Potato Soup

4 Lg. baking potatoes

1/2 C butter (1 stick)

2/3 C all purpose flour

6 C milk (or 4c milk, 2c cream or half-n-half; did this Friday night (half-n-half) - makes the soup even thicker)

1 bunch Green onions, chopped

12 slices thick, cooked bacon; crumbled

1-1/4 C (5 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

1 8 oz. carton sour cream (I use light)

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper (or to taste)

Bake potatoes until done. Cool. Cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out

pulp and set aside. Melt butter in heavy stockpot over low heat; add

flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Gradually add milk, stirring over med. heat until thick & bubbly.

Add potato pulp, salt & pepper, green onions, bacon and cheese.

Cook until heated thoroughly and stir in sour cream. Add more milk if

necessary (but it should be served thick). Can serve with additional green

onions, bacon & cheese on top. This makes about 10 cups. It is a *really* rich soup.

There isn't much taste difference in using whole vs. 2% vs. cream combo and regular vs. light sour cream. It's more in the thickness and texture that I've noticed. When I want to make it "light" I use 2% milk (all 6 cups), 2% sharp cheddar cheese, and light sour cream.

"Light" being relative, of course... ;)

Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (7 ounces) (I like to use whole wheat rotini)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t ground mustard (regular old mustard works too)
1/4 t Worcestershire sauce
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded or cubed Cheddar cheese (8 ounces)

1 Heat oven to 350ºF (I say skip this step until the noodles are done, who wants to have their oven on forever).
2 Cook macaroni as directed on package.
3 While macaroni is cooking, melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.
4 Drain macaroni. Gently stir macaroni into cheese sauce. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.

This was, in a word, AMAZING!

You can find the recipe here.

Barb Smith's Caribbean Chicken

2-3 Cups cooked rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup garden or chunky salsa
¼ cup marmalade
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon allspice (you can add up to a ½ on taste preference)

1. While the rice is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet at medium high. Add chicken; cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink (about seven minutes).
2. In a medium bowl, combine salsa, marmalade, brown sugar, and lime juice. Mix well.
3. Add to chicken; mix well. Bring it all to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer five to ten minutes stirring occasionally.
Serve over hot rice. Garnish with lime and orange wedges if desired.

Caramel Apple Cake

Cake:
2 cups sugar
1 cube butter
2 eggs
4 large unpeeled apples, grated
2 cups flour
2 tsp. soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
1 cup chopped nuts

Blend all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with warm caramel sauce (below) and whipped cream.

Caramel Sauce:
2 cubes butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
2 tsp vanilla
dash nutmeg

Mix butter, sugar, and milk together in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and nutmeg.
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Chicken Rolls

4 cups chicken meat (cooked and chopped)
4 oz. package of soft cream cheese
2 pkgs. of refrigerated crescent rolls (Pillsbury-reduced fat or one recipe of homemade baking powder biscuits and cut into triangles)
Butter-flavored spray or use a food sprayer (pamperd chef or other kitchen supply store) filled with olive oil
1 cup bread crumbs

Directions:
Combine cooked chicken and cream cheese. Unroll the crescent rolls and lay them out on the counter.
Place about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture at large end of roll. Fold the ends in and roll up like a burrito, making sure to seal the ends. Spray a baking sheet and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray the rolls with butter spray and roll in bread crumbs. Place on sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Quick... easy... kids can help and they love them.

TRIED IT:
AT gave it an 8, out of 10, and the kids both liked them. Minor Substitutions: I made my own bread crumbs, because I'm too cheap to buy them, so I added a few various spices inside, because I assume the flavor is supposed to come from the bread crumbs. What I would do differently next time: I would probably add some grated Parmesan Cheese inside, and probably more cream cheese, I'm not sure if the amount is off, because the typical package comes as 8oz, and I added more than the recipe called for, and still it could have used just a touch more if you want them a little bit gooey inside.

Cranberry Cookies

Makes about 72

1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tbs grated orange peel
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
2-1/2 cups coarsely chopped frozen or fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease baking sheets. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Stir in milk, orange juice and egg. Mix in dry ingredients. Stir in nuts and cranberries.
Drop dough by tablespoons about 2" apart on greased baking sheet.

flash freeze and add to freezer bags

Bake 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet, then remove to wire cooling racks to cool completely.

Alfredo Sauce

1/2 cup whipping cream
1 stick butter
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese