Olive Garden Toscana Soup

My bestie, Steph, came across this recipe somewhere & made it for me while we were studying for a nursing final one semester. So, I haven't actually made it myself, but I have eaten it & it is every bit as delicious as the Olive Garden version (if not better)!

Olive Garden Toscana Soup

2-3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1-2 medium russet potatoes
2 cups chopped kale
1/2 lb. of spicy Italian sausage
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine the stock & cream in a saucepan over medium heat
Slice the unpeeled potato into 1/4 in. slices, then quarter the slices & add to soup
Add the kale
Grill or saute the sausage. When cooked & cooled, cut the sausage at an angle into slices about 1/2 in. thick. Add the sausage to the soup
Add the spices and let the soup simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as an entree.
(I think Steph doubled it when she made it for 3 of us & she had leftovers for their dinner that night.)

**I've seen some versions of this that add bacon pieces & since bacon is like cheese to me (as in it makes everything better :) , I wouldn't be opposed to throwing in some bacon pieces.**

Grandma Patton's Potato Salad

One of my all time favorites!

Grandma Patton's Potato Salad

Unfortunately, I don't have measurements for the ingredients on this either but I'll try to give you some estimates to get you started. The rest you have to use your taste tester to figure out :)

Ingredients:
Potatoes (for the 3 of us, I might use a 5 lb. bag mainly because I always want leftovers of this; for a family gathering I'd use at least a 10 lb. bag)

**Side note, my mom always said when making potatoes (like mashed, potato salad, etc) you peel 2 for each person & throw in a couple for the pot. That works for normal people, but I have an addiction to potatoes so I usually throw in a few more just because :) **

Other ingredients:
Mayo (you truly have to eyeball this to get the consistency of potato salad you want)
Relish - dill not sweet, (2-4 Tblsp., maybe a little more)
Eggs (2-3)
Onion (1/4-1/2 cup, chopped)
Salt & Pepper to taste
American Cheese Slices (2-4)

Dice, cook & drain potatoes. Lay the cheese slices on top of the hot potatoes. Cover & allow cheese to melt. Add remaining ingredients & mix. Enjoy!!

Crack Potatoes

I originally found this recipe here after coming across it on Pinterest. It sounded like it made several servings so I was waiting for a family function that I could test it out share it at. That opportunity came in the form of Christmas at my Mom's. Turns out they were a BIG hit so here's the recipe.

Crack Potatoes

2 (16 oz) containers of sour cream

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

2 (3 oz) bags real bacon bits

2 packages Ranch Dip mix

1 large bag frozen hash brown potatoes

Before baking...

Combine first 4 ingredients, mix in hash browns. Spread into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 400 for 45-50 min. 

**Personally, I thought this dish was WAY too salty. Everyone else said it was just fine to them. Regardless, I think I'll try it next time with 1 Ranch Dip mix & 1 Ranch Salad Dressing mix (because the dressing mix is less salty).**

After baking...
picture thanks to http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/01/crack-potatoes.html
because mine were gone so fast I didn't have time to snap a picture! 

Crockpot Baked Potatoes

Pinterest is quickly becoming one of my very favorite internet past times. (As if I needed another way to waste time on the internet! HA!).  I have found some really great ideas & recipes on there. Today I tried something I read on there a couple weeks ago....baking potatoes in the crockpot.

You can read about this technique at the original place I found it (if you like) here...

Or I can just briefly tell you how it works :) 

Wash potatoes

Wrap in aluminum foil

Place in crockpot

Cook on high 6-8 hrs

Remove from crockpot, unwrap & load 'em up with all your favorite toppings!

Doesn't get much easier than that, does it?!? No heating up the kitchen with your oven & no waiting your turn to microwave your potato while everyone else is eating (and, I have to add, these are WAY better than microwaved ones anyway!)

*Note: you have to wrap them in foil & you do NOT add any water to the crockpot...this seems to be the 2 main questions asked over at the blog linked above*

Soups for a Cold Winter's Day

Since it's freezing cold out there, I thought I'd add a couple great soups from Mom's Kitchen.  I actually got this recipe from my Grandma Patton. I think she found it in a magazine or newspaper insert or something. It's about as simple as soup can get &, if you're New Year's Resolution was to lose weight, you're going to love that it's also easy on the diet.  (It only has 3 WW pts. per serving - if you're a WW person)

Quick & Tasty Potato Soup

3 cans (10 oz. ea.) FF chicken broth

1 pkg. McCormick's Low Fat Country Gravy Mix

1 pkg Ore-Ida Potatoes O'Brien 

Mix together & heat through. 

Another family favorite is:

Enchilada Chicken Soup

Picture from www.tasteofhome.com

1 can (11 0z) condensed fiesta nacho cheese soup, undiluted
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2-2/3 cups milk
1 can (10 oz) chunk white chicken, drained
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce (I use the red sauce)
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies


sour cream, optional


In a large saucepan, combine the soups, milk, chicken, enchilada sauce, & chilies; mix well.  Cook until heated through.  Garnish with sour cream, if desired.  


Serve with tortilla chips & salsa.

Grandma King's Potato Soup

Today's recipe is from Toby's mom, Sharon (or Grandma King to Liv).  Her original potato soup has always been a family favorite.  In fact, it was one of the first recipes I asked her for when Toby & I got married because he was always wanting it. (Right after I asked her how to make iced tea...yeah, I didn't know how - pretty amazing, huh? She wrote it on a piece of paper &, although I no longer need a recipe for iced tea, I've always placed that recipe under my silverware drawer in every house we've lived.  It's kind of like a good luck charm that reminds me of when we first started out). 

Anyway, back to the potato soup...a few years ago she received a potato soup recipe from her best friend, Annette, and decided to modify her own recipe.  At first we were all like "don't mess with a good thing", but boy are we glad she did!  What was good before is now absolute heaven for the taste buds!

Pic by Grandma King :) 

Grandma King's Hearty Potato Soup

4 or 5 med to large red potatoes (red ones make the best soup, mashed and fried too,☺)
2 to 4 stalks of celery
1 med sized onion
Salt & pepper to taste
Parsley
1/2 cup cream or more
2 T of butter
1 to 2 cups of milk or more
I/2 # or 1/2 package of Eckrich skinless kielbasa or more

Chunk the potatoes (about an inch) chop onion and celery (large chop) and put into your large sauce pan, use just enough bottled water (our water from the tap is awful) to almost cover the veggies. Add salt, pepper and rub some parley in your hands and add that. Cook till tender and let the water cook down some.

Do not drain, but then add the butter, cream, milk and kielbasa then simmer for about 20 minutes.

Grandma also says:
"All of these are estimates because I do not follow a recipe. If you like a more thick soup, then use more veggies. Or if you want plain soup, leave out the kielbasa, as some prefer the soup plain, ☺"
(This last smiley is for Toby who is the only freak in the family who does not like the soup better with the keilbasa - haha!)

Yeah, I know I've used this pic before, but it's one of my faves! Liv has been interested in cooking since she was itsy-bitsy. I have to say that I (& she) have Grandma King to thank for cultivating this love of all things food. When I was too much of a "mommy" to let Liv help me (afraid she'd get hurt or in a hurry just to get supper on the table), Grandma was letting Liv pull up a chair & stir what didn't need stir, encouraging her to find new recipes they could try & allowing her to use her creative food instincts. Today, Miss Liv is quite the capable cook & it's due in great part to the hours she spent at Grandma King's side in the kitchen...Just another example of the impact Grandma's have on our lives :)