Ham and Potato soup

allrecipe.com

Can you ever have too many soup recipes? I have a huge bag of potatoes that I need to use up and I grew up on potato soups so what better way to use them (besides a baked potato) then in a soup its a win win right ;) I however am not a fan of ham but trying to be an awesome mother and wife I still make ham for my family because they love it. I made one the other night and had sooo much leftover so after making grilled cheese with ham (mine was grilled cheese with jalapenos) I decided to make this soup. I was shocked how much I actually liked it I didn't even pick my ham out...nope I just pulled my big girl pants up and ate it. In fact this may be one of my favorite soup recipes! So don't blow this one off because you are picky like me :) Try it you may like it. On the original post about this the lady says the best part is you can use as many potatoes or as much ham as you want and boy did I ever. I decided that more goes further so I added what I thought was a good amount and it was pure HOT deliciousness!!!



3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery (I left this out because I didn't have any and you know how I feel about running to the store for one thing)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk


Directions
Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Baked Potato Casserole

(food-pusher.blogspot)

For new years I made potato skins one of my husbands must have party foods. I always save the pulp from the skins for later use so when I found this recipe I was excited to try it out. It was PERFECT!!! THE only downfall now my husband wants the potato skins all the time so we can have these too. Oh well I aim to please. You can also make baked potatoes for a different meal and throw in extra for this one then scoop out the pulp and have it ready for another day. See 2 sides done pretty easily.

9 medium russet potatoes

4 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

4 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 to 1/2 cup milk (if potatoes are too thick)

1 jar bacon bits, or a half pound of bacon, fried and cut into bits, or cut into bits and fried

2 1/2 to 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

canola oil to fry in

sour cream, if desired

3 green onions, sliced



Bake potatoes at 350° for about an hour, or until potatoes give when squeezed gently with an oven-mitted hand.

When potatoes are done, cut in half and carefully scoop out insides, leaving about a 1/4-inch layer of potato inside. Set skins aside*.

Place potato insides in a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer. Mix briefly to break potatoes down a little. Add cream cheese, sour cream, butter, chopped garlic, and about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon or so of pepper. Beat until thoroughly mixed, but don't mix to the point of gumminess. If the mixture seems really thick, add up to 1/2 cup milk to smooth it out to the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread potato mixture into the prepared pan.

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 325°.

Immediately after removing from oven, cover the top with 1 cup of cheese. Then sprinkle with about 2/3 of the bacon and sliced green onions, if desired. Allow to sit for about 10-15 minutes before serving. The heat from the potatoes will melt the cheese perfectly.

Makes about 6-8 servings

*Now you can use the skins to make the baked potato skins recipe I have on my blog :)

Cheesy Potato Crock Pot

food.com(adapted by me)

I know I am not the only mother out there who is always looking for something easy to go as a side for my main dish cooking in the oven. This one worked great cause the cook time was almost exact to my roast!!!

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
4 medium baking potatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick


Mix soup, paprika and pepper and pour into crock pot.
Place potatoes in crock pot, sprinkle with cheese and cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours

Sweet Potato Fries & Avocado dip (cooking channel's - Ingrid Hoffman) - adapted by Carolyn

Ok so after much begging Carolyn is going to contribute to the blog here and there when she can by providing us with some great recipes so im going to post a few that she sent me after she made 1 of our sisters lunch that ended up getting shared with quiet a few people in the office. So since so many people asked for the recipe there she figured it would be a great thing to share on the blog so i hope all of you that have tried or will be trying this let us know what you think.

SWEET POTATO FRIES:

2 large sweet potatoes (peeled or unpeeled) cut into 4in. long & 1/4-1/2 in. thick fries

2 TBS olive oil

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground coriander

coarse ground rock salt, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 450* F Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside

Place the sweet potatoes in a lg bowl and toss with olive oil until the sweet potatoes are coated. Add the paprika, chili powder, coriander, salt, and pepper; toss to distribute evenly. Arrange the coated fries in a single layer on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes on the lower rack until the sweet potatoes soften. Transfer the pan to the upper rack of the oven and bake 10 minutes longer, until fries are crispy. Serve with avocado dip.

AVOCADO DIP:

1 avocado

1/3 c. mayo

1/3 c. cream cheese

1 jalapeno, seeded & chopped

2 scallions, white & light green part only, chopped

1 lime juiced

salt & freshly ground pepper

Place the avocado, mayonnaise, cream cheese, jalapeno, scallions, and lime juice into a blender or small food processor. Blend for 1 minute or until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve as a dip for the Sweet Potato Oven Fries.

Hope you all enjoy these recipes & again please leave your comments, questions or remarks.

Sour Cream & Chive Potatoes

6-8 Lg Potatoes

1 8oz Cream Cheese 3/4 C. Milk or Buttermilk

1 1/2 TBS (fresh is best) Chives

1 tsp Pepper

1/2 tsp Salt

After scrubbing potatoes wrap with tinfoil & place in oven for 1(+)hrs @ 400* til potatoes are soft enough. Take out potatoes & after slightly cooling (but still warm enough you will need a hot pad) cut in half & scrape potato out of peeling into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients & blend until smooth. You can also cheat when in a hurry and make potato flakes as directed but cut the wet ingredients in half then add the cream cheese & chives. Shredded cheddar cheese is also a great additive when desired. Dont forget to share your comments & suggestions on this recipe & enjoy.

- Pictured with Stuffed Pork Chops & my special Green Beans

Potato Skins

These are so goooood and yet simple to make!!!
 Good ole Idaho Potatoes
bacon cooked and chopped (we prefer thick bacon)
green onions chopped
cheddar cheese- shredded
sour cream
garlic salt                        season salt

Preheat oven to 350 Wash potatoes and put in oven UNWRAPPED  Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until soft. Take potatoes out of oven change oven to Broil and with a oven mitt on slice potatoes in half length wise. Scoop potato pulp out BUT leaving a little layer of pulp like 1/4 inch thick. (its easier to scoop them out while hot!) Place all the potatoes upside down on a cookie sheet and spray them with pam or cooking spray. Place back in the oven until crisp then turn over and do the same thing to the insides. After they are all nice and toasty lightly sprinkle with seasonings. After that sprinkle cheese inside and garnish with bacon and onions. Put bake in the oven until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream or ranch!!

GOOD EATS!!!