Potato Casserole

or better known as Cheesy Potatoes!!

I know we have our own recipe for this and they're all pretty much the same. But I wanted to document this one for myself because it was the recipe my grandma always followed.

1 pkg (32oz) frozen hash brown potatoes
1 stick butter, melted
1 pint (or 2 cups) sour cream
1/2 cup onion, chopped (I omit the onions)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix and top with crushed potato chips. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes

Ummm....you should definitely make these. My sister made them for Thanksgiving and they were amazing!! There is an okay way to make mash potatoes and a right way--because mash potatoes can never be wrong. But these are definitely the right way! Enjoy!
Original recipe came from RealSimple.com

Serves 8Hands-On Time: 10mTotal Time: 40m

Ingredients

• 4 pounds red potatoes (about 8), halved
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 scallions, chopped

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot. Add cold water to cover and bring to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.
2. Add the sour cream, milk, butter, scallions, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and mash. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, cover, and set over a pot of simmering water to keep warm, up to 1 hour.

Vegetable Soup

We've been eating a lot of soup this winter. It's comforting, can be extremely healthy, and cheap too. So here's the recipe of the soup I made tonight.

Vegetable Soup

• 1 pound beef for stew (I usually buy mine pre-cut, cause I'm lazy and busy too)
• 1 clove of garlic
• a little flour
  
• 1 (46 ounce) bottle V8 vegetable juice
• 2 cups of chicken/beef/vegetable broth (this is approximate - I just emptied the box I had in the frig from last week. So add as much as you want, I say)
  
• 1/4 of an onion, chopped (we can't tolerate much onion in our home, so use more if you want)
  
• 2 carrots, sliced
  
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 2 cups of frozen corn or 1 can whole kernel corn
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can green beans (I would have used fresh if they were in season)
  
• 1 pinch ground ginger (I'm not sure why, but I tried it)
  
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Throw some flour, salt, and pepper along with the meat into a ziploc bag and shake it around a bit. Heat a little olive oil in the bottom of your pan and brown a clove of garlic. Then throw the meat in there. Let it brown the outside and then drain the fat. Put the beef back in the pot along with all the other ingredients. Let it cook for over an hour or all afternoon. This would also do great in the crockpot.

I hope these instructions aren't too general. You pretty much can't go wrong on this one, so enjoy making yours just right for your family!

Light Chicken & Dumplings

Tortilla strips make the dumplings in this light version of chicken and dumplings.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked well, shredded or chopped
• 1 can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
• 1 can fat free chicken broth
• 5 flour tortillas, cut into 2-inch squares
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of celery salt
• dash leaf thyme

Preparation:

Place chicken, soup and broth in large sauce pan. Bring to boil. Add salt and pepper, celery salt, and thyme. Add tortillas slowly. Keeping the broth mixture at a boil. Lower heat to simmer. Simmer until tortillas are tender (about 20-30 min.). Add additional water or broth, just enough to prevent sticking and to maintain desired consistency.