Potato soup is very comforting. Most people have had it growing up.
This isn't my mother's potato soup and probably not yours either.
Potato soup is a frugal meal. It is also great on a cold night.
You will need a medium saucepan.
You will also need a blender, food processor, or you could even use a hand mixer.
Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
large pinch salt
dash pepper
1 cup milk
Cook the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain.
Combine the cooked potatoes and half of the broth in a blender or food processor.
Puree.
Or add to bowl and blend up with a mixer.
Set aside.
In your pan, melt the butter.
Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and dill weed.
Add milk.
Stir and cook until mixture is bubbling and slightly thickened.
Cook for an additional minute.
Add the potatoes and rest of the broth.
Heat through.
Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
This is so good! My daughter says it tastes like eating chicken fajitas.
It's a great dish to warm you up and fill you up.
You will need a large pan. Like a dutch oven. It needs a lid.
Ingredients:
Chicken-
4 chicken breast halves
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups water
Dumplings-
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 1-1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro(1/4 cup dried if you can't find fresh)
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped finely
3/4 cup milk
Combine the chicken breasts, water, chili powder, salt, and onion in your pot.
Bring to a boil, cover, and turn the heat down to medium low.
Once in a while turn the chicken.
Simmer for about an hour.
Take out the chicken breast halves, let cool slightly, and chop.
Return to pan.
While the chicken is simmering, make the dumpling dough.
In a large bowl mix the flour, cumin, salt, and baking powder.
Cut in the shortening.
Stir in the cilantro and pepper.
Pour in the milk and stir until just moist.
Work the dough with you hands until it is like biscuit dough.
When you have added the chicken back to the pot, bring back to a boil.
With your hands, break off handfuls of dough.
You will get about 12.
Smooth the dough slightly into a ball shape and drop gently into the pot.
Cook uncovered 10 minutes.
Cover and cook another 10 minutes.
Dumplings are done when you poke them with a toothpick and the toothpick comes out clean.
Serves 4-6.
A good muffin with the heartiness of oatmeal and the yumminess of chocolate and bananas.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease 12 muffin cups.
Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed banana(2 or 3)
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oatmeal, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix the bananas, milk, butter, egg, and vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture and stir until moistened.
Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups.
The cups will be pretty full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the muffins test done when checked with a toothpick.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes.
Turn out to finish cooling.
12 muffins.
If you love pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, you are going to love these.
Most people think of whoopie pies as being chocolate.
But, these as a fantastic change of pace.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly grease 2 or 3 cookie sheets.
Ingredients:
COOKIES-
1-1/2 cups pureed pumpkin(15 oz. can)
2 large eggs
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup cooking oil
2 Tbs molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups flour
In a large bowl, beat together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, and molasses.
Add the salt, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
Beat in the flour.
Using a medium cookie scoop, drop dough onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until they feel firm to the tough.
Take out and put on a cooling rack to cool while you make the filling.
FILLING-
1 Tbs unflavored gelatin
2 Tbs water
1/2 cup(1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup(4 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2-1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbs finely chopped crystallized ginger-optional, but highly recommended
Add the water and gelatin to a microwave safe bowl.
Heat in the microwave briefly on low power to dissolve the gelatin. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
Add half of the powdered sugar and beat.
Add the gelatin and mix in.
Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix til creamy.
Stir in the ginger, if using.
Spread the filling on the bottom side of half of the cookies.
Top with other half.
To store, separate layers with paper towels or wrap each whoopie pie in plastic wrap. Otherwise they will stick to each other.
You will get about 2 dozen whoopie pies.
The gelatin can be found with the jello or in the baking aisle.
It seems to help stabilize the filling.
If you have never had a homemade pot pie, you are in for a treat. It is comfort food that warms you up on a cold day.
This is a good way to use up leftover turkey or chicken. You can also use cubed chicken breasts or cook 2-3 chicken hindquarters, take it off the bone and chop.
You need pastry for 9" two crust pie.
You also will need a 9" square pan.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
For the filling:
a heaping half cup of frozen peas and a heaping half cup of frozen carrots
you can also use a 10oz. bag of mixed peas and carrots.
3 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-3/4 cup chicken or turkey broth-canned, homemade, or use water and bouillon granules
2/3 cup milk
2-1/2 to 3 cups chopped turkey or chicken
Roll the pie dough out into a big enough square so you can just put it into the pan, add the filling and fold the top over. It might have a couple uncovered spots near the middle. But you need to slash holes in the top crust anyway so this works out well.
To make the filling,
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onion and cook til tender. Add the flour, salt and pepper.
Let it get bubbly and take off the heat. Add the milk and broth and put back on heat.
Bring to a boil. Let it boil 1 minute and keep stirring.
Stir in the turkey and carrots and peas.
Pour the filling into the crust and flip the crust over the filling.
Make air holes if you need.
Bake for about 35 minutes.
Let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into so the filling won't all run all over.
It serves 6 good size servings.
These cookies are simply fabulous. It's a chocolate cookie with peanut butter in the middle. Hence the name- magic in the middle.
I love making these with my daughter.
These are 2 step cookies.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly grease(or use parchment) 2 or 3 cookie sheets
Ingredients:
Filling-
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
Dough-
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar + a little extra for dipping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup(1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
In a medium bowl add the peanut butter and powdered sugar for the filling.
Work it together with a spoon and than your hands. At first it will become crumbly, but keep working it together and it will become very smooth like modeling clay.
Set aside.
In another bowl whisk the flour, cocoa powder,baking soda, and salt.
Set aside.
In another bowl beat together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat.
Blend in the flour mixture.
Now it is time to roll the cookie and filling into balls.
You will need to get 26 filling balls and 26 cookie dough balls.
Once you have that done, you need to put the filling into the dough.
Take a ball of dough and make an indention in the middle, stick the filling in it and seal it up.
Once you have the filling sealed inside the dough, smooth it into a ball.
Dip the tops of the cookies in a small amount of sugar.
Place on cookie sheet.
With a bottom of a glass, flatten the cookies slightly to about 1/2 inch thick.
Bake the cookies for 7-9 minutes, just until they are set.
Cool on a wire rack.
Makes 26 yummy cookies
This dip is super easy to make. Just put everything into a bowl and stir. There ya go.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1(4 oz.) can chopped green chilies, drained or 1/4 cup chopped fresh chili
In a bowl add the sour cream, mayonnaise, and spices.
Stir thoroughly.
Mix in the chilies and cheese.
Chill for 2-4 hours in the fridge to blend the flavors.
Serve with tortilla chips.
Makes a little over 2 cups dip.
Potato soup is very comforting. Most people have had it growing up.
