Potato Soup to DIE for.

This next recipe is at one of my readers requests. ( I didn't know I had readers!) This soup has been requested by all of my children and husband multiple times. One of my sons asks for it at every birthday and even for his Baptism party. Yea it's that good. When I first made this it wasn't a recipe as much as it was an idea of putting good stuff in a pot and hoping it would be yummy. This soup has several versions that we have tried and I will note those at the bottom. So onto my basic potato soup.

1 10lb bag of russet potatoes or yukon gold peeled and cut in uniform pieces. ( I prefer the yukon because they give the soup a beautiful golden color) *note this makes a LOT of soup so halve it if need be* Also the potatoes can have skin left on but I had a pot once that the skins didnt blend well and it was almost as bad as finding a hair in your soup when you came across one of the skins. Failed yumminess.

1-2 white onions quartered (depending on size)

4-6 quarts of good chicken stock ( left over stock from sexy mashed potatoes work well but I often have to add a bit more )

4 chicken boullion cubes or the equivilent in powder. I know it sounds odd but trust me its good. It should be noted that how much you use depends on how much soup. Less for less soup or you will have such a salty soup it won't be edible. Be careful but DON'T leave it out.

1 carton heavy cream. I use the tall one I think its two pints. Hey I cook , it doesn't make me a math whiz.

1 stick butter. I tend to use unsalted so that I can control the salt content better. I recommend unsalted.

2 tablespoons garlic. Not powdered.

1 lb GOOD ham. Real ham. No turkey ham. No ham wannabes. Chunk it up. This is the secret ingredient. This has never given my soup a hammy flavor but it gives it that " why is this sooo good" quality. That quality that you can never put your finger on but makes you want to eat it all.

1lb sharp cheddar cheese.

Now that we have the team assembled its time for the first inning.
Put potatoes,stock,onion,garlic,boullion and ham in a crock pot or a heavy stock pot. If using a crock crank that puppy on high , put the lid on and walk away for at least 4 hours. If using a heavy stock pot , put it on high and put a lid on and walk away . Don't come back until the potatoes are done. Time varies but generally around 45 min.

When potatoes are done take an immersion blender or a hand blender and blend entire mixture until smooth. This will yield you a wonderful creamy mixture.

Taste for salt. If it seems a bit salty don't worry .
Add pepper to taste.
Next add the cream, butter to taste, and the cheese. Stir together and taste. It should taste like you want to eat the whole pot. Don't. Well if you really want to go ahead but it's nice to share.

This soup is perfect with crusty bread and butter.

* variations are as follows:
Add leeks instead of onions.
Add bacon instead of ham however be prepared for it to taste like bacon potato soup. Yes it is as good as it sounds.
Add sour cream and green chilies to the basic recipe and serve with cornbread. Ole!

As with anything a lower fat version can be manufactured however you won't get it from me. Namely because , while good, it is not to die for. (note the name of the recipe)

So let me know how yours turns out. I am going to go make sexy mashed potatoes so I can make this soup.
Happy eating!

ps. Thank you for reading! I mean that.

Sexy Mashed Potatoes.

So I was inspired to come up with his one because my best friend in High School ( actually he was out of High School at the time but I digress.) He came up with a recipe called Sexual Chicken. I kid you not it was such a yummy dish. He played it up very well mind you. He would cook and serve this to me and my then boyfriend ( who is now my hubby). So Greg your my inspiration.

Before proceeding I need to state that if you are dieting, thinking about a diet, heard about a diet or even say the word diet when making this you have just ruined the experience.

I should also state that this is a recipe for a large family, namely mine. 6 kids eat a lot of mashed potatoes.

1 10lb bag of russet potatoes peeled
6 qt or more of GOOD chicken stock.
2 sticks butter
1 tub sour cream FULL FAT LADIES.
1lb bacon cooked and crumbled.
chopped scallions ( I use three)
1 head of roasted garlic mashed into a paste.
pinch of salt and pepper. ( to be more accurate salt to taste)
1lb cheddar cheese shredded and seperated.

To begin cut up potatoes in cubes roughly the same size. Put stock on to boil and cook potatoes in stock until they reach desired doneness. Drain off stock and reserve. It makes an excellent potato soup for another day. Put potatoes back on burner and let the excess liquid evaporate away. This is an important step for the perfect mashed potatoes.

Add in 1 stick of butter and begin to mash . Add some stock from the pot as necessary to ensure creamy potatoes. Add more butter as needed as well as stock. You will notice I do not use milk. I have found that sometimes milk can give the potatoes a mouth feel that is not pleasant. Add in the sour cream and garlic paste and blend to desired consistency.
TASTE. Add salt and pepper if needed. ( It will be needed)
Add in bacon , scallions and half of the cheese. Do not taste or you will eat the whole bowl. Place in a 9x13 greased pan and top with remaining cheese and put in oven just till melted. These potatoes are something to behold. Not your mommas mashed potatoes.

give them a try and let me know. I will put up my potato soup recipe soon.

Mom's Mac N Cheese

This is one of my kids favorites. It really speaks to the midwestern heritage that is my family. I remember this growing up and how my brother and I would just wait for it to come out of the oven. It is a fond memory of being nurtured by my mother with the little time she had to do so. My recipe is probably slightly different than hers but the essence is the same.

1lb box of elbow noodles cooked, drained and buttered.

1 lg can of cream of mushroom soup. Or two small.

1/2 block of velveeta cut in 1 inch cubes. I use the store brand substitute but Velveeta certainly has a nuance that somehow makes this dish velvety.

1 bag shredded cheddar cheese. I use at least 8 oz.

1Cup of milk.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Dash of onion powder. ( I often omit this)

Now I remember my mom adding the soup, velveeta and milk to a saucepan and melting it into a sauce. However I can't be bothered. In a large mixing bowl I add the milk , spices and soup together and mix until combined. I add in the noodles and velveeta and half to two thirds of the cheddar cheese. I put it all in a greased baking dish and top with cheese. I sometimes top with sliced tomato . YUM. Bake at 350 Degrees until hot and bubbly and the top gets nice and crusty. My mom's favorite part was the corners. Sometimes the dish would come to the table with corners missing. LOL.

A complete meal version of this is made the same way but I add cubed cooked chicken breast and steamed broccoli. Mix and cook till hot and bubbly. This feeds and army. Good thing I have one.

Let me know how it turns out.

Wasabi Ginger Chicken with a Lime sugar glaze

This dish was inspired by a cooking show I watched late tonight. The man roasted a duck over a spit and I got to thinking what I could do that was more in line with my perspective and pocketbook.

1 4lb fryer chicken. Cut in pieces and salt and peppered. ( I tend to leave my pieces whole but that tends to make serving sizes far bigger than the 4oz recommended serving)

1-2 TBS wasabi paste. Or whatever your palate can handle.

1 1inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated. Reserve juice. (dry can be used however for this dish I don't recommend it. Buy the whole ginger and cut off what you need. Peel the rest and put it in a zip lock bag and store in the freezer. It will keep for 6 months or more.)

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 cloves chopped fresh garlic

2 chopped green onions

1-2 tsp toasted sesame oil.

1/4 cup oyster sauce.

Mix all ingredients together. Put cut up chicken in a zip lock bag and pour marinade over. Marinate for at least 4 hrs. While the chicken marinates prepare your glaze.

Lime Sugar Glaze.

1Cup lime juice. I use a bottled lime juice called Simply Limeade. It is a sweetened juice ready to drink.

1 Cup vanilla sugar. Or plain.

pinch of red chili flakes. Depending on your taste make it as spicy as you like. Or leave it out.

Pinch of salt.

1/4Cup chicken broth.

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer on medium heat until the liquid evaporates and creates a thickened glaze. You are creating a kind of simple syrup. Once thickened set aside.

Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade. Do not reuse. Place chicken skin side up on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray or in a low sided glass baking dish treated the same way.

Bake at 375 until chicken reaches desired doneness. Baste with glaze every ten minutes. Be careful as sugar burns.

Serve over buttered rice sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onion.

Let me know how it turns out.

p.s. Sometimes I boil a marinade , boil the heck out of it and use it as a sauce over the rice. I have even put the left over glaze in the sauce and it was quite delish.