Baked Potato Soup

My oldest daughter and I were watching a video on youtube and decided we wanted potato soup. Then we promptly forgot. A few weeks later we both remembered it and she decided she wanted to try this recipe. It was soo good! I can't wait to have this again. So simple and delicious on a cool evening.

               Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

        6 large Baking Potatoes

        1 medium Onion, chopped

        1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth (add more if needed)

        4 Tbs Butter

        3 cloves Garlic, minced

        1/2 tsp Black Pepper

        1 tsp Salt

        1 cup Heavy Cream

        2 cups Sour Cream

        Scallions

        Shredded Cheese

Directions:

1. Cut the potatoes into small cubes. (You can peel them but my family prefers the peels left on.)
2. Place potatoes & onion in a soup pot with enough water to cover. 
3. Cook covered on med-high until fork tender (about 15 minutes).
4. Drain.
5. Return to the pot and mash (mash as much or as little as you like).
6. Add chicken broth, butter, garlic, and salt and pepper.
7. Return to medium heat and bring to a boil. STIR CONSTANTLY!!! This will pop pretty badly - so don't get burned! 
8. Add extra broth if the consistency is too thick. 
9. Reduce the heat to med-low and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes. (We only let it simmer for about 5 min and we're constantly stirring).
10. Add heavy cream.
11. Bring to a boil -- stirring frequently.
12. Once it's to a low boil, reduce heat to low and cover.
13. Simmer for a couple of minutes.
14. Remove from heat.
15. Add sour cream.
16. Return to low heat and stir until the sour cream has heated through.
17. Top with scallions or cheese.

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Mom's Chicken and Dumplings

I posted my Mom's Chicken and Dumplings recipe a while ago and realized I had missed a couple of crucial ingredients in my transcription. I removed that one and am sharing the revised version. It's so much better with this correct version. I do apologize for that but I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does. This recipe took me a while to figure out, since my Mom wouldn't allow anyone in the kitchen while she cooked. Eventually I did come up with this version.

Mom's Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:

        2 lbs Bone-in Chicken Breasts

        10 Cups Water

        1 tsp + 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

        1 tsp + 1/2 tsp Black Pepper

        2 Carrots, chopped

        2 stalks Celery, chopped

        2 cloves Garlic, or 1 tsp Garlic Powder

        1 medium Onion, diced

        1 Bay Leaf

        2 tsp Oregano

Directions:

1. Place chicken breasts in a large Dutch oven (I use an 8-quart). 
2. Pour water into the pot.
3. Add the first teaspoon of salt and pepper. 
4. Cook on medium-high until the meat can easily separate from the bone (about an hour). 
5. Remove the chicken from the pot.
6. Allow the chicken to cool. 
7. While the chicken cools, chop the vegetables.
8. Add the vegetables to the broth. 
9. Add the bay leaf, oregano, salt, and pepper to the broth. 
10. Cook on medium-high until the vegetables are tender. 
11. As the vegetables cook separate the chicken from the bone.
12. Shred the chicken in a bowl.
13. Add the chicken to the broth/vegetable mix. 
14. Warm the chicken for about 15 minutes before adding the dumpling batter.

For the Dumplings:

        2 cups of Bisquick Baking Mix

        3/4 cup Milk 

        (You may substitute homemade, but this is my Mom's recipe so it's comfort food to me.)

1. In a bowl mix until well blended. 
2. Drop by tablespoons into broth. 
3. Turn down temperature to a strong simmer (3 on the average electric stove).
4. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
5. Cover and cook 10 more minutes until dumplings are cooked. You can test this by using a spoon to scrape the top layer of the dumpling. The inside should not be moist.
6. Spoon into bowls and enjoy.

Serves 8. 

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Chicken in Sour Cream, and Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

I have to admit that my favourite piece of chicken is the thigh. It has so much more flavour than the breast. And lots more meat than the drumstick.  I love using the Maple-Glazed Chicken recipe, but variety is good too. I found an interesting recipe over at AllRecipes and decided to tweak it a little bit.  First of all, I have no Cream of Mushroom Soup and couldn't find a substitute recipe (see bottom). So I came up with this one that was a complete hit.

Chicken in Sour Cream

Ingredients:

        8 chicken thighs
        1 Tbs Vegetable Oil
        1 pinch Ground Black Pepper
        1 pinch Salt
        1 pinch Paprika
        Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
        1 (1 oz) pkg Dry Onion Soup Mix
        1 cup Sour Cream
        1 Tbs Lemon Juice
        1 tsp Dried Dill Weed

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a 9 x 13 inch greased baking dish. 
2. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.
3. Combine mushroom soup, onion soup mix, sour cream, lemon juice, and dill weed.
4. Pour over chicken.
5. Bake at 400 degrees F (175 degrees C) for one hour, or until chicken is tender and sauce is brown.

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

        Butter  (I used unsalted) 

        Mushrooms, chopped

        Garlic

        Flour

        1 cup Milk

Directions:

1. Melt Butter.
2. Add chopped Mushrooms.
3. Saute until slightly brown
4. Add chopped Garlic, Flour, 1 cup Milk
5. Heat to a nice roux.

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Split Pea Soup

IngreI

This recipe is a family favourite.  I got it many years ago from my most used cookbook.  If you can only own one cookbook, it should be a Betty Crocker cookbook.  All of the recipes that I've tried from this now-sad looking cookbook have been what my family has dubbed "do-overs".  This split pea recipe is no exception.  With our fresh snow and cold temperatures today, this soup is perfect.

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients: 

           2 1/2 cups Dried Split Peas, (1 pound), sorted and rinsed

           8 cups Water

           1 large Onion, chopped (1 cup)

           2 med Celery Stalks, finely chopped (1 cup)

           1/4 tsp Pepper

           1 Ham Bone or 2 pounds Shanks

           3 med Carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices (1 1/2 cups)

Directions:

1. Heat peas and water to boiling in a 4-quart Dutch Oven.
2. Boil uncovered 2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.
4. Stir in onion, celery and pepper.
5. Add ham bone.
6. Heat to boiling.
7. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 1 hour 30 minutes or until peas are tender.
8. Remove ham bone; remove ham from bone. Trim excess fat from ham; cut ham into 1/2-inch pieces.
9. Stir ham and carrots into soup.
10. Heat to boiling.
11. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until carrots are tender and soup is desired consistency.

Serves 8

Enjoy!

            Ingrid