Sunday, June 30, 2013

Crock Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup







CROCK POT LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP

ingredients


6 large baking potatoes, peeled, cut in 1/2-inch cubes


1 large onion, chopped


1 quart chicken broth


3 cloves garlic, minced (or pressed)


1/4 cup butter


2 1/2 teaspoons salt


1 teaspoon pepper


1 cup cream or half-and-half cream


1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese


3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives


1 cup sour cream (optional)


8 slices bacon, fried & crumbled


cheese, for sprinkling




Directions



Combine first seven ingredients in a large crock pot; 


cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours 

potatoes should be tender.


Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped 


and soup  is slightly thickened. 

Stir in cream, cheese and chives.



Of course you can make this low fat by keeping out the


bacon (yeah, right!) , using yogurt for the sour cream 

and milk for cream,  but you would need to add a thickener

like cornstarch or flour. Also, vegetable oil for the butter etc.

Disclaimer: This is NOT my own personal recipe. I found it on a site that did not have a Pinterest link so I placed it here to remember and easily link. Thank you.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Crock-Pot Breakfast Casserole




Breakfast casserole in the crock pot! Cooks while you sleep! Sounds perfect for a Sunday morning and great for company!

Ingredients:

1 bag 26 oz. frozen hash browns
12 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon ground mustard
1 16 oz. roll sausage
maple, sage or regular sausage.
Salt and pepper
16 oz. bag shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Spray crock pot and evenly spread hash browns at the bottom.

Crack 12 eggs in a large bowl.

Mix well (and slowly) using a whisk.

Add the milk.

Go ahead and sprinkle in the ground mustard. This might sound like a weird ingredient, but I've come to love (and use) this in most of my recipes.

Add plenty of salt....
...and lots of fresh pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Cook the sausage on high heat, drain and set aside.

Add sausage on top of hash browns.

Is this enough cheese? Maybe? Probably. Throw the whole big bag in there.

Mix it up well. Or good, depending on where you're from.

Pour the egg mixture over everything in the crock pot. Using a wood spoon, even everything out so it's spread evenly.

Turn the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.

Some fun variations of this recipe. Before cooking (during prep) you can add:

chunks of sourdough bread
diced chiles
salsa
diced green onions

Serve hot with a glass of orange juice and a side of toast.


The following link is where the original recipe is copied from:

http://www.allkindsofyumm.com/2011/10/crock-pot-breakfast-casserole.html

Thank you Rachel for an absolutely yummy breakfast recipe!!

Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad



... 
2 1/2 cups crushed pretzels 

3/4 cup butter melted

3 Tbsp. sugar

8 oz. cream cheese softened

1 cup sugar

12 oz. Cool Whip, thawed to room temperature (+extra tub for garnish when serving)


1 (6 oz) box Strawberry Jello


2 cups boiling water


3 cups strawberries sliced



Instructions


Topping:

Topping: Add 2 cups boiling water to Jello; mix well. Add strawberries to jello. Cool Jello 

mixture in fridge until thick, not runny.


Crust: 

Combine melted butter and sugar. 

Stir in Crushed pretzels.

Press evenly on bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely.

Lg Bowl: combine cream cheese, sugar and beat well. Add cool whip. Beat until smooth. 

Spread over pretzel crust. Make sure to get the cream mixture tight against the edges of the

pan to prevent jello mix from seeping thru.

Remove Topping mixture from fridge and spoon over cream layer.

Put in the fridge for at least 2 to 4 hours, until set.

Disclaimer: This is NOT my own personal recipe. I found it on a site that did not have a Pinterest link so I placed it here to remember and easily link. Thank you.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Glazed Pork Chops with Grilled Apples









INGREDIENTS

4 boneless pork top loin or sirloin chops, cut 3/4-1 inch thick (about 4 ounces each)
1 1/2 teaspoons Rosemary Herb Seasoning Mix, divided
2 teaspoons finely chopped , peeled fresh ginger root
1/3 cup apricot preserves
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 medium Braeburn apples, cored and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices

DIRECTIONS


1: Prepare grill for direct cooking over medium coals. Season both sides of pork chops with 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix.

2: Peel ginger root; finely chop using Food Chopper. Combine ginger root, preserves,  mustard and remaining seasoning mix in Small Batter Bowl; mix well. Core apples; cut apples crosswise into 1/2-inch slices using Chef's Knife.

3: Lightly grease grid of grill. Brush one side of apples and pork chops with glaze using BBQ             

Basting Brush. Place apples and pork chops, glazed side down, on grid of grill. Grill apples 3 minutes and pork 5 minutes, covered, turning once using BBQ Turner. Brush apples and 
pork chops with remaining glaze. Grill, covered, 3-5 minutes or until internal temperature 
for pork reaches 160°F for medium doneness.


Yield: 4 servings of 



Nutrients per serving:

Calories 360 (25% from fat), Total Fat 10 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 95 mg, Carbohydrate 31 g, Protein 38 g, Sodium 500 mg, Fiber 3 g

U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 starch, 4 low-fat meat (2 carb)

Cook's Tips:

The pork chops used in this recipe are from the loin section, which is found to be leaner than many cuts of beef and even skinless chicken thighs.

If desired, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, 1 garlic clove, pressed, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper can be substituted for the Rosemary Herb Seasoning Mix.

Gala, or other red-skinned apples may be substituted for the Braeburn apples.

A quick way to core apples is using The Corer™, which removes cores and seeds instantly.


Disclaimer: This is NOT my own personal recipe. I found it on a site that did not have a Pinterest link so I placed it here to remember and easily link. Thank you.