Golden Cream Soup

I just searched my archives to send this recipe to a friend, and realized I've never posted it here! (at least not that I could find) This is my favorites soup-warm, creamy and best of all cheesy. If I have posted this before, sorry.


Golden Cream Soup


3 c. cubed potatoes
2-3 c. water (don’t boil dry)
½ c. celery slices
½ c. carrot slices
¼ c. chopped onion
1 tsp. Parsley flakes dash of pepper
½ tsp salt
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 ½ c. milk
2 T. flour
½ lb Velveeta cheese

Combine potatoes, water, celery, carrots, onion, parsley, salt and bouillon cube. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, adding water as necessary. Add milk to flour a little at a time to keep from getting lumpy. Add to veggies. Stir until thickens. (Not real thick.) Add cheese. Stir to melt.

It goes really well with this cornbread. Happy Fall!

Desserts wanted!!

It's fast Sunday. I'm sitting home with a 2-year-old who has a runny nose instead of going to church with the rest of my family. The only thing I can think about is I WANT DESSERT!!! We have no traditional desserts for a Sunday evening or even favorites (unless you count chocolate chip cookies-which is Jeff's fav not mine). So, I'm wondering-does your family have a favorite dessert to make and what is it??? Let me know and I'll quiz my family to see if they have any favorites that I'm unaware of. Oh and I'd love any new dessert recipes you have to share! (Email me or leave a note in the post section.) Thanks!!

"best cooker ever!"

Is what mckay told me I am over lunch today. What did I make him that made me so deserving of this high praise? This simple, easy, kid-friendly lunch:

Tortilla chips
orange slices
chocolate milk

and the 1st place selection??

ham and cheese roll-ups

Here's the recipe:

2 slices of ham
2 slices of cheese

Lay the cheese at the edge of the ham and roll the ham up. Repeat with second piece of ham and cheese. Serves 1.

Seriously. The things impress kids!

Smoothies

My cousin has started her own cooking blog and shared these favorite smoothie recipes. Trust me. Try these once and you'll never need to pay $5 for a smoothie again! For me, I'm on a constant search for something that sounds appealing for breakfast and these hit the spot. The only thing I do differently is toss in a handful of spinach for some extra vitamins. Sound gross?? It's not. I can't tell it's there and even better when I use mixed berries my kids have no clue they're getting their leafy greens! Gotta love hidden veggies. The basic recipe goes as follows:

2 c. ice
1 1/4 c. guava nectar (available at walmart for about $1.50 and lasts a while)
1/2 c. vanilla or strawberry yogurt
1 packet vanilla flavored carnation instant breakfast
1 banana
1 c. frozen fruit
*1 big handful of spinach

Blend 1st 4 ingredients till smooth. Add banana and spinach and blend. Finally toss in your yummy fruit and blend till smooth once more. (Are my instructions feeling a bit repetitive?) Serves 4.

*If using fruit other than dark berries, be sure to inform your kids that it is "Shrek's Swamp Sludge" or other gross concoction to ensure they drink it. ;)

I've also used Popsicle molds to freeze smoothies for a fast, easy on-the-go breakfast/snack.

For some great combinations visit Kinikini Kuisine.

Valentines Cake

Technically, it's Lyndsi's birthday cake, but it's definitely Valentine-themed. This was SO easy to do. The cake is just a white Pillsbury cake mix baked in two rounds and then stacked on top of each other. A filling would be great, but I opted for straight cake. I frosted with buttercream frosting tinted light pink. (Wilton has a great, easy recipe.) For the heart, I did a google image search for a heart outline, resized it in Word, and cut it out. Then I layed it on top of the frosted cake and used a toothpick to outline. I tinted what was left of my frosting a darker shade of pink (using the Wilton food colors) and frosted inside the heart.

All the brown piping and lettering is done with chocolate. That's right ladies-CHOCOLATE!! I saw this idea on Martha's website (I think) and had to try it. Just melt your melting chocolate pieces (found at the craft stores), put in a decorator bag and pipe away. It was really easy and actually seemed to work more smoothly than piping icing.

This would be a fun dessert for your loved ones come this Saturday. Enjoy!!

Breakfast Pizza

In keeping with kid-friendly meals, here's a good breakfast one. First of all, it requires no milk which is important have bled the fridge dry of milk by Saturday. ;) Second of all, you can tailor it to what your family likes. And third, and perhaps most importantly-lots of cheese. All 3 of my kids liked it and the one who was opposed to trying it the most ended up eating the most. Wahoo!

*Breakfast Pizza

Preheat broiler.

4 eggs
1/4 to 1/2 cup cheddar or Monterey jack
1/4 cup diced ham, pepperoni, mushrooms, or other pizza toppings (some chopped tomatoes would've been really good in this.)
1 tbsp butter or margarine

In a medium-size bowl, mix the eggs, cheese, and pizza toppings. Melt the butter in an 8-inch frying pan with a metal handle over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture and cook until the bottom is golden, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the stove and place it under the broiler for about 3 minutes , or until the top has puffed up and lightly browned. Cool slightly and cut into wedges. Makes 1 frittata.

*recipe from family fun's "Disney's family cookbook"

Kid Approved Meals

I've had a request for kid-friendly meals. Here's McKay's favorite recipe:

Chicken Nuggets (aka Shake 'n Bake)

1 c. bisquick
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. garlic salt (I sometimes sub the powder for salt)
1/4 tsp. celery salt

Preheat electric skillet to about 350. Dump all ingredients in a gallon size ziploc bag and set aside. Cube your favorite (boneless, skinless) chicken pieces. Toss them in the bag and shake to coat. Spray skillet with non-stick spray. Throw the chicken in and cover. Cook for about 7 minutes (or so) and turn over when the pieces start to brown. Cook about 7 minutes more and they should be done. Serve with ranch, bbq sauce or other favorite dipping sauce. They're great on their own, too!

I don't leave these babies unattended. I also go more by how the chicken is looking rather than times. So, just plan on sticking around.

What do you want more of?

I think people occasionally check this blog. If so, what kinds of recipes are you looking for? What kinds of food are you in the mood for? Leave a note and I'll start looking. Thanks for visiting!

Macaroni salad

This recipe comes from my SIL Lisa's family. They served it at my neice's blessing luncheon this summer and we all LOVED it. I found the recipe she had sent me and decided to make it for a quick, easy dinner. I was going to do some grilled chicken with it but never got that far. We did toast instead. The kids liked it and it was a simple, fast meal or side dish.

MACARONI SALAD
3/4 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup mayo/miracle whip
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup diced ham
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs chopped dill pickle
2 slices crispy bacon, crumbled
pepper to taste

Cook macaroni. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Mix all ingredients together. Chill and serve.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I found this recipe at Dinner's Ready, a handy resource for when I don't know what to cook or am looking for something new. I had everything on hand (and it's all pantry/freezer standard supplies) which is shocking-for me anyway. This chicken was not only easy, but DELICIOUS!! 5 out of 5 taste testers approved and most of us were drooling over it. :) It seriously tastes like we ordered out. Next time I'll be more prepared and have some egg rolls and fortune cookies on hand.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. cornstarch
salt and pepper
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. ketchup
1 1/4 TBSP soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Cut chicken into strips (I like mine cubed). Mix cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper. Shake chicken and coat evenly. Fry in cooking oil over med-high until just starting to brown (don't overcook). Combine remaining ingredients to make a sauce. Pour over chicken, then cover and cook for 45 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

I happened to have some frozen red and green peppers and a can of pineapple on hand. I threw those in as well before baking so that I would have a one-dish type meal. Kids didn't eat the vegetables, but Jeff and I thought they were great in there.