutes and if you feel it needs more flavor, add the Better Than Bouillion and the chipotle pepper... I like a little heat, you may not)
4.  Add the baby kale and stir until wilted. Salt and Pepper to taste.
5.  Enjoy!

Meal Planning: Week of 1/8 thru 1/14/2021

 We are only a family of five but I feel like I spend a lot of time buying food, prepping food, finding recipes, and cooking food. The only way I can keep everything straight is to meal plan.  I usually start doing this on Tuesdays by getting recipes together and figuring out what stores I will need to shop.  Because of the pandemic, I do a lot of pick up orders. Most of the stores didn't have a pick up option before Covid, but now that I've been doing it for a while, I prefer it to actually going into the store. 

I skipped doing any exercise this morning so that I could meal plan for next week and schedule my pick up order for Friday.  My meals plans usually run Friday-Thursday since my shopping day is typically on Friday.  

Cookbooks I used for next week's menu

Fridays are meatless at our house.  I try to make Saturday something fun.  And Sundays are comfort meals.  Usually Tuesday is something Mexican.  And every other day is just what works for that particular day.  We are not in sports season right now, but when we are, I plan many more meals that utilize the slow cooker.

This weeks menu was as follows:

Friday:  Fish, rice, and vegetables (ended up being Barramundi, rice, and steamed broccoli)

Saturday:  Chicken Lettuce Wraps from the Make It Fast, Cook It Slow cook book and left over rice

Sunday:  BBQ Pulled Pork from the same cook book.

Monday:  Left over BBQ Pork and Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Tuesday:  Quick Cajun Dirty Rice from Gwen's Nest

Wednesday:  Taco Bake from Spaceships and Laser Beams.  I will sub corn tortillas for the flour tortillas in the recipe so that this will be allergy friendly for our family.

Thursday:  Chicken Tortilla Soup from Baked By Rachel

Lunch is left overs, deli meat sandwiches, or salads
The only one who eats breakfast is the eight year old and he usually has pancakes, waffles, fruit smoothies, yogurt or toast.  I made a few Egg Cups last week for me to have at lunch, but he wanted to try them and he really liked them.  He normally does not like eggs so I was excited that he ate them.  I made him scrambled eggs this week and he was not a fan.  So I hope to make more egg cups this weekend for his breakfast next week.  I used to participate in Menu Plan Monday on Orgjunkie.com but I got out of the habit.  I hope to get back into it for 2021.  It helps keep me organized.