Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

My wedding gift from one of my very best friends was a beautiful cookbook that she created by asking all of the women in my life to contribute recipes to it.  It is filled with so very much love, photos, and yummy recipes.  Jack and I decided that we are now on a mission to make every single recipe in that book.  This is one of those recipes. 

Must be prepared the night before serving!!!

5 pounds boiled and mashed potatoes
8 oz. cream cheese
1 Cup 1/2 & 1/2
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of black pepper
1/3 Cup butter, softened

Grease crock pot or spray with cooking spray.
Add all ingredients together in a separate bow and mash up well.
Put into crock pot.
Refrigerate overnight.
Cook on low for 2 hours.

Mama Dolly's Chicken and Rice Soup

My wedding gift from one of my very best friends was a beautiful cookbook that she created by asking all of the women in my life to contribute recipes to it.  It is filled with so very much love, photos, and yummy recipes.  Jack and I decided that we are now on a mission to make every single recipe in that book.  This is one of those recipes. 

This one is great any time of year - but if you're feeling under the weather it will really make you feel better!

Chicken:  6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs with fat trimmed OR 4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tblsp EVOO
1 stalk celery chopped 1/2 inch or more if desired (I use about 3 stalks - I like my soup with a lot of veggies)
2 cups baby carrots or 2 cups chopped 1/2 inch or more if desired (I use about 3+ large carrots)
1 medium onion chopped
Tarragon (I put in a lot of this - I feel it really adds a lot of flavor and depth to the soup)  Suggestion: 2 tsp.
Juice of 2 fresh lemons
Sriracha (to taste)  OPTIONAL
minute rice uncooked OPTIONAL
homemade dumplings (for recipe click here)  OPTIONAL
Salt and Pepper

In dutch oven or medium to large soup pot with cover, combine EVOO, celery, carrots, and onion; saute until beginning to get soft.
Add chicken, tarragon, salt and pepper.  Cover with water. 
Cook on medium heat for 1 hour or 1 and 1/2 hours or until chicken is done and veggies are semi-soft. Remove from heat and add either homemade dumplings or 2 cups of minute rice (uncooked). If you add the rice here - cover until rice is done and add salt and pepper again to taste and move to the final step.  If you add the dumplings here - you're ready for the final step.

FINAL STEP:
Add juice from the two lemons.

I like to add Sriracha to my soup - but do what you like!

Michelle's Homemade Dumplings

These are great to add to soup or have as a side dish.

My wedding gift from one of my very best friends was a beautiful cookbook that she created by asking all of the women in my life to contribute recipes to it.  It is filled with so very much love, photos, and yummy recipes.  Jack and I decided that we are now on a mission to make every single recipe in that book.  This is one of those recipes. 

1 1/3 C flour
1/2 C milk
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Your choice of bouillon or stock

Boil water in large saucepan with your choice of flavor (you can use chicken bouillon, beef bouillon or, veggie stock.)
Mix together dry ingredients in medium bowl.  Then add milk and egg.  When mixing together, slowly add a little more flour until the dough isn't sticking to the bowl.  Break apart pieces from your big ball of dumpling dough and drop them into your boiling bouillon water.  It's best to roll each piece into a ball so you have nice bite size dumplings.  Michelle's grandmother liked them big.  I found that they about double in size once they are boiled in the water. 

Boil uncovered for 10 minutes and covered for 5 minutes.  

Wendy's Beef Stroganoff

This came from my mother, Wendy Hayden Sellers.  It's a recipe from the 70's; probably not the healthiest.  For a Healthier Beef Straganoff Recipe click here.

You'll need a casserole dish.  Any will do - I use one that looks like this:

Ingredients:

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can of cream of celery soup

1/2 packet of Lipton Onion Soup

1 package of stew meat (sometimes needs to be cut into smaller pieces)

1 package of egg noodles or grandma's noodles (found in freezer section)

(or make your own noodles)

Mix together all three soups and stew meat into a casserole dish.  Cover the casserole dish with its cover or tin foil.  Bake for 2 hours on 350 degrees.

Following package directions, cook noodles.  Serve stew meat over noodles. 

(Roasted Green Chile) Corn Chowder

This is a recipe that I have come up with from several influences.  Sally Nelson started it all with the recipe card that called for "um onion".  I just guessed and put an onion in the soup.  I finally asked her about it and it was to say 1 m onion (1 medium onion).  I also took some direction on this recipe from Tyler Florence.  You can find his original recipe HERE.  Living in Colorado has brought me a love of green chilies in the fall and to add some spice to everything!  We watch them roast the green chilies on Federal Blvd, we bring them home, freeze portions of them and throw them in a meal at least once a week until we run out.  I hope you enjoy your corn chowder whether you choose to use green chilies or not.

1/4 Cup Butter or Margarine
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 medium red onion roughly chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup all purpose flour
6 cups water
3 bouillon cubes
(or you could use 6 cups of chicken stock)
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
3 or 4 medium size potatoes diced to bite size pieces
4 carrots sliced
4 celery stalks sliced up (including the leaves)
2 cans whole kernel corn
1 can creamed corn

The following is optional:
6 green chilies roughly chopped
1 Serrano pepper

Optional toppings:
shredded cheese
cilantro

Heat the butter and olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the onions are soft (about 7-8 min).  Sprinkle the flour over top and mix well. Pour in the water and add bouillon cubes (or add your chicken stock).  Bring to a boil.  Add milk, potatoes, carrots, celery, green chilies, and serrano pepper.  Bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes until the potatoes break down.  (This helps to thicken the soup and give it good texture.)
Add all three cans of corn.  Season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer 10-12 minutes.  I drizzle a little olive oil at this point as well.  Ladle into your bowl and top with shredded cheese and cilantro if you're into it.

Spaghetti Squash Pizza

Spaghetti Squash Pizza

This is one of my favorite recipes of all time.  A go-to in this house.
You can use any ingredient you normally enjoy on pizza.

3 Cups of grated or raw zucchini
OR
3 Cups cooked spaghetti squash *this is what we always use
2 eggs beaten
2 1/2 Cups mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 Cups tomato sauce *we just use can of diced tomatoes sometimes -don't drain the juice!
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced black olives (we use whole black olives!)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried  (or fresh!) basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
OPTIONAL:  1 lb browned Italian Sausage or other meat you enjoy on your pizza

1.  Cook spaghetti squash:  we cut it in half lengthwise, remove the seeds etc, place meat faced up in a glass 9 x 13 pan that has 1 inch of water in the bottom.  Microwave for 6 minutes. With a hot pad, turn them over to be face down for another 5 minutes.  Scrape the spaghetti squash strands out into a bowl and let cool.

 2.  Squeeze the excess moisture out of the grated zucchini or cooked spaghetti squash with cheese cloth or paper towels.  Mix the squash, eggs, and 1 1/2 Cups mozzarella together in a large bowl and press into the bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish.  Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
3.  Remove the pan from the oven and spread the tomato sauce (or canned tomatoes), vegetables or other pizza toppings and the remaining cheeses over the crust.  Sprinkle with oregano and basil and drizzle the olive oil over the top.  Bake for 25 minutes (also at 350 degrees) or until cheese is lightly browned. Let cool 5 minutes.

Original recipe that we found:  Click Here

Massaged Kale Salad

Lemon Avocado Massaged Kale Salad

This is dairy, soy, gluten free, vegan, and raw... if you're interested.

I had one bite of a salad while spending the afternoon with my friend, Aly in Boulder.  One bite.  I was hooked on this "massaged kale salad".  I don't know their recipe and haven't spent any time analyzing it myself, so I just googled it.  I found one that sounded simple enough to make so I did.  It was SOOO YUMMY!  Do it... if you like the list of ingredients!  While we enjoyed it at the dinner table we talked about all the other options we could do to twist the recipe.  I can't wait to have this again.

2 Avocados - peeled, pitted, divided
juice of 2 Lemons
2 Large bunches of Kale, stems and ribs removed

Slice avocados in half lengthwise, set one half of one avocado aside.  Remove the remaining three avocado halves from their peels, place in blender (we just used immersion blender).  Juice two lemons into blender, process until creamy smooth.
Remove stems/ribs from each kale leaf, roll tightly and chiffonade.
Place in large bowl and pour lemon avocado sauce over top, use hands to massage, coating thoroughly.  Serve with reserved avocado (sliced) and tomato.  Add sea salt to taste.