Creamy Chunky Potato Soup

image from www.timeinc.net

6 cups cubed potatoes (leave the skin on...its better for you)

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery

1 large yellow onion chopped

1 bunch green onions (chop whites up through light greens)

3 cups water

2 cubes chicken bouillon

1-2 tsp minced garlic

1-2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp butter

3 cups cream or milk

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups chopped ham or bacon

2 1/2 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese

In a large pot combine the water, bouillon, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, green onions, garlic, salt & pepper, and butter. Bring to a boil.

In another bowl combine flour and cream/milk

Pour flour/milk into boiling pot of veggies. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.

Add ham/bacon and continue to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Soup will thicken nicely.

Add the cheese either into the pot or just on top after serving....

Serve in a lovely breadbowl, too, if you can. :)

P.S. Just as I do with most of my recipes here,

I kind of just made this up

so if you try it leave a comment

and let me know if you love it or hate it. :)

Calling all Lady Chefs!

Ladies,
We are all STILL cooking, I'm sure, but we've forgotten about posting our recipes to share with everyone!

Now, more than ever, we want all of your recipes and ideas! Please jump back on board the PLEASANT AND PLUMP train and show us what you've got! We have had a huge number of "hits" to this site, so its obvious we're being watched!

Lets make it a goal to post a new recipe at least once a month...that should be easy especially since you cook with so many MORE recipes than that a week!

Here's to a new year and new tastes!
Hearty Hugs!

Fancy Lemon Pancakes

My mom has introduced me to a cooking catalogue called "King Arthur Flour" and in it I've bought all kinds of fun things to cook with. When my recent order came in there was this recipe included. Can't wait to try it but had to share it with everyone! Let me know what you think!

3 large eggs separated

2 cups buttermilk

3 Tbsp sugar

1 cup skim ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp grated lemon rind or 1/2 tsp lemon oil

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

Beat together the egg yolks, buttermilk, sugar, and ricotta cheese. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, lemon, nutmeg, and salt, stirring gently.

In a separate bowl, bea tthe egg whites until stiff and then gently fold them into batter.

Drop batter onto skillet and cook on both sides until golden brown.

Serve with honey butter!!!

3/4 cup butter

1/4 cup honey

OR HAVE TAMARA TEACH YOU HOW TO MAKE HER SPECIAL HONEY BUTTER!!! :) MAYBE SHE WILL POST HER RECIPE HERE...

Oatmeal Carmelitas

I think some people call these Turtle Bars, but I haven't yet found a recipe that I really really like under that name. But I recentlycame across these "Carmelitas" in a recipe book I have and found them quite scrumptious. Let me know what you think!

Crust:
2 cups flour
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup softened butter

Filling:
1 x 12.5 oz jar (1 cup) caramel ice cream topping
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 13 x 9 inch pan.

Combine all the crust ingredients and when the mixture is crumbly, press half of it into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the caramel sauce and flour. When crust is done partially cooking, sprinkle the nuts and chocolate chips onto the crust, pour the caramel mixture over it, and then sprinkle the remaining crust mixture on top. Bake for another 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool for an hour, then cut into bars.

Asain Lettuce Wraps

Found this recipe online and we love it!

1 lb. ground turkey

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp fresh ginger root

Cook turkey with above ingredients in skillet. Break up turkey (like taco meat)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup water

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp ginger root

1 tsp brown sugar

mix above ingredients for sauce

cooked rice (I cooked my rice with chicken bullion and soy sauce to give it some asian flavor)

shredded carrot

green onions

rd. bell pepper

lettuce leaves

whatever else you would like as toppings

Use lettuce leaves as "shells" - put some meat and rice and top with veggies. Spoon on sauce as desired.

Its super healthy and DELICIOUS - and quick and easy to make!!

Cafe Rio salad

I made this for dinner and it was SO GOOD, i was quite impressed. It was delicious and the closest to cafe rio/costa vida I have come across.

I am going to post the recipe from the blog that I used . . . and then after each recipe I will post the ways I tweeked it in red . . cause i don't know how to follow a recipe exactly.

SWEET PORK
2 pounds pork
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can RED enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness)
1 c. brown sugar
Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.
In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

I used Dr. Pepper instead of Coke, I did not marinate the meat the night before . . . Instead I just put some brown sugar into the crock pot in the morning during the first cooking with the other ingredients. I doubled the amount of meat so we would have leftovers . . so I did double the ingredients and cooked the meat before shredding for about 5 hours.

CILANTRO-LIME RICE
1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

I used instant rice . . . and it was still absolutely delicous. Also doubled this recipe.

BLACK BEANS
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro. (**NOTE** we added a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder, it was AWESOME! We recommend doing this even though it's not "traditional Cafe Rio")

I did add the corn, and it was really good!

CILANTRO RANCH
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it!

I just used Ranch Dressing (2 cups) from the bottle instead of the mix with mayo and buttermilk. It was still really good . . . and I used 1/2 the seeds from the jalepeno and it was still quite spicy!

We just put some cheese on flour tortillas and put them in the oven for 5 min . . . then added the meat, rice and beans . . . with lettuce, tomato/onion and the dressing. Big hit.

We fed 4 people . . . tons of meat and beans leftover (maybe cause my hubby won't eat them) . . . and just a tiny bit of rice leftover. We used about 1/2 the dressing.

Sugar Cookies

So - I had these sugar cookies at a baby shower the other day they were delicious! I had to get the recipe and wanted to share it as it is the season for sugar cookies and other treats. They tasted similar to those Grandmother's sugar cookies you buy at the store - YUM. Maybe its the margarine (totally unhealthy) or the almond extract (and I usually don't like almond extract), but they were wonderful!Here is that sugar cookie recipe before I forget:

Cookies:
1/2 c. butter (room temp)
1/2 c. margarine (room temp)
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. almond extract
3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. bk powder
1/4 tsp salt

Beat butter and margarine till creamy. Then add sugar, eggs and almond extract. Stir together dry ingredients and combine with wet ingredients. Cover and chill one hour (at least) Roll out dough on lightly floured board. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes until lightly browned.

icing:
1/2 bag powdered sugar
1/4 c butter (room temp)
dash of salt
almond extract to taste
1/2 vanilla
milk until desired consistency is reached

Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad

1 (16 oz) pkg Rigatoni

½ C green onions
2 c chopped tomato

package pepperoni
1 c. sliced olives

1 ½ c cubed cheese

SAUCE
¾ c vinegar

2 TB salt
¾ c water

1 tsp pepper
¾ c brown sugar

½ c oil
1 tsp garlic powder

Cook pasta as directed. Mix pasta mixture (excluding cheese) & sauce mixture separate. Once pasta mixture mixed add sauce. Cool about 5 minutes before adding cheese. Best if refrigerated overnight.

P&P Salad Saturday! Everyone Come!

Hey Ladies!

Its time for another Pleasant & Plump get together to not only add more recipes to our delightful collection, but also to add more friendships and more fun into our summer's schedule! This time, we'll be having a SALAD party---hoping to taste and share all kinds of unique, delicious, and new salad recipes with each other!

When: Saturday, June 20th @ 11:00 am
Where: Cambria Volleyball Pavillion

Who: Anyone who has a salad recipe to share!

Please RSVP ASAP to jessie_liz@hotmail.com or leave a comment telling if you'll be there so that we can make planning easier! And if you won't be in town or available, feel free to send/post a salad recipe for the rest of us to enjoy!

We want an assortment of different salad recipes (not just romain lettuce with tomatoes--get it?) so here are some quick ideas of types of salads you could contribute(also found on the invitation above):

Noodle, Green, Spinach, Fruit, Tuna, Chicken, Egg, Potato, Jello, Seafood, Bean, Oriental, Dessert, Classic, Crazy, Hot, Cold, etc.

We hope to see you all there!

Buttermilk Syrup

Many of you have asked for my buttermilk syrup recipe---so here it is!

1/2 cup butter

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 tsp lemon juice)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp baking soda

Melt all ingredients together in a medium sized saucepan. It will bubble up and over if you don't watch it carefully. Make sure to not overcook. Serve hot! Enjoy!

Fruit and Spinach smoothie

I crave this smoothie and the amazing thing is that Summer (my 2.5 year old) loves it to! Great way to get spinach in your diet.

1/2 c. crushed pineapple (make sure it is soaking in its own juice - not sweetened)

banana

pack in the spinach (I usually do 2 handfuls)

1/4 can of frozen concentrate orange juice

berries (whatever you prefer)

1 c. plain yogurt

soy milk (or whatever milk you prefer) - until the consistency you like.

Mix these all in a blender and vualah - a tasty spinach drink where you can't taste the spinach! Thanks Christine Gibb for sharing this with me!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

So I am addicted - and I mean addicted to chocolate and peanut butter. The two together sing anthems of sweet nothings to my taste buds and I just adore the taste! So here is the recipe to the ones I make all the time.

1 c. peanut butter (I use the sugary kind - it makes it better)

4 tbs butter

2 c. powdered sugar

dipping chocolate

Shape peanut butter, butter, & powdered sugar into small balls. Put in freezer for 3-5 hours. Melt dipping chocolate then roll balls in chocolate. You can then roll them in nuts, drizzle white chocolate, grate chocolate . . . whatever. Return to freezer until ready to eat or serve.

Pecan Chicken

Oh my lands! I got this recipe from our ward cooking group - it is a recipe by Treesha Rawcliffe who was a pastry chef at Magleby's restraunt. Usually I don't like what I cook the night I cook it because I saw what went in it, however I gobbled this up. Not as healthy as I'd like but very tasty.

Pecan Chicken
1 c. finely chopped pecans
1 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. butter, melted
6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Pecan Sauce
1/2 c. dijon mustard
1/2 c. brown sugar
6 tbls chicken stock
4 tbls soy sauce (I use sodium reduced one)
2 tbls worcestershire sauce
3/4 c. cold butter cut into cubes
1/2 c. sliced green onions

Stir together the pecans, bread crumbs, and 2 tbls of the melted butter. Spread the mixture on a large plate. Press the chicken into mixture to coat on both sides. Heat remaining butter in a large skillet over medium hea. Place chicken in pan and heat on both sides until browned and meat cooked all the way through - about 10 minutes per side.

In a small saucepan, wisk together dijon mustard, brown sugar, chicken stock, soy sauce, and worcestershire sauce until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat ten remove from burner and wisk in the butter one piece at a time. Do not return to heat.

Arrange chicken on plate, pour sauce over, and garnish with green onions.

The sauce is amazing - probably because of how much butter there is - I only put in half of what was called for (which is the amount I put above).

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I'm posting this recipe on the other two *other recipe blogs that I contribute to--not only because I don't have three new recipes to contribute this month, but also because my hubby thought this was SO GOOD (so did I) that I figured I'd share it with everyone.

I made this recipe up for the sole reason that I have never found a good, healthy tuna noodle recipe that wasn't full of butter, sour cream, and cheese. So, I threw together my own ideas and it was a success. Let me know what YOU and YOUR family thinks!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Boil Egg noodles so that you'll have about 3-4 cups of cooked noodles

Meanwhile, in a large skillet sautee (in about 1-2 tsp olive oil):
1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
8 oz (or 10 medium) mushrooms (chopped)
About 1/2-3/4 cup cooking sherry
1 tsp minced garlic

Once onions are translucent add:
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
2 tsp ground mustard powder
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 to 2 tsp onion salt
1 to 2 tsp garlic powder
1 to 2 tsp salt
1 to 2 tsp pepper

Stir together until its creamy then stir in:
3 cans of tuna (6 oz cans) after draining liquids

When noodles are nearly all the way done boiling, drain the water and stir them in with the creamy tuna mixture in the skilllet. Once thoroughly mixed together pour contents of skillet into a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Sprinkle top of noodles with about 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Place in oven for about 15 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned and top noodles are crisp

Serve hot! Enjoy!

*Tried and True Food
*Delicious Dishes

Tortilla Soup

I was looking for the cafe rio tortilla soup recipe but couldn't find it so instead I just googled quick and easy tortilla soup and this is what I found. I've made it a few times and every time I make it I have to google it so I thought I would just post it here!

Quick, Easy -N- Fast Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

1 (15 oz.) can whole-kernel corn, drained, or 2 C. frozen
2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies
1 t. cumin
salt to taste
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

Garnish:
Tortilla chips
Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese for topping

Pour corn, broth, beans, tomatoes and chilies (I usually puree the tomatoes and chilies b/c I hate chunks) into large saucepan. Add cumin, salt and chicken. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

For added spicy flavor, cook chicken in taco seasoning, or add a couple of teaspoons of taco seasoning or chili powder to the soup.

Makes 6 servings.