Potato Soup

Potato Soup with Baked Potato Toppings

The fall weather has put me in the mood for soup. Potato soup gets a 4 out of 6 "something good" rating. With the toppings, this soup tastes like a loaded baked potato in a cup. Yummy!

Potato Soup
1 lb of bacon, cut into pieces
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup flour
5 cups chicken broth
5 potatoes, peeled and diced
dash Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper (to taste)
Toppings: cheese, sour cream, chives

• Fry the bacon in a pot over medium heat until crispy.
• Remove the bacon and set aside.
• Drain off all but 2-3 Tablespoons of the bacon drippings.
• Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the flour and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the broth slowly, stirring to avoid clumping.
• Add the potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
• Simmer until soup is thickened and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Serve with bacon, cheese, sour cream, and chives.

Notes: You could skip the bacon and use butter or oil, but bacon just makes it better.

Potato Pancakes

Potato Pancakes

Potato pancakes get a 3 out of 6 "something good" rating in our house. Matt likes them with maple syrup. The little guy likes them with ketchup. I like them with apple butter.This recipe is a combination my mom's recipe and a recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook.

Potato Pancakes
1/4 cup onion, chopped
4 potatoes, chopped
3 eggs
1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
dash of nutmeg
Vegetable oil

• Add the onion to your food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
• Add the potatoes and pulse until almost pureed (it really depends what kind of texture you like). 
• Transfer potatoes and onions to a medium bowl (I like to use my 4 cup measuring cup).
• Add eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix until combined.
• Heat a cast iron skillet or a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of oil.
• Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and flatten to make a pancake. Repeat to fill your pan (I can fit 3 pancakes comfortably in my cast iron skillet).
• Fry 1.5 to 2 minutes per side, until lightly browned and cooked through.
• Repeat with remaining batter. Be sure to stir the batter before scooping and add 1/2 Tablespoon of oil to your pan before each new batch of pancakes.
• Serve hot with maple syrup, apple butter, or ketchup.

Notes: If you don't have a food processor, you could use a blender or box grater.

Quesadillas

Ham and Cheddar Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a staple at our house. One of the best things about them is that they can be made to each person's specifications: plain cheese, cheese and ham, cheese and beans, cheese and steak, and, my personal favorite, the pizzadilla with mozzarella and pizza sauce.

Quesadillas
Olive oil
Tortillas
Cheese
Any other toppings you'd like to add

• Heat a teaspoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
• Add one tortilla to the pan.
• Sprinkle with cheese and other toppings.
• Top with another tortilla.
• Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until the outside is browned.
• Remove to a cutting board and slice into wedges.
• Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Notes: The amount of cheese depends on the size of the tortillas. More cheese is better, but too much cheese makes the whole thing goo all over the place.

Stromboli

Stromboli with pepperoni and mozzarella

Stromboli is bread stuffed with Italian cheese, meat, and veggies. My favorite stromboli recipe comes from Emeril Lagasse. The kids prefer a much simpler version with just pepperoni and cheese. Often I'll make a plain one for the kids and add some peppers, olives, sausage, etc. to the one for the grown-ups. Here's my basic stromboli recipe. Add your favorite pizza toppings and call it something good.

Stromboli
1 loaf of pizza dough or bread dough
Pepperoni, thinly sliced
2 cups mozzarella or other cheese, shredded
Pizza sauce

• Let the dough raise until double, punch it down, and spread or roll it into a large rectangle on a floured board.
• Cover the dough with pepperoni, leaving an inch border around the outside of the dough.
• Add the cheese and any other toppings.
• Roll the dough into a long log.
• Pinch the seam and edges to seal (if it's not sealed up cheese will leak out).
• Transfer loaf to a greased baking sheet.
• Brush with oil and make 1/4 inch deep slices every 2 inches across the top of the loaf.
• Bake at 375* for 25 minutes until the top is browned.
• Remove from the oven, brush with oil, let stand for 10 minutes.
• Cut into slices and serve with pizza sauce.

Notes: Frozen bread dough or refrigerated pizza dough make this recipe even easier.

Meaty Baked Beans

Cannellini, black, and Bush's beans with ground turkey and bacon

Five out of six of us give Meaty Baked Beans a "something good" rating. If you like beans and meat, this is your dish. If you don't like beans, well... even adding bacon can't change everything.

Meaty Baked Beans
1/2 lb. bacon, chopped
1 1b. ground beef or turkey
1-2 onions, chopped
1 16 oz. can Bush's Baked Beans, with sauce
3 15 oz. cans other beans (black, kidney, cannellini, etc.), drained and rinsed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbeque sauce
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 Tablespoons prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown the bacon.
• Remove and set aside the cooked bacon, drain the grease (save the grease if using turkey).
• Add the ground beef and onion to the pan, season with salt and pepper, cook over medium high heat for 7-10 minutes until the meat is brown and the onions are soft. If using turkey, add 2 Tablespoons of the bacon grease back to the pan while frying. If using beef, drain off the extra fat from the pan after cooking.
• Turn heat to low and add the remaining ingredients.
• Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste.

Notes: Some beans like garbanzo tend to be a little firmer in the can. If you are using different types of beans, add the firmer kind first; then add the softer kind after 10-15 minutes.

Rice Bowls with Mexican Leftovers

Rice bowl using leftovers (rice, beans, chicken, cilantro, onion)

When we have tacos or burritos, we often have leftover bits of beans or meat or rice. An easy way to use up those leftovers is to make rice bowls. I'll usually make one bowl for lunch if there's not enough left for a full meal for all of us, but sometimes I make extra rice and such the first time so that there will be enough leftovers for everyone. It works well because each of us can pick which ingredients we like, and it doesn't seem like leftovers.

Rice Bowls with Mexican Leftovers
Rice or Spanish rice
Taco meat (pork, beef, chicken)
Beans (black or refried)
Onions, chopped
Peppers, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Cheese, shredded
Salsa
Cilantro
Sour cream 

• Layer rice, meat, beans, onion, peppers, tomatoes, and cheese in a bowl.
• Heat in the microwave until heated through (length of time depends on your microwave).
• Top with salsa, cilantro, and sour cream.

Notes: You can add anything to these rice bowls that you like on a taco. The list above is what we normally have around, but it varies every time.

Deep Dish Pizza

Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza

It's hard to find the perfect pizza recipe. Cook's Country has a good thin crust recipe that we like, but the favorite in our house is deep dish. My recipe for deep dish crust is a cross between Mark Bittman's pizza crust using a food processor and the notes I took watching an America's Test Kitchen video on deep dish pizza. This pizza may not be the perfect recipe, but it's my current favorite and "something good."

Deep Dish Pizza
Dough:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons yeast
7 oz milk or water
2 teaspoons sugar
2 Tablespoons oil

Toppings:
4 Tablespoons oil
2/3 cup pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
40 slices pepperoni

• Mix flour, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a food processor.
• In a separate bowl, warm the milk or water to 110-115 degrees and add the sugar and oil, stirring to combine.
• With the food processor running, add the liquid mixture using the feed tube. Process until combined.
• If it forms into a ball, you are ready to continue. If the mixture is too sticky or too dry, add flour or water one tablespoon at a time until a ball forms.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic, and let it raise 1-2 hours.

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• Move rack to the bottom of the oven. Preheat oven to 400*.
• Pour 2 Tablespoons oil in each of the bottoms of 2 round 9 inch pans.
• Divide the dough in half.
• Roll out the dough in a circular shape on a floured surface. Use your knuckles to stretch the dough into a 9 inch circle. Place in one pan and repeat with the second half of the dough.
• Spread 1/3 cup sauce on each pizza.
• Sprinkle each pizza with 3/4 cup mozzarella.
• Spread out 20 pepperoni slices in a single layer on a paper towel lined plate. Cover with a paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds. Place slices on one pizza and repeat with the remaining slices for the other pizza.
• Bake for 20 minutes.

Notes: If you are in a time crunch, force the dough to raise by preheating your oven to 150, turning off the oven, and placing the plastic covered dough bowl in the warm oven for 30 minutes.

Mom's Marinade

Grilled Chicken with Mom's Marinade

I don't think my mom even measures when she makes her marinade, but I forced her to write down the recipe a few years ago because we all like it so much. This marinade is great for chicken, pork, or beef.

Mom's Marinade
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons brown or Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
salt and pepper to taste

• Combine ingredients in a bowl.
• Set aside 1/4-1/2 cup of the marinade for a dipping sauce if desired.
• Place 4 pounds of meat in a zip bag.
• Pour remaining marinade over meat.
• Let sit, refrigerated, for at least an hour.
• Grill or broil the meat; discard the marinade that was on the meat.
• Serve meat with reserved marinade.

Notes: The chicken tenderloins in the above picture were on a hot grill for about 7 minutes.

Broccoli Soup

Broccoli Soup

Broccoli soup is considered "something good" by most of our family. The veggie hater doesn't like it, and once again my husband will bring out the "soup is not a meal" argument. But the ones who do like it really like it a lot. So broccoli soup stays on our frequent meal list.

Broccoli Soup
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons flour
1 potato peeled and diced
3-4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (16 ounce) packages chopped frozen broccoli, thawed
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: crackers and cheese

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium sized pot.
• Add the onion and saute until tender about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic and the flour and cook 1 minute.
• Add the potato, chicken broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the broccoli and simmer 5 more minutes.
• Use a hand mixer or blender to puree the mixture until it is as smooth as you like.
• Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Garnish servings with crackers and cheese.

Notes: If you like larger chunks, puree after adding one bag of broccoli; then add the second bag and cook for 5 minutes. To make this gluten free, leave out the flour and add an extra potato to help thicken.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Pasta

Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Pasta

This Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Pasta recipe is the result of accidentally buying precooked shrimp. I chucked my original recipe that called for raw shrimp and ended up with this. The pasta has enough flavor for my husband but not too much for the kids. Not all of the kids like shrimp, but that just leaves more for the rest of us. Enjoy!

Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Pasta
4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
12oz. cooked shrimp
12oz. linguini
1 cup chicken broth or shrimp stock
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Chopped parsley
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• Combine garlic, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the shrimp and set aside.
• Boil the noddles in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water before draining the pot.
• Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the shrimp, reserving the marinade. Cook for 1 minute then remove the shrimp.
• Add the marinade, chicken broth, and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Cook until reduced by half.
• Add the pasta, shrimp, and additional teaspoon of lemon juice. Toss to combine.
• Serve with chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Notes: You could use raw shrimp, just peel them before adding to the pan and cook them for about 3 minutes.

Bean and Salsa Chili

Bean and Salsa Chili

Our chili is a little different each time we make it depending on what we have in the pantry. A friend once told me that recipes are made to be adapted. That is so true, and this recipe is one you can change to suit your taste and ingredients on-hand. This ratio of meat, beans, tomatoes, and salsa is a very loose guide, just a place to start. Add hot sauce and cayenne if you like it spicy. 

Bean and Salsa Chili
1.5 lbs cooked meat (pulled pork or beef, ground beef or turkey)
2 cups chopped onions
1 28 oz jar salsa
1 14 oz can tomatoes
1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 27 oz can chili beans with sauce
1-2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt

• Mix all ingredients in a crock pot. 
• Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
• Top with cheese, onions, sour cream, crackers, etc.

Notes: Can be assembled in the crock pot in the evening, refrigerated overnight, and cooked during the day to be ready for supper.

Question: What is your chili secret?

Baked Chicken Enchiladas

Baked Chicken Enchiladas

These baked chicken enchiladas are not traditional, but they get a 5 out of 6 something good rating at our house. I find it easier to make a pan of enchiladas and bake them instead of serving them individually after dipping the tortillas in the sauce. This way they are all ready at the same time, and we have a good stash of leftovers. I usually make a batch of spicy and a batch of mild to accommodate our different tastes.

Baked Chicken Enchiladas
1 Tablespoon oil
1 onion, minced
1 lb. chicken, cooked and diced
1/2 cup salsa
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (divided)
8-10 flour tortillas
3 1/2 cups homemade enchilada sauce or 1 28 oz can enchilada sauce

• Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.
• Add the chicken, salsa, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
• Remove the frying pan from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese.
• Preheat oven to 350*.
• Oil a 9x13 baking pan and spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce over the bottom of the pan.
• Fill each tortilla with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the filling, roll, and place in the pan seam-side down.
• Spread the rest of the enchilada sauce over to completely cover the tortillas in the pan.
• Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 5 minutes.

Notes:  We like flour tortillas, but you could use the traditional corn tortillas, frying them in oil to soften them before filling and rolling. Sometimes we substitute black beans for some of the chicken. To make them dairy free, leave out the cheese.

Question: What is your favorite enchilada filling?

Spicy Honey Chicken Thighs

Spicy Honey Chicken Thighs

Based on a Cooking Light recipe for Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs, this is nice change up for chicken. It's quick and has great flavor. Only 3 out of 6 in our family will eat it because the rub has a little spice to it. For the other three I replace the spice rub with salt and pepper but keep the honey glaze. Then everyone gives it a something good rating.

Spicy Honey Chicken Thighs
5 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 boneless chicken thighs

• Place an oven rack about 4-6 inches from the broiler. Then preheat the broiler.
• Put honey in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk in vinegar. Set aside. 
• Mix the spices in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
• Spread the chicken on a broiler pan or on a cooling rack on top of a foil lined cookie sheet.
• Broil for 5 minutes. Flip chicken and broil for another 5 minutes.
• Brush the chicken with about half of the honey mixture. Broil for one minute.
• Flip the chicken. Then brush with the rest of the honey mixture. Broil for one minute.
• Serve and enjoy!

Notes: Using the foil lined cookie sheet makes for easier clean up. Our little grocery store rarely carries boneless chicken thighs, so I've boned them out by hand--it's tedious but worth it. A better plan would be to try to stock up on the boneless ones when ever I'm at a bigger grocery store.

Roasted Chicken

Roasted Chicken

Roasted chicken is a big hit at our house. Easy and tasty is hard to beat. The trickiest part is getting the cooking time right. Chef Sara Moulton suggests cooking a 3.5 lb chicken for 45 minutes at 450*. That's great, but the chickens at our grocery store tend to be a little larger 4.5-5 lbs. I've found different minute per pound ratios, and the one I like the best is 13 minutes per pound at 450*. Roasted chicken gets a six for six something good rating, and we usually have some leftovers for soup or tacos or chicken salad or enchiladas or pot pie (the possibilities are endless).

Roasted Chicken
whole chicken.
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Olive oil

• Preheat your oven to 450*.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper and rub with oil.
• If you want to tie up the legs and tuck the wings, you can, but it's not necessary.
• Roast uncovered, breast side up on a roasting pan for 13 minutes per pound or until juices are clear and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165*.
• Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.

Notes: Use the flavor bits on the pan and leftover bones to make chicken stock.

Question: What do you like to make with leftover chicken?

Moroccan Pork

Moroccan Pork--this picture doesn't do it justice.

I had made this recipe a number of times before realizing that most Moroccans don't eat pork. Fortunately I wasn't serving it to anyone Moroccan. We're still calling it Moroccan Pork because of the seasonings and dried fruit cooked with the meat. If you're serving this to Moroccans, more appropriate meats would be beef, chicken, or lamb. My recipe is loosely based off a recipe for Slow Cooker Moroccan Pork Stew from thriftyfoods.com. My family gives Moroccan Pork a six for six "something good" rating.

Moroccan Pork
5-6 lbs. pork, well trimmed and cut into 2" cubes
Salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons oil
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 orange, juiced and zested
10 dried apricots, sliced
2/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
chopped parsley

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.
• Season pork with salt and pepper.
• Brown pork in oil. You'll have to work in batches. Place the cooked pork in your crock pot.
• Add the onion and green pepper to the pan and cook for 4 minutes, until tender.
• Add the garlic and the flour and cook for one minute.
• Add the chicken stock and scrape to deglaze the pan.
• Turn off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients except for the parsley.
• Stir to combine, then transfer to your crock pot.
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until tender. 
• Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley when serving.

Notes: Serve over rice or couscous. Can be prepped the night before and cooked during the day.

Question: What is your favorite crock pot recipe?

Chicken Soup

Chicken soup is a family favorite. I do have one child who picks out the veggies, and my husband insists that soup is a side not a main course. But, when served with bread and salad, chicken soup gets positive reviews at our table.

Chicken Soup

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 onion, diced

5 cups chicken stock or broth

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

chicken bouillon

salt and pepper

1 cup uncooked noodles

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

Fresh parsley, chopped

• Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a soup pot.
• Sauté carrots, celery, and onion for about 5 minutes.
• Add chicken stock or broth and Worcestershire sauce.
• Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Taste the soup and add chicken bouillon if it needs more chicken flavor (I usually end up putting in about 2 teaspoons). Season with salt and pepper.
• Add noodles and simmer for about 8 minutes, until noodles are tender.
• Add chicken. Serve with parsley sprinkled on top.

Notes: I generally use homemade chicken stock, but you can use canned broth for a very tasty, quicker version.

Question

Is soup a side or can it be a main course?