Disneyland Loaded Baked Potato Soup

DISNEYLAND LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP
1 pound bacon, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
3/4 cup diced celery
4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 medium red potatoes, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups heavy whipping cream
Garnishes: chopped chives, bacon bits, sour cream, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.

In a 6-8 quart stockpot over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels (reserve half for garnish). In the bacon fat, cook onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent. Add potatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in flour and stir constantly over low heat until the flour is cooked and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5-7 minutes. Add stock and half of the bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Mash some of the potatoes for thicker, creamier texture. Add whipping cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust thickness by adding additional stock. Soup should be creamy. Serve with toppings.

Later today Audrey and I went to the Millwood Farmer's Market and picked up some jam and scones, from the Scone Ranger. Mine is pictured above - an Almond Joy chocolate scone. The scones are "soft" rather than dry like many scones are.

Tomato Basil Soup

Tomato Basil Soup
3 x 15 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup diced celery
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup flour
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Put tomatoes, celery, carrots, onions and chicken broth into a stock pot. Cook on stove until carrots are soft. Make roux in a separate skillet. Melt butter over low heat and add flour, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes. Slowly add in 1 cup of hot soup and mix thoroughly. Add roux mixture into soup mixture in stock pot. (If you like, you can use immersion blender to smooth out some of veggies.) Stir and add Parmesan cheese, half and half, salt and pepper. Add in oregano and basil. Cover and let cook on low for about 30 minutes or until heated through.

Catch up!

A few things to make note of:

11/12 - The Youth hosted a Single Sister dinner for the older sisters in the ward. John came home and was raving about the food that some of the young women leaders had brought. I was able to get two recipes from Nicole Black. See below - Pumpkin Dump Cake and Buffalo Chicken Chili

11/18 - John came inside before going to work and said he thought his truck had been gone through during the night. I asked him why he thought that? He took me out to his truck where all the contents of his glove box were all over the seat and his garage door opener was in a different spot. They took nothing from the truck, however, we found later that they had used the garage door opener to get into the garage and take one of John's nicer tools. (Did not realize until when he went to go use it). We have now taken to keeping the garage door opener inside the house.

12/3 - Safeway Spokane Distribution Center luncheon at work. The meal was catered again this year. Went down after the crowd had died down and the food was running low, but still had an opportunity to visit with current and retired Safeway employees.

12/5 - Safeway Spokane Store managers luncheon at Twigg's in the valley. New venue for us this year. Brian (District Manager) and the Store Managers were in attendance. Because our HR rep Nancy had just left for another job opportunity, I was the only other one there besides management. Nancy usually had attended in the past. We had a nice lunch (able to order off the menu), a short meeting and then the gift exchange. Doug Ryan and Dan DiCicco had planned a few fun games and a different spin to the gift exchange. Made it more enjoyable as they had said "no alcohol" this year! Meant I could actually have more than one other gift to choose from. No... I did not go home with this bear. Part of the gift exchange was being able to steal from others and one of the managers' young child was the ultimate recipient.

12/6 - Safeway Columbia Store managers luncheon in Moses Lake at Michael's on the Lake. Jodee (HR Rep) and I carpooled to the meeting. Jodee was a little sad (as she was retiring the first of January) so knew this would be one of the last opportunities to see the store managers. Little did we know that it was the last time we'd have Craig as our District Manager. At the meeting he announced his retirement, with last day of 12/10. I was pretty emotional as Craig has been a wonderful boss and great supporter for all in the district. He truly will be missed! What ended up being kind of funny..... the store managers in Columbia also do a gift exchange. Jodee and I were discussing what we had brought for our gift exchange. I (as usual) had something non-alcoholic, but Jodee brought something she thought no one would guess. Well, we started opening the presents. #1, #2, #3, #4, #5..... each gift was Crown Royal. Each one! They were different sizes or gift packs, but all were Crown Royal. When all the presents were open, every single one was Crown Royal except what Jodee and I had brought. After Craig made his retirement announcement, the store managers "gifted" all the Crown Royal gifts to Craig. They had NO idea he was retiring, but kind of thought he would in the next couple years. So without realizing it, we actually had a Going-Away party for Craig. Nice venue if you are ever in Moses Lake - I ended up ordering crab stuffed chicken (delicious). After the meal Jodee and I headed home. I was pretty bummed out, was not a happy day for me.

12/6 - And John had a YM winter camp-out so was already gone by the time I got home, all weepy....

12/9 - Today was the last day that I would get to have Craig as my boss and District Manager since I was on a planned vacation starting 12/10. Very sad day. Below was the official announcement they sent out about his retirement. I'm going to miss him!!!

Craig started his career as a produce clerk with Safeway at store #376 in 1969 and was promoted to Store Manager in 1989. He managed 2 stores and was subsequently promoted to Director Retail Support in March of 1997. He was promoted to District Manager in January 2000 successfully managing the Metro, Everett, Spokane and Columbia Districts. His accomplishments and contributions over his 44 years with Safeway are too many to list! Craig’s positive outlook, along with his commitment and drive for excellence are very much appreciated and he will truly be missed by all who have worked with him. 

Here are the recipes from the 11/12 event.

Buffalo Chicken Chili
2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut in 1" pieces
1/2 cup diced white onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
28 oz can diced tomatoes, un-drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
Blue cheese

In a 5-6 quart crock pot, mix all ingredients except the buffalo wing sauce and the blue cheese. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Stir in sauce before serving. Sprinkle blue cheese on individual servings if desired.

Pumpkin Dump Cake
1 large can (29 oz) pumpkin
1 can (13 oz) evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 yellow cake mix (dry)
1 cup melted butter

Mix the first 8 ingredients together and pour in a 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix. Pour melted butter over the cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

8 Can Taco Soup

This was billed as a Slow Cooker recipe, but we just heated it on the stove. Tasted great!

8 CAN TACO SOUP
15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz pinto beans, drained and rinsed
14.5 oz diced tomatoes, not drained
15 oz corn, drained
12.5 oz chicken breast, drained
10.75 oz cream of chicken soup
10 oz green Enchilada sauce
14 oz chicken Broth
1 ounce taco seasoning mix

Put all ingredients into a pot and cook until heated through and boiling. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, salad and chips (we used Fritos).

Olive Garden Chicken and Potato Florentine Soup

This was a tasty soup on a winter day.

OLIVE GARDEN CHICKEN AND POTATO FLORENTINE SOUP
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I just cubed and did not shred)
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
3 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
1 TB plus 2 tsp dried minced onion, divided (I used fresh)
2 tsp paprika, divided
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice
4 medium carrots, finely diced
6 red potatoes, unpeeled, diced
2 c. water
15 oz can white beans, drained
3-4 c. fresh spinach, chopped
8 oz package cream cheese
1&1/2 to 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, grated

Add chicken breasts, chicken broth, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon minced onion, 1 teaspoon paprika, salt, pepper, diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and water to a large saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until chicken is cooked through (160 degrees on thermometer) and the veggies are tender. Remove chicken breasts, shred and add back to the pot. Add the beans and heat on low for 30 minutes. Add the fresh chopped spinach and cook for 5 more minutes. If soup is too thick, add extra water. Taste and add the remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons minced onion and 1 teaspoon paprika, if needed. Stir in cream cheese until completely combined. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with grated Mozzarella.

Overnight at Hartman's

I've decided the best way to spend Thanksgiving Day is to not have to worry about driving home when you are full & sleepy from a fabulous meal. This year we stayed overnight at the Hartman's lake house. After helping them clean up the kitchen and put things away (tables, chairs, serving dishes), we relaxed by watching a couple movies and then went to bed. (Audrey brought Firefly so Richard could experience... he logged onto Amazon that day and picked up his own copy, must have liked it!)

We woke up and had waffles - the Kremin's joined us.

Mary's Waffle Recipe
1 & 3/4 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 beaten egg yolks
1 & 3/4 cups milk
2 stiffly beaten egg whites

Combine yolks, milk and oil. Stir in dry ingredients. Fold in egg whites leaving a few fluffs. Cook in waffle iron.

As we were cleaning the breakfast dishes, Mary started up a batch of soup, so we definitely stuck around until after lunch. Spent time watching more Firefly episodes and visited. After lunch we went home and took a nap!

Turkey and Navy Bean Soup
2 lbs turkey with bones (if no leftover turkey, use drum sticks)
3 T. oil
2 & 1/2 quarts water
2 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
Heat oil and brown turkey in a covered pot to avoid splattering of oil. Drain excess oil. Add water, salt & bay leaves. Boil for 1 & 1/2 hours. Remove meat from bones. Set broth and meat aside.

3 c. Navy beans (small white beans)
3 quarts water
1 large onion, chopped
12 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. oil
1 T. ground cumin
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 c. celery, sliced
salt to taste - about 2 tsp.

Wash beans. Add beans to 3 quarts water. Boil 10 minutes. Set aside for 30 minutes, then cook for 30 minutes more. Saute onions and garlic in oil for 2 minutes, then add turkey & broth as well as the beans and their broth and 1 more quart of water. Add celery and seasonings, cover and cook over medium heat for 1 hour.

Variations - chicken instead of turkey; more veggies; rice or noodles instead of beans.

Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder

This was a quick and tasty recipe. Perfect for a weeknight.

CREAMY CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
32 oz chicken broth
1 c. half and half
8oz cream cheese
1 package frozen S&W sweet petite white corn
16 oz Pace or other salsa
3 c. cooked chicken, shredded
1 tsp cumin
Optional toppings:
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Avocado
Sour cream
Chopped tomato

Saute' onion and garlic in 2 TBS olive oil, add broth, half & half, cream cheese, corn and salsa. Bring all to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and add the chicken & cumin. Cook just until heated. Serve in bowls and top with cilantro, avocado, sour cream and diced tomato.

Tortellini Soup

TORTELLINI SOUP

2 TB oil
3-4 garlic cloves
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp paprika
3-4 stalks celery, diced
4 large carrots, diced
1 large can diced tomatoes
Kale - cut to spoon size
Soup stock (vegetable, chicken or beef)
1-2 small bags dried tortellini, any kind
1-2 bay leaves
Salt & pepper to taste
Drizzle of honey & Drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in bottom of large soup pot. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic and paprika. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender. Add a little stock to cook veggies if they are starting to get too brown. Add salt & pepper. Add tomatoes, kale, stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Add tortellini and turn heat to medium. Cook until tortellini is done. **Finish off with a drizzle honey and balsamic vinegar - this part seemed odd, so I skipped the honey and served the balsamic vinegar on the side, so each could add what they wanted. I really liked the flavor that way as I could add more if I wanted** Add salt & pepper to taste. Turn heat to low until ready to serve. Remove bay leaves before serving. Do not overcook. Soup will thicken as it sits, so OK to add more stock.

Serve with shredded cheese & crusty bread.

Cougar Gold Soup

For those outside Cougar country - Cougar Gold cheese is produced by the Washington State Creamery and sealed into cans. Each can sells for $20-25 depending on what flavor is purchased. We always go with the traditional and it is best served with Triscuts.


COUGAR GOLD SOUP
1/2 c. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. thinly sliced celery
1/4 c. flour
3 c. chicken broth
1 c. grated carrots
3 c. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 c. milk (or 1/2 & 1/2)
2-3 cups shredded Cougar Gold Cheese
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (would suggest sharp)
Black pepper

In a large soup pot, melt butter over moderate heat. Add onion and celery and saute until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add chicken broth and cook until slightly thickened. Add grated carrots and potatoes and cook until just tender but still firm, 20-30 minutes. Add milk and reduce heat to low. Add cheeses and stir until cheese are melted. Season with pepper to taste.

Cheeseburger Soup

It made sense to try this soup soon after we made the mac&cheese dish, just to use more of the American cheese from the fridge. This took a lot of slicing and dicing by Audrey and I!


CHEESEBURGER SOUP
1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. shredded carrots
3/4 c. diced celery
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
4 TB butter (divided)
3 c. chicken broth
4 c. diced & peeled potatoes
1/3 c. flour
8 oz process American cheese, cubed (about 2 cups)
1&1/2 c. milk
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 c. sour cream

In a large pan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 TB butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from the heat; blend in sour cream.

White Bean and Ham Soup

WHITE BEAN AND HAM SOUP
2 pounds dried white beans, like Great Northern
1 ham bone with meat
1 large onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 dried bay leaves
1 can chicken broth
6 cups of water
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse beans and place in soup pot. Add water to cover. Bringing to a boil, turn off burner, cover and let soak for 1 hour. Pour off the water. Place the beans back in the soup pot on the burner. Add the ham bone, the chicken broth and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover.

Add diced onion, chopped celery & carrots to the pot with the bay leaves. Cook, covered for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Beans will smash easily against the side of the pan when they are done.

Remove the ham bone from the beans and cool until cool enough to handle. Take a big spoon and smash some beans against the side of the pan and stir them back in. Do several times until the soup begins to look creamy.

After the ham bone has cooled enough, take the meat off the bone and discard any fat. Put the ham into the soup and season well with salt and pepper.

Zuppa Toscana - Italian Sausage Soup

ZUPPA TOSCANA - Italian Sausage Soup
2 spicy Italian sausages (I used the sausage roll)
2 T. olive oil
1 chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 c. hot water
2 T. chicken bouillon powder
4 red potatoes, diced
8 slices of cooked bacon
2 c. chopped, fresh spinach
1 c. heavy whipping cream

Cook the sausage, drain and set aside.In a stockpot, saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add water, chicken bouillon, and potatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes. Crumble bacon and add to soup. Add sausage, spinach and cream and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Serves 6.

Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup

I have never eaten at Panera so cannot tell you if this was like theirs or not. I did like the flavor and would make some changes the next time I made this soup. I had cooked the flour mixture on too high of heat so ended up with very thick soup. Also, my family did not like having their veggies pureed, so I will leave in chunks next time.

PANERA BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1 cup carrot, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Saute onion in 1 tablespoon butter. Add melted butter to pan. Whisk in flour and cook over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half. Add chicken stock. Add broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes. If you cook too high it will thicken too much. Just add more chicken stock. Add salt and pepper. If you want you can put portions in the blender and puree (or use the immersible hand stick blender), but I will leave in big chunks next time I make soup. Add cheese. Stir in nutmeg.

Cheesy Chicken Chowder

This soup turned out rather tasty & flavorful, but I have to admit I thought the recipe called for too much chicken broth, so I only added 2 boxes. What that made is more of a casserole texture. It was good that way, but a little too thick to really call it a soup. So put in 2 boxes if you want it incredibly thick or the 3 boxes the recipe calls for if you want it to be chowder : )

CHEESY CHICKEN CHOWDER
2-3 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
3 boxes chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
3-4 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup white rice
1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
Salt and pepper

Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot. Add the veggies and cook about 30 minutes. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 20-30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir in the chicken and Velveeta, stirring often as the cheese melts. Be careful not to boil the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Hard Rock Cafe Baked Potato Soup

Tried a new recipe today. Very tasty! Audrey thought I put a little too much of the secret ingredient in - it does have a kick!!

BAKED POTATO SOUP
8 slices bacon, fried and chopped with drippings reserved
1 cup yellow onion, diced
2/3 cup flour
6 cups chicken stock, hot
4 cups potatoes, baked, peeled (optional) and diced
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 & 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 & 1/2 teaspoons Red Pepper Sauce *Secret ingredient*
(I used the kind you buy in the Chinese cooking section)
1 & 1/2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup green onion, diced

Saute' the onions in the reserved bacon drippings over medium high heat until transparent, about 3 minutes. Add flour, stirring to prevent lumps; cook for 3-5 minutes, until mixture just begins to turn golden. Add chicken stock gradually, whisking to prevent lumps until liquid thickens.

Reduce heat to simmer and add potatoes, cream, bacon, parsley, garlic, basil, salt, red pepper sauce and black pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes; do not allow to boil.

Add grated cheese and green onions, heat until cheese melts smoothly. Garnish each serving as desired with chopped bacon, grated cheese and chopped parsley.

Cougar Chili without the Cougar

This might be one of those "had to be there" stories - not that you had to be there at the event, but that you had to hear the story from the source. Here goes... My boss and his two adult sons were hunting this fall and had one bullet left in their rifle. Cougar leaped in the air to attack one of the sons, the other son shot the cougar. Now they have cougar meat in the freezer. My boss brought Cougar Chili to work and offered it to anyone wanting some. I did not want any. Not at all (meow). But my daughter caught wind of the event and was excited to sample some. She loved it! She insisted on getting the recipe for the chili. It was originally titled "Chuck Wagon Chili", which we really should call it, but this seems more fun?! By the way, the chili (sans cougar) is delicious!!

COUGAR CHILI WITHOUT THE COUGAR
2 lbs ground beef
1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
2 onions, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Jalapeno pepper, diced
14oz catsup
16oz can cut green beans, drained
7oz can diced green chiles
14oz can sliced stewed tomatoes
15oz can kidney beans, drained
2 - 15oz cans pinto beans, drained
1 pouch Chili spice mix

In large skillet brown the beef; drain off drippings. In crock pot add the browned ground beef and all the remaining ingredients. Add 1 cup water. Cook until heated thoroughly and bubbly. Recipe says can top each serving with sour cream or shredded cheese, but we ate it just like this. Made some cornbread muffins and then had a slice of pie for dessert!! Fabulous Sunday meal :)

Chicken Noodle Soup

My daughter absolutely ADORES this soup. She was working on her recipe book and came across this recipe. I got it from Jean Wynia a few years back and it has become a favorite in our household. There are no quantities, just put in what you want - sorry!

HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Saute onions, garlic and butter in soup stock pan

Add:
Cooked, shredded chicken (Deli roasted works great)
Celery, chopped
Carrots, chopped
Kale or Mustard greens (use scissors and cut into small pieces)
2 big cans chicken broth (or make your own)
Lemon pepper
Dill

Add all the ingredients into the soup pot and cook on medium until carrots are tender. About 20 minutes before serving, add noodles. Look at the package and cook for lenth of noodle-cooking time. NOTE: Must use "Country Pasta" brand (you can find at Costco) because everyone will think you made the noodles from scratch!!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

We had the missionaries over tonight and I decided to make the soup that was served at Super Saturday a few weeks ago. Below is the recipe:

Laura's Chicken Enchilada Soup

2-3 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 regular size can tomato sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream
2 tsp. chili powder
1 can diced tomatoes plus juice
1 TBS. dried onion flakes
1 can drained kidney beans
1 can chicken broth
1/4 c. cilantro

Mix well and put into crock pot to heat. We served with tortilla chips, grated cheese, salsa, sour cream and olives. It was a tasty soup. Reminded me of a creamy-taco soup with chicken. Laura says you can also serve it over rice.

Lentil Soup

This is by far my favorite thing to whip up in the crockpot and enjoy a few hours later. Easy, easy and super yummy too. And if you don't like lentil, you can sub it into a Split Pea soup or a Navy Bean soup. No need to measure anything. If you want more veggies - toss them in! My sister gave me this recipe a couple of years ago and I love to throw it together right before we leave for church so that when we come home, we open the door to a marvelous smell. Or like today, I run home at lunch time and throw it together so it is ready when we all get home.
GERMAN LENTIL SOUP
1/4 cup chopped onion or I do dry onion flakes if no fresh
1/2 cup chopped celery (or more!)
1/2 cup chopped carrots (or more!)
1 lb fully cooked smoked Polish Sausage (I use the "rope")
Beef Broth (32-64oz worth) depending on how soupy you like your soup
Dash Worcheshire Sauce
1 cup dried lentils
Salt & Pepper to taste

I just put everything in a crock pot and cook on high for abour 4 hours. Just until the lentils are done.

For Split Pea - exchange split peas, chicken broth & bacon
For Navy Bean - exchange navy beans, chicken broth, chunked ham

Enjoy!