LOADED POTATO SOUP

You need a potato masher for this so you can mash down the baked
potatoes into the broth as they cook. 

This is one of those recipes you have to estimate on. 

Bake up a bunch of potatoes, let them cool, then
scoop potato into a soup pan.
I use three large baked potatoes and it makes about six servings.
Add your chicken broth until you have the desired thickness. 
Remember you are also adding milk or half and half later.
Heat the broth and potatoes, mashing while heating to break

down the potatoes. 

Dice up a bunch of onions, celery, and carrots.
Sauté those in some butter until they are soft.
Add vegetables to the potato and chicken broth. Season with
pepper, salt, parsley and garlic powder
Let that stuff cook until the potatoes break down more
that will add some heft to the soup.
After that cooks for a little while...
add in some half and half or milk, whatever you
have handy to make
it creamy. Add some shredded cheddar. 
Let it simmer for a while.
While it is simmering, cook some bacon,
 nice and crisp and then crumble it.
When you are ready to serve, top with
some shredded cheddar and bacon and some chives or
chopped green onion.  

Molly's Corn Casserole

 1/4 cup melted, cooled, plus more, softened, for pan
1 (8.5-oz.) package Jiffy corn muffin mix
2 TB granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
2 cups frozen corn, thawed, drained
1/2 shredded cheddar cheese
1 (15-oz.) can creamed corn 
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. paprika
chives

Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a 2-qt. baking dish with 

softened butter. In a large bowl, whisk Jiffy mix 

and granulated sugar until a few lumps remain.

In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk eggs, 

milk, cream, spices syrup and melted butter. Add egg mixture to 

dry ingredients and stir until just combined. 

Stir in thawed corn, creamed corn and cheese.

Pour corn mixture into buttered pan. Bake casserole 

until set and top is golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes.

Top with chives. Let cool slightly before serving.

 

Susie's Candied Cranberries

1 twelve ounce bag fresh cranberries
2 cups 7Up or Ginger Ale
1 cup orange juice
1 cup powdered sugar (make sure it's fresh)

Combine the cranberries, soda and orange juice in a bowl.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
After the cranberries have soaked, preheat oven to °200
Drain the cranberries, place in a large zip-loc bag, add the powdered
sugar and shake well until the cranberries are coated in sugar.
Transfer the coated berries to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake 5 minutes. Be careful not to over bake.

Cool completely before placing in storage containers.

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

 8 oz Philadelphia brand cream cheese DO NOT SUBSTITUTE (do not soften, it should still be firm)
¼  cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1 egg
(Jumbo eggs are too large, only use yolk if all you have is jumbo)

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten/1 egg, 1 yolk if jumbo 
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
Dash salt
One 9 inch deep dish pie shell

Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and 1 egg with a
mixer until smooth and well blended.
Spread into the bottom of pie shell.
Mix pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, 2 eggs,
spices and salt with a whisk until well blended. 

Pour over cream cheese layer. Unless you have a very deep pie shell, you will probably
have a little bit of pumpkin mixture left over.
Bake on a baking sheet at 350° for one hour and fifteen minutes, or until set.
Garnish with maple syrup and pecan halves.

MABON APPLE CARAMEL CAKE

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter, softened
2 cups flour, sifted
Pecans

Beat sugar and butter until creamed
Add eggs, one a time, beating afterward
Add soda, salt and vanilla
Add flour
Blend in apples and pecans.
Bake in buttered 9 x 13 at 325° for 45 minutes
or until golden and toothpick comes out clean.

Topping:
1 stick butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup evaporated milk
Cook until it comes to a boil
Take off of heat and
Then stir in 2 tsp vanilla

Poke holes in cake and pour topping all over.
Spread over cake with spatula, so topping drips into poked holes.

PERUVIAN CHICKEN MARINADE

1/3 cup soy sauce

 2 tablespoons fresh or bottled lime juice

Tsp garlic powder

1 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 

Black pepper to taste

 5 TB olive oil
Chopped onion

Whisk all ingredients (but onions) well.

Pour over three chicken breasts or 4 to 5 boneless chicken thighs. 
Top with chopped onion. 

Marinate 4 hours if cooking in oven or on grill. 

Marinate 1 hour if cooking in slow cooker. 

350° for 1/2 hour in the oven. 

4 hours on high in the slow cooker. 

You can use fresh garlic, but it tends to over power the marinade, so use sparingly. 

BACON STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

Sliced white bread (like Wonder) or thinly sliced french bread

Cooked bacon

Cream cheese, softened

Brown sugar

Eggs

Prepare as much bacon as you will need. Three rashers for regular bread, 

two for smaller slices of French bread. 

Lay your slices of bread out to dry a little. It will absorb the egg mixture

better that way. 

Mix one TB each of cream cheese and brown sugar for as many pieces as you will need. 
Each piece has two slices of bread.
This takes a while to mix well. 

Spread cream cheese mixture on the inside of two slices of bread. Add bacon

and make a sandwich. 

Mix eggs.

Dip the sandwiches lightly in the egg mixture and fry in butter until golden

brown. 

Serve with maple syrup.