Potato Soup

What are we on now, snow day number four? Pretty soon I'm gonna start losing track! And two-hour delays. Yeah, I don't even try to count those. Not enough fingers and toes. 

To be honest though we're literally snowed in. Take a look at our driveway bobsledding track. Let me tell ya, the turn is just lovely! Barb wire or electric fence? Take your pick! If it wasn't for the snow piles (aka-bumpers) I'd a taken both out eons ago! 

So mom and I decided it was a good day to make potato soup. We finally have some freezer space and really, what else was there to do? Great mother-daughter bonding experience. Totally recommend it! Mothers and daughters that peel/chop potatoes together stay together! Okay...I think it's time to move on...

Start by peeling, rinsing, and chopping the potatoes. You'll wanna cut em in half, half again, then chunks. Keep going till there's a good six cups and add em to a large pot. 

Pour in the chicken broth.

Add the onions, celery, and margarine/butter.  Fresh or frozen don't make a difference.  Around here we like to freeze pre measured bags of onions and celery. One- we grow way to many onions and Two- it's so much easier! 

Add the salt...

And the pepper...

Now just a quick stir, put on the lid, and bring it to a boil. You'll wanna cook it until the vegetables are fork-tender. 

Turn down the heat to medium-ish and stir in a can of sweetened condensed milk. Now here's the important part. Cook another 30 minutes, stirring often, but DO NOT LET IT BOIL. Got it?

Now this is all personal preference. You could leave the soup as is (chunky) or 

let it cool slightly and throw it in a food processor/blender (creamy). We prefer it creamy, but you could even do a half-half kinda thing. 

Potato Soup

:Ingredients:

6 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed

5 cups chicken broth

2 cups onions, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

12 ounces evaporated milk

:Directions:

Combine first seven ingredients in a large pot.  Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring often.  

Reduce heat to a simmer and add evaporated milk.  

Cover and cook 30 minutes, stirring frequently, not allowing the soup to boil.

Allow to cool slightly before pureeing in a food processor or blender.

Click for printable recipe.

Potato Soup

Every year, usually sometime in October, my great (literally great) grandma comes up for a visit.  It works out perfectly as my mom could use an extra hand peeling and canning potatoes.  We always seem to plant way too many!  A couple years ago we had over 500 pounds!!  Yes, 500 pounds of potatoes for four people!  Of course we shared with family, friends, and neighbors.

But seriously, what do you do with that many potatoes?  No matter what you do -mashed, boiled, baked, fried- they become old after a while.  My mom tried canning them.  Everyone else loved them, but they weren't my favorite.  They were a little soft for my liking.  She also froze several batches of potato soup.  Let me tell you, nothing is better than going in the freezer on a cold day and pulling out a container of potato soup.  Just heat it up and lunch/dinner is served. My kind of cooking!

Since we had so many potatoes my mom offered to send home soup with my grandma.  Of course she accepted!  Who would turn down potato soup!?  My grandma has a one-of-a-kind sense of humor. One morning, my mom went out to feed the horses and left her in the kitchen peeling potatoes.  When she came back in, my grandma was holding a sign that read "Will Work For Food."  

To this day we still laugh and tell her she'll have to help if she wants her share of the garden.  Every year she keeps coming back, so the labor must be worth the reward!

Potato Soup

:Ingredients:

6 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed

5 cups chicken broth

2 cups onions, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

12 ounces evaporated milk

:Directions:

Combine first seven ingredients in a large pot.  Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring often.  

Reduce heat to a simmer and add evaporated milk.  

Cover and cook 30 minutes, stirring frequently, not allowing the soup to boil.

Allow to cool slightly before pureeing in a food processor or blender. 

Copyright © 2014, Grace George. Simple and Sweet Creations. All Rights Reserved.

Click for printable recipe.

Chicken Nuggets

When I was little I'd look forward to the days grandma picked me up from school.  Why?  Well of coarse anytime spent with grandma is special!  But grandma always seemed to find a Wendy's or McDonald's on the way home.  She liked to call it "her special treat." Fine by me!  What 10 year old wouldn't eat chicken nuggets everyday!?  Unfortunately they aren't the best things for you...

I still love chicken nuggets...well my homemade chicken nuggets. Yes, after I learned just how bad those "tender, juicy McNuggets" actually were (and the fact that they may not be 100% meat) I quit ordering fast food chicken nuggets. 

Then I saw Mr. Food's recipe for Buttermilk Chicken Nuggets. Yes! A homemade chicken nugget recipe!  I printed it off and gave it a try.  

It was really good...but of course I had to make some adjustments. Instead of buttermilk I like to dip the chicken in egg.  I think it sticks better.  And if you want some real breading, dip it twice!  I'm not a huge spicy person, so I left out the red pepper.  Feel free to add or leave out whatever spices you'd like. Sometimes I even add parmesan cheese. (delicious!)

Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 egg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Cut chicken into nuggets, strips, or tenders.

Dip in egg then breadcrumbs, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake 15 minutes or until no loner pink.

Powered by Recipage

Italian Chicken

Without a doubt, I think chicken is my favorite meat.  No matter what you do to it (besides burn it!) it tastes amazing!  Some of my favorite chicken dishes Chicken and Rice, Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Nuggets, S&P Chicken, and this Italian Chicken.

Quick and easy, it makes a perfect weeknight dinner.  Especially when I forget to set something out or I need leftovers for the rest of the week.  Usually I end up making extra for lunches!  I'll either cube it up add it to a salad, mix in a little BBQ sauce and put it on a sandwich, or throw it in a container and eat it as is.  No matter which way I reuse it, it still tastes amazing on Friday.  

It's best not to over marinate the chicken.  I've found that it becomes a little dry sitting for over an hour.  If you have to choose between 15 minutes or 1 hour and 15 minutes, do the 15 minutes.  It will still taste fine!  And this recipe is written for a conventional oven, but in the summertime we love to throw it on the grill!

Start by cutting your chicken into cubes.  I've found it's easiest (and safest!) to use scissors.  Place chunks in a small bowl.

Pour Italian dressing over the chicken.  Be generous here!  You want the chicken completely covered.

Slide the marinated chicken cubes on skewers and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

Broil on high 8-10 minutes per side or until chicken is no longer pink inside. You'll have to watch carefully.  Unfortunately the cooking time varies with every oven.

Serve with a salad or baked potato for the perfect meal!

Italian Chicken

6071022

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breast
• Italian dressing

Instructions

Cut chicken into chunks and place in a small bowl. Cover with Italian dressing and marinate in the refrigerator 30-60 minutes.

Slide marinated chicken chunks on skewers and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

Broil on high 8-10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Cooking time may vary depending on your oven.

Powered by Recipage