Long potatoes, cheddar and ham

I had a lot of potatoes to use up from Thanksgiving. I think I kept forgetting how many I had and kept buying them. With how chilly it is outside plus needing to use leftover ham, it seemed like a good night to make a nice potato dish.

I peeled approximately three pounds of russet potatoes and cut them long-ways.  They were placed in a 9" x 13" dish, dotted with chunks of smoked ham and hunks of extra sharp cheddar cheese.  I combined one large can of cream of mushroom soup with almost 2 cans of  evaporated milk and poured over the top. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for one hour.  That's it!  It is super easy!

It was a big hit with the family tonight! A very good belly warmer!

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

I have never been a fan of the cranberry sauce that comes in a can.  This Thanksgiving I decided to make my own. Here is my quick and easy recipe for a delicious cranberry compote that requires almost no maintenance at all!

(1) 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries, rinsed well
(1) half cup of water
(1) cup of sugar
The zest of one orange and the juice (at least 3 tablespoons)
Dash of nutmeg

Bring all the above to a boil over medium high heat in a saucepan on the stove and then lower heat to a simmer until cranberries pop and soften, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Taste for sweetness. Depending on cranberries will depend on if you need to add sugar. It's up to you! Sometimes I add more sugar if they are too tart, sometimes they are just right! Yesterday I ended up adding 1/2 cup more sugar as they were extra tart.  As the sauce cools, it will thicken and "jell" up all by itself.  It makes a wonderful addition to any dinner, Thanksgiving or not!

Snowflake Truffles

Tonight I am making a special treat for a friend.  She likes sweet things, which is appropriate since she is such a sweet and beautiful lady!  It is a recipe that I adapted from one I saw floating around the internet.  I had to modify the one I found as it contained nuts.  I try not to use nuts as I have friends with nut allergies. Here is my take on a fun, no-bake, quick truffle that is easy to make and tastes wonderful.

(2) 8 ounce packages of cream cheese softened
(1) 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple, drained
(4) tablespoons of powdered sugar
(1) bag of sweetened shredded coconut

Drain the pineapple very, very well.  Mix 3/4 of the can of pineapple with the softened cream cheese until well mixed.  Add the powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time until well blended, scraping the bowl often.  Put in the refrigerator for at least two hours until well chilled.

Remove from fridge.  Scoop into balls and roll in coconut.  Place on waxed paper and put back in the fridge until firm.

These are a sweet tropical treat!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

I thought I had put this recipe on here but I looked and I had not. I cannot take the credit for this. A wonderful site called Momzone is where I first discovered this recipe.  The website seems to have closed now so I cannot link to it to give proper credit but I will share this wonderful recipe with you now.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

1 - 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1- stick or equal to 1/2 cup of butter (MUST be real butter, margarine will not work)
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3/4 cup of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Graham crackers

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Place onto plastic wrap; shape into a ball. Refrigerate at least 1 more hour. Just before serving, roll cheese ball in pecans. Serve with graham crackers.

Side note:  I do not use the pecans.  I just don't. I know too many people with nut allergies so I leave them out.  The above recipe is for one "ball".  It won't last.  I never make enough for "one".  I always double in not triple the recipe.  The cheeseball is better if you make it the night before.  Under no circumstances should you ever leave out the brown sugar.  It will not taste right.

Enjoy!! I hope it becomes a part of your family tradition as it has become a part of mine!!

The Kitchen Sink

I have not been grocery shopping nor do I feel like grocery shopping.  I stood in the kitchen wondering what to do.  I needed to feed the troops so I started poking around the cabinets, what to do?  This is what I came up with:

2 cups of long grain, white rice
Green peas, frozen
Carrots, frozen
Brussel sprouts, frozen
1 onion, chopped
1 turkey sausage, chopped
butter (duh!)

While the rice is cooking, throw the peas, carrots and brussel sprouts into a pan with some water and butter to heat through and get warm.  Slice the turkey sausage into rounds and then in half.  Put into a saute pan with the chopped onion and cook until the onion is wilted and the sausage is hot.

When the rice is done, dump the sausage and onions in the rice and stir. Next drain the vegetables from their water and add them to the rice and sausage mixture. Stir well and serve.  I did not pull this out of any cookbook or show.  It came out of my brain (scary, I know!) and since it was just a conglomeration of whatever I could find, I named it "The Kitchen Sink".

Smoked Ham and Potato Soup

The weather has begun to change. Its time to roll out the soup recipes. What better time for a hearty soup when my two favorite men at home are sick?  I think a good strong soup always makes a body feel better!

The main ingredients in this soup are as follows:

Back to my favorite Cumberland Gap smoked ham, cut into small to medium dice
(1) 3 pound bag of golden potatoes, cut into even small chunks - try to keep as close to the same size as possible so the cooking time will be the same
(2) medium onions, diced
(6) cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
olive oil
butter
(3) cans of Campbell's Cream of Chicken and Herb soup
(4) soup cans full of water
(1) cup of heavy cream

Chop your onions and put in the bottom of your soup pot with a turn or two of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter on medium low heat.  Dice the ham and add in.  Next add your smashed garlic.

While your ham and onions sizzle and marry, dice potatoes.  It is not necessary to peel the potatoes when using golden potatoes. The peel adds a nice texture.  Dicing them to even slices allows for even cooking time.  When they are all sliced, dump them all on top of the ham with the garlic and onions.  Next add the three cans of Campbell's Cream of Chicken and Herb soup and the (4) soup cans full of water.  Allow this to come to a boil and then reduce heat and cover and let simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Check the potatoes to see if they are done.  When the potatoes are tender, add (1) tablespoon of butter and (1) cup of heavy cream.  Allow the butter to melt and stir in the heavy cream.  Allow to heat through for about 10 minutes and then serve.

This was a thick, hearty soup that was warm and comforting. It was very easy to make and made my two men feel better. I hope you try it!

Chicken Pot Pie....sort of

Tonight was all about fast. I had a bag of shredded chicken leftover in the refrigerator I needed to use.  I had a can of biscuits.  I had a conversation with my friend Shannon about what she was going to do with her chicken tonight. We talked about pot pie and I started craving it. But I did not feel like fixing it very much. So I dashed off to the grocery store for some frozen veggies (I did not feel like dealing with all the chopping and peeling of fresh so don't fuss!) and some Campbell's Cream of Chicken and Herb soup.  This is how I threw (and I really did just throw) it together.

In the bottom of a pan that I rubbed with some butter I put a layer of shredded chicken. To the top of that I sprinkled some Soul Seasoning, Garlic Powder and Parmesan cheese.

Pardon my shadow fingers in that picture!! Oh well.....I really stuffed the chicken in the bottom of the casserole dish.  Next came the layer of vegetables. I used two bags of an Italian vegetable mix that had zucchini, carrots, lima beans, peas, cauliflower, peppers, beans and who knows what else!

I mixed two cans of the Campbell's Cream of Chicken and Herb soup with one and half cans of milk well mixed together.  This became the next layer over-top the chicken and vegetables.

And then for the next "cheating" part, I took two cans of biscuits and put them on top of the casserole and put it in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until the biscuits are brown. I then put a sheet of aluminum foil on top to protect the biscuits from further browning and let it heat for another 10 minutes so that the vegetables and chicken and gravy could get good and hot.

As you can see from the picture I cheated even further....I used a foil aluminum pan so I did not even need to wash dishes! I had a fast, yummy stress-free dinner.