Loaded Potato Soup

 

Loaded Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 package (12 oz) bacon
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
6 cups chicken broth (from two 32-oz cartons)
2 lb baking potatoes, peeled, cubed
2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup diced cooked ham
1 container (8 oz) sour cream
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (10 oz)
3/4 cup sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS:
In 12-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 6 to 7 minutes or until crisp; drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon; set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Cook onion in bacon drippings over medium-high heat 6 minutes or until almost tender.

In 6-quart Dutch oven, mix onion, broth and potatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.

Meanwhile, in same skillet, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour with whisk until smooth. Cook and stir 1 minute. Gradually stir in 2 cups of the milk. Pour milk mixture into potato mixture. Add remaining 2 cups milk, the salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with whisk, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.

Stir in ham, half of the bacon, the sour cream, 2 cups of the cheese and 1/2 cup of the green onions. Cook until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. Evenly top individual servings with remaining bacon, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/4 cup green onions.

Instant Pot Cabbage, Sausage and Potato Soup

 Instant Pot Cabbage, Sausage and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

⅛ tsp Cayenne pepper

2 tsp. Garlic salt

Pepper to taste

3 Tbsp. butter

1 medium head of cabbage chopped

1 Onion sliced into wedges

1 Tbsp. Minced garlic

2 to 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices

2 stalks celery, sliced

4-5 Medium gold potatoes largely chopped

1 Package smoked sausage cut into rounds

1 C. Chicken broth




Mix together the cayenne pepper, garlic salt, and pepper in a small bowl, and stir to combine.  Lightly stir into prepared vegetables.

Melt the butter in the Instant Pot and lightly saute the veggies for 5 minutes before adding smoked sausage and cooking for another 5 minutes.  Add broth and stir.

Seal Instant Pot.  Set to "Soup" setting and let cook.  Natural release for 5 minutes, then quick vent until pressure is released.  Stir and serve.

HAMBURGER STEAKS WITH ONION GRAVY

 HAMBURGER STEAKS WITH ONION GRAVY

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp dried beefy onion soup mix

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1tbsp better than bouillon beef base

2 medium onions

2 cups mushrooms

4 cups beef broth

1 Tbsp corn starch

Directions:
In a large bowl add ground beef, bread crumbs ,egg, milk, salt, black pepper, dried onion mix and Worcestershire sauce mix well form into patties of your size.

In a large skillet heat 1 tsp of oil add the patties to brown about 5 minutes per side.

When browned remove set aside .then add onions and mushrooms sautee for another 3 minutes.

Then add the mix the cornstarch with the beef broth then add beef broth and beef bouillon to the pot now add back the patties to cook for 45 to 50 minutes until it comes down to your desired thickness .

It's that time of year!

 (reposting from 2016)

Planning a Frugal Holiday Meal

I have been reading various internet articles about how to plan a frugal holiday meal and some of the tips offered are something I would not consider frugal or desirable.  So, I thought I'd share how I plan a frugal yet TASTY homestyle holiday FEAST, one that you can enjoy without having to starve yourself for weeks ahead just to be able to afford it.

A meal plan is VITAL for a holiday meal so that you know what you need to buy, you don't plan too many similar dishes, and you don't forget anything!   I try to utilize foods that are free to me (husband gets a turkey from his employer, we have canned or frozen garden produce, etc.), inexpensive (sales, made from ingredients I already have), and things that I can use in more than one holiday dish, ex. cranberries.  I cook from scratch, so the plan also helps me to plan my time wisely i.e. what can be made ahead.  I found this handy printable at www.cleanmama.net along with even more handy tips!

I also plan the meal based on typical sale prices, portions, and KNOWN recipes.

• MANY items go on sale for a few weeks before the holiday.  Watch for those sales!  Know what you will typically need and get those things when they are on sale.  A big tip:  some stores mark fresh turkeys down to extremely low prices right after Thanksgiving, so it's a good idea to grab one THEN and freeze it for Christmas dinner!  
• Unless you want a lot of leftovers, you had better be aware of how many portions you'll need.  Don't buy a 20 lb. turkey to feed a family gathering of six people unless you plan for a lot of turkey leftover meals or plan to freeze the extra.  Do the same with side dishes and desserts.  Trust me, I'm well known for cooking way too much food!  Family WILL get tired of eating the same leftovers for days afterward!  A general rule of thumb is 1 lb. of turkey or ham per person if you want ZERO leftovers, 2 lb. if you plan on leftovers.  I found a chart on www.goodhousekeeping.com for other foods as well, although it looks to me to be one of those "zero leftovers" meals.   
  
• Holidays are not a time to try to impress with a recipe you have never tried to make.  Do yourself a favor, save yourself a lot of frustration, and just don't.  

Now, if you are hosting plenty of extended family and know that the meal will be too much for you $$-wise and time-wise, don't hesitate to delegate!  Someone else can bring a veggie tray, or green bean casserole, dinner rolls, or a bottle or two of wine.  

Set your table the night before, unless you have little ones or pets that would get on the table.  Turn the dishes and glasses upside down to avoid getting dust in them; turn right side up before guests arrive.  It's also a good idea to get out all serving dishes and serving spoons/forks so that you're not scrambling to find them at the last minute.  If you will have kitchen help, you can even write down what food each dish will hold on a scrap of paper and put it right in the dish; this helps your helpers to know what will go where so that they can help dish up the food.

We will be taking part in a potluck Thanksgiving meal this year, but if we didn't my plan for the meal this year would have included:

veggie/pickle tray (using inexpensive veggies such as cucumbers, broccoli, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, homemade pickled beets, pickled cucumbers, pickled peppers, black olives.  Veggies can be prepped the day before where needed and quickly arranged the next morning)

turkey (free from husband's employer, cook in an oven bag to save time)

homemade cornbread & sausage stuffing (make cornbread from scratch, cut up veggies, brown the sausage all the day before)

mashed potatoes (crockpot recipe!  Prep potatoes the night before and store in fridge in water)

turkey gravy (easy enough to make while turkey is resting after roasting)

sweet potato casserole (another crockpot recipe, bake sweet potatoes the day before and mash.  $1.09 for 3 lb. sweet potatoes vs. $1.29 for 29 oz. can - Aldi prices)

traditional green bean casserole (not my favorite but some family members expect it, use green beans canned from the garden)

sauteed green beans w/bacon, mushrooms, and red onion (using frozen green beans and red onion from the garden, must be made shortly before the meal but doesn't take long)

potato rolls (make the day before, use bread machine to make the dough, ingredients all on hand)

broccoli cranberry salad (buying fresh broccoli, using part of the package of bacon from the previous sauteed green beans recipe, other things are typically on hand, prep the day before and put together the morning of the meal)

fluffy cranberry fruit salad (cranberries purchased on sale, everything else already on hand, make the salad except for whipped cream and nuts the day before) 

pumpkin pie, apple pie (all made from scratch, make the day before)

pumpkin cake roll (make the day before but don't put together with cream cheese filling until the morning of the meal)

orange cranberry cupcakes (bake and frost the day before, uses more of the seasonal cranberries that I buy on sale)

*The recipes for many of the above are in this blog*

Have a Happy Holiday Feast!