Farm Wife's Potato Soup

One day, a few years back, I called home to get QM's potato soup recipe. Daddy answered & when I asked him for it he said, "Got a pen & paper? Ready? OK, you take potatoes...and you make soup." Very helpful, that one. So I dug out a cookbook & wasn't happy with that recipe either. Instead I got everything I thought would be good & threw it in a pot. This was the end result.

5 lbs of potatoes, peeled, diced, cooked, & drained
4 Tbs butter
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small red/yellow onion, diced
4-5 shredded carrots
2 cups cubed, cooked ham
3-4 c. ham broth*
3-4 c. milk (more or less to taste)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 pint heavy cream (opt.)

Saute the onions and celery in the butter until they begin to cook through (become translucent). Mash potatoes slightly. Combine all ingredients and bring to a slow boil. Simmer until everything is cooked through. Ignore your husband's comments about how his potato soup is much better and enjoy.

*When ever I cook a ham I reserve the liquid from it. When cool, I skim (or in most cases, scoop) off the fat & freeze the rest to use in soup.

"Legendary" Fruit Casserole

Thus named for the restaurant I worked in during my late teens/early 20's. We served this & it was a HUGE hit. Most people were offset by the idea of a warm fruit casserole, but if you think of it like a cobbler it's much easier to deal with! And this is not for the diabetic among you!

4 C. Crushed Pineapple (canned)
4 C. Diced Peaches (canned)
4 C. Brown Sugar
4 C. Crushed Club Crackers
1 Stick Melted Butter or Margarine

Drain fruit. Layer 2 C. of each fruit, followed by 2 C. brown sugar, then 2 C. cracker crumbs. Drizzle 1/2 the butter over top and repeat. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold (I prefer warm).

This makes enough for a pot luck dinner or a large group. While we served it as a side dish, it's excellent served with vanilla ice cream as a dessert.

Super Easy Chicken thingy

Okay, I don't actually know what the recipe is called, I don't even know the exacts of it but I do know it was good and how I made it, I made it from a description a lady I know gave me of it. And it tasted like Thanksgiving to me. It was very yummy.

So I have deamed it the Super Easy Chicken Thingy

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 box of stuffing (I used stovetop)
2-4 slices of swiss cheese
1 can of Cream of mushroom or Cream of Chicken soup

Pour Stuffing into a sprayed casserole dish, and mix in soup. Place chicken breasts on top and top them with slices of swiss. Bake at 375 until chicken juices run clear.

Indian Chicken

Prep Time: 10 - 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 8 adults

Ingredients:
8 - 10 skinless chicken thigh/leg combos
6 C canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) mashed
2 C baby-cut carrots (I use the baby carrots from the store and run them on the chop setting of my food processor to save time)

For the sauce:
1 1/2 C Chopped Onion
3 garlic cloves, minced (buy a jar, and keep it in the fridge for time savings)
3/4 C low or nonfat sour cream*
3/4 C plain nonfat yogurt
5.5 oz tomato paste
1 C chicken broth*
1/2 C EVOO
2 Tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 C frozen peas

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Lay chicken pieces flat in a 13X9 casserole. Evenly spread the chickpeas and carrots over and between the chicken.

In a large saucepan, saute onions and garlic in the EVOO until onions are translucent. Add remaining sauce ingredients and stir over low heat until mixture is well blended. Pour sauce over chicken, chickpeas and carrots.

Bake for 1 Hour.

* You can use whatever fat content, sodium content of yogurt, sour cream and broth you'd like. The original recipe was a "healthy" version using low-sodium organic broth, nonfat sour cream and yogurt that were also both organic.

Not sure how this would freeze because of the dairy products, or how it would be made-ahead and reheated...haven't tried it yet!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Prep Time: about 5 minutes
Serves: 4 (I imagine that for the kids, you might be able to squeeze this into 6 servings)

Ingredients:

1 C Canned Pumpkin
1 C Milk
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/3 tsp Nutmeg
2/3 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla
1 C ice

Directions:

Blend everything but the ice until smooth. Add ice, continue blending until thick and creamy.

Optional - top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Steamed Potatos

Last night, I made my family's favorite potato dish. This is so easy and yummy! The leftovers are good cold and reheated.

1 Large Russet baking potato cut into a 1/4 to 1/2 inch dice
1 Large Sweet potato cut into a 1/4 to 1/2 inch dice
1 Small yellow onion coarsely chopped
3 pinches Renaissance Rub
EVOO

*I found this three years ago at my local H-E-B grocery store. They no longer carry it, but I still have at least 2/3 of the tin left. A little goes a long way!! The $6 price tag did alarm me at the time, but it has been a great investment.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add EVOO. I probably use three tablespoons for this recipe. Put the potatos and onion in the pan. Sprinkle the Renaissance Rub over the entire concoction. Stir it around. Add 1/2 cup water. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low to low. Let cook until the potatos are done but not soggy (for me this means about 15 minutes).

I have to say this. I hate sweet potatos and very nearly did not try this dish when it was presented to me several years ago. I am so glad that I did. My husband is also a sweet-potato hater, and he didn't want to try this, either, but I talked him into it. We both love the dish. It is super easy to throw together in a hurry and is now one of our go-to sides. I even made this at Thanksgiving to rave reviews!