Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Is it getting cold where you live?  It sure is starting to get chilly here.  As someone who lives in the South, I consider anything below 60 degrees COLD!  Once Winter comes & it gets super cold, I like to go into hibernation.  


To help warm up my bones - and because I plum just love any & all potato dishes, I decided to make a bit pot of Loaded Baked Potato Soup.  I came up with the one a few years ago with ingredients that I had on hand, and it just stuck.  It is husband & kid approved, and I really enjoy it myself :)~


Here is what you need:

 

Go ahead & scoop out the potatoes from the skins.  Reserve the skins for later use...or make potato skins to go along with the soup like I do.

In a large pot, fry up the pound of bacon until it's nice & crispy.  I fried up 2 pounds of bacon instead of just one because I decided to make potato skins too.  Plus, my family has a way of stealing the bacon off the plate!

Now, don't throw away all the bacon grease that has collected in the bottom of the pot!!  That is going to help flavor the soup!  You will need to keep a couple tablespoons in the pot.  Add a stick of butter to it & melt.

Stir in the flour to make a roux.  Let it cook for a minute or two.

Slowly pour in the milk, a cup at a time, whisking to combine until all the milk is in & it has thickened nicely.

 

  

My youngest daughter, Madison, came running at the opportunity to whisk the soup!  

Add the potatoes to the soup.

Then the green onions...

And the bacon, salt, & pepper...

Then the cheese!

 

Stir in the sour cream.

Serve immediately.

 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

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Ingredients:

• 8 medium to large baked potatoes
• 1/2 cup - 2/3 cup bacon grease (from frying bacon)
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups milk
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1 pound cooked bacon, crumbled (reserving 2 tablespoons bacon grease!)
• 1 stick butter
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 heaping cup sour cream

Instructions:

1. Scoop out the inside of the potatoes and set aside. Reserve the skins for another recipe or discard.
2. Stir the flour into the bacon grease to make a roux. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually pour in the milk while stirring until all the milk has been added. Bring heat to medium and keep stirring until the soup mixture starts to get thick.
3. Add the potatoes, green onions, salt, ground black pepper, bacon, cheese, & sour cream.. Stir well .  Serve immediately.

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Caramel Apple Dumplings

It's that time of year where the weather is starting to finally cool down & the leaves are slowly starting to change colors - and that means it is also apple picking time!  We went out to the orchard earlier & bought a whole slew of different varieties of apples.  Some for just eating, some for baking, some for making applesauce, some for apple jelly & apple butter - and who knows what else.  I just love apples.  It is hands down my favorite fruit of all.


I wanted to make some kind of apple dessert after dinner...but was running a little short on time, so my usual apple pie was out of the question (for now!).  I decided to prepare some Caramel Apple Dumplings, & my family sure was glad that I did.  I have to admit, I was pretty stoked about these little gems too! 


Here are the ingredients that you need:

Yes, that is Mountain Dew in the ingredient picture.  Yes, it is a little odd - but trust me...it's good!

Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Roll up an apple piece in each crescent roll triangle.  Start from the small end - and seal the edges with your fingers when you are done.  Place each finished dumpling into your greased baking dish.

In a medium saucepan, melt the 2 sticks of butter.  Whisk in the sugar & cinnamon.

Pour the caramel-ly sauce on top of the apple dumplings.

Pour on the Mountain Dew...

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  

 

Spoon you out a dumpling or three & make sure you drizzle some of that ooey gooey-ness on the bottom of the dish on top! 

Enjoy, & eat plenty.  Afterall, an apple dumpling a day keeps the doctor away ;)

Caramel Apple Dumplings

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Ingredients:

• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
• 2 cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 2 sticks of butter
• 1.5 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1.5 cups of Mountain Dew (12 fluid ounces)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.

Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour over the apple dumplings. Pour Mountain Dew over the dumplings.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown

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Simply Ham & Eggs Breakfast Bowls

A few days after my last post, my Great-Grandmother passed away.  She had not been doing well for quite some time now, and we all knew that she was not going to live much longer & had prepared ourselves for this the best that we could.  How can you really prepare yourself for a loved one dying though?  I have been through this before with another of my grandmothers - and there is really just no preparing for it - no matter how long you know that your time left with them is very limited.  All we can do is thank the Lord for the time we have had with our loved ones & take solace in the fact that they are in a much better place than we are & looking over us without the ailments that plagued them during their last bit of time here on Earth.   


In the memory of my Great Grandmother, I decided to make something that she was known to make for breakfast & share the recipe with you.  I guess you can't really call it a recipe though.  She was a very simple lady & this dish shares her simpleness.  


You will need ramekins, or oven safe bowls, for this.  You can make as many or as little as you want of these.  Brush the dishes with a little bit of melted butter.

Lay down 3-4 slices of thinly sliced ham in the bottom. 

Place a couple slices of thinly sliced tomatoes on top of the ham.  My husband doesn't like tomatoes...and loves his stuff spicy, so I pour on a good bit of hot sauce on 2 of mine.  You could also use salsa if you preferred.

Carefully crack 1 or 2 eggs on top of each ramekin.  I used 2 this time.

Season the top with a little bit of salt & pepper - then top with your choice of shredded cheese.  My Great Grandma was more of a cheddar gal....while I prefer pepper jack or monterrey jack cheese.

Place your dishes on a baking sheet & bake in an oven preheated to 500 degrees for about 10-17 minutes, depending on your preference of how you like the doneness of your egg.  Closer to the 10 minute mark if you like your yolks runny...and vise-versa if you like yours cooked fully.  You can check to be sure the eggs are cooked enough for your liking by gently pulling up the sides with a fork.  

You can serve as is, or you can do like me and top it with a sprinkling of chopped green onions.

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Triple Decadence Pie

Hi everyone!  I'm baaccckkkk!!  If you keep up with me on my facebook page, then you know that I have been on sort of a mini vacation.  Last week, my parents came to visit us for a few days from Georgia.  It was SO great to see them & to have them here with us.  It had been way too long!  We had such a wonderful visit.  I told my daughters to try not to cry when they left & instead be happy that we were able to have such a nice visit.  When it was time for their departure - guess who was the first to start crying?  ME!  Of course, my daughters soon followed.  Like Shakespeare said, 'Parting is such sweet sorrow'.  I am very glad that they were able to come though.  


I meant to post again after my parents left, but my week didn't go as planned.  We took off a couple of days of homeschool the week that they came to visit so that we would have more time with them, so we had to catch up last week.  Wednesday was my baby boy's 6 month check-up, which means he had to get shots.  I'm not sure who cried more - him or me!  I gave him some baby Tylenol beforehand b/c he is always fussy afterwards, but it didn't seem to make a difference that day.  He just wasn't happy at all!  Needless to say, this homeschooling mother of 3 had ZERO time to do anything extra!



But, I think with this recipe, I definitely made up for the time I was gone!  This is SO darn good.  Like, lip smacking good!  I call it 'Triple Decadence Pie'.  


Here is what you will need to make this decadent concoction.  (You can click the photo to make it bigger if you are having trouble seeing it!)

Beat 2 of the eggs together until frothy.  Mix in flour, brown sugar, one of the 1/3 cup of white sugar, melted butter, light corn syrup, & 2 tbsp of the Kahlua.

Stir in the chopped pecans & chocolate chips.

Pour the mixture into prepared pie crust.

For the next layer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. 

Add in your last egg, 1/3 cup sugar, & 1 tbsp of Kahlua.

Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the pie & spread it around carefully to cover.  

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Then remove from oven, & cover the pie crust edge with tin foil to prevent too much browning.  Put it back in the oven & cook for an additional 35-40 minutes.  Remove it from the oven, & let it cool for about 30 minutes.  Then refrigerate for about 1-2 hours to cool completely.

Almost done!!  Beat 1 pint of heavy cream with 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar & 1 tsp vanilla extract.  Spread it on top of the pie, leaving it a little higher in the middle.

I took a small handful of chocolate chips & ran them through my mini food processor to chop them roughly & garnished the top.

Slice you off a piece, close your eyes, & enjoy all the decadence that this pie holds!

Triple Decadence Pie

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Ingredients:

For the bottom layer:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1/3 cup KARO Light Corn Syrup
• 2 tablespoons Kahlua
• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 prepared pie crust

For the cheesecake layer:

• 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon Kahlua

For the whipped cream layer:

• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Put refrigerated pie crust dough into a deep pie dish.

For Bottom Layer:
In a large bowl beat eggs until frothy.  Mix in flour, brown sugar, white sugar sugar, melted butter, light corn syrup, and Kahlua.  Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.  Pour into prepared pie crust.

For Cheesecake Layer:
Beat cream cheese until fluffy, and then add egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon Kahlua. Beat until fluffy. Spread over bottom layer.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Wrap the pie crust edge with tin foil to prevent too much browning on the crust.  Cook for an additional 35-40 minutes.  Remove from oven & cool for 30 minutes.  Then cool additionally in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours until completely chilled.

Beat heavy cream, confectioners sugar, & vanilla extract together until stiff peak forms.  Spread the whipped cream on top of the chilled pie, leaving it thicker in the middle (think of it as making a hill in the middle of your pie!)

Keep as is, or garnish with roughly chopped chocolate chips.  Keep the finished pie in the refrigerator.

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