Back on track

After two days of not counting my points ...I'm back on track.

 Here's what I ate yesterday....
 Coffee with cream and sugar
1 cup blueberries
 2 eggs with one sandwich thin

 2 stalks of celery
Salad with thousand island

 Coffee with cream and sugar
Clementine
Beet stew with one piece of bread.
 Clementine
15 baked Lays chips

 1 large bottle of Smart Water

 Someone ask me ....why Smart Water? Because it's easy and has electrolytes. If I drink one bottle a day ....it's 33 oz. And as for the cost .....it's less than a dollar a day (when you buy them at Costco).

 I came up with my own recipe for the Beef Stew yesterday ....I went to the freezer to get some chicken and I found some stew meat ....so here it goes:

 Crock Pot
 1 lb stew meat
1 can of petite diced tomatoes
1 can corn (drained)
1 can veg all (drained)
 Beef broth 3/4 of the 32 oz box
 1 can cream of celery soup
 2 celery stalks
2 cans of water
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
 Spices include: pepper, basil and parsley

 It doesn't need salt because of the Lipton soup mix. I don't know the measurements for the spices ...I just threw them in.
 After it cooked for 4 hours on low ....I did a taste test and added about 1/2 cup of water and kicked it up to high for two hours.
 I called it Beef Stew because of the meat ...but it tasted more like vegetable soup ...with some yummy meat.

 See ya!

 - Post by Angie Kennedy Juda using BlogPress from my iPhone

Southern Style Potatoes

The Crockpot Potato Soup calls for southern style potatoes .... Heres a picture of them (I use generic).

You can find them in the frozen potato isle ...,.right next to the hash browns.

See ya!

Crockpot Potato Soup

If you're a fan of the Potato Soup at Panera Bread .....this soup is the closest I've found.

Just remember to serve it with Sour Dough bread ...it's the best!!

Here's the recipe for Crockpot Potato Soup:

1 pkg Southern Style potatoes (frozen)
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1/2 lb bacon
3 cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Cook bacon to a crisp and let cool. Crumble once cool.
Add potatoes to crock pot and add onion and bacon.
Mix in bowl cream cheese, soup, broth, salt and pepper.  Once it's mixed add to crock pot.
Cook on low 8 hours or high for 4 or 5 hours.

Serve with Sourdough bread (or French Bread).

Serves 4 to 5 people..... I double the recipe so we can have leftover soup.

Christmas Bells Cookies

Holiday Baking is right around the corner...so I thought I would post the cookies I made every year.  Sometimes.... this is the only cookie I make and then other years it's just one of many.


One of the reasons it's my favorite is ....it's not too sweet...in other words you can eat a whole dozen of them and not get sick :O   They're almost like a soft sugar cookie (less sweet) with a yummy maraschino cherry in the center.


Here it goes...but before I post it I should give credit.  This recipe is an slightly edited version of the Christmas Bells Cookie recipe found in a Christmas Southern Living Cookbook .....many years ago. (one of my favorite books.....I buy every year).


Ingredients are:
2/3 cp unsalted butter, softened 
3/4 cp sugar
1 lg egg
1 tsp orange peel
1 tsp vanilla
2 cps all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
30 maraschino cherries, halved


Beat butter in large mixing bowl until creamy.  Add sugar and beat well.  Add orange peel, egg & vanilla, beating until well blended.  Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl and gradually add it to the butter mixture, beat until well blended.
Cover and chill for 30 minutes (not much longer than that or it will harden and you will have a hard time rolling it out).
Shape dough into 2 rolls. Wrap rolls in Saran wrap and chill for 8 hours.  Cut into 1/4" slices and place on un-greased cookie sheet.  Place one cherry on top of each cookie and Bake at 350% for 10 to 12 minutes.


Makes 5 dozen cookies :)

See ya!

Dream Cookies

Dream Cookies

Cookies: 
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cp sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cream (or milk)
2 eggs (well beaten) 
1 1/2 tsp baking powder 
3 to 3 1/4 cups flour

Cream together butter and sugar in mixing bowl.  Dissolve baking soda in the cream(or milk) and add to creamed mixture, mix well.  Add eggs & baking powder and mix.  Add flour in 1/2 cup at a time, add enough to make the dough stiff.  Roll dough 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick and cut with cookie cutter.  

Bake at 350 until lightly browned. (my old stove used to be 10 to 12 minutes, my current one anywhere from 9 to 15 minutes)  Usually makes around 45 cookies, if you make them thinnner you'll get more but remember to reduce your cooking time, the cookies are more like a shortbread, not a thin sugar cookie.

Frosting:  
3 oz cream cheese (softened) 
1/2 cp butter (softened)
2 Tbsp milk
1tsp almond extract 
Powdered sugar

Blend 1/2 cup butter, cream cheese, milk & extract in bowl (this is also when I add food coloring).  Beat in enough powdered sugar for spreading consistency.  (I usually get a knife and practice spreading on one of the broken cookies, if it's too thick I add more powdered sugar, the more sugar you add the thinner it gets.)

Frost cookies and store in airtight container in fridge!!

Warning!!!!!  Give some of these cookies to a friend or otherwise you'll find yourself having them for breakfast, lunch and supper!!  

Let me know what you think if you make them.  This is my most favorite cookie ever!!!

Italian Sausage & Pasta

Italian Sausage and Pasta

1pound of Italian sausage
1 bag of broccoli
1 can roasted garlic chicken broth
1 box bow tie pasta
Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese

Brown sausage, cook pasta and broccoli according to directions on package (yes, I used the microwave to cook the broccoli).

  Combine ingredients and pour the broth over it (I usually heat the broth in a bowl first).  Everyone can add as much parmesan and mozzarella cheese as they want.  (Since I can't have dairy I try to leave it off most meals and let my family add it if they want.)

Shrimp & Rice Dish

Shrimp & Rice
1 cp raw rice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 can Rotel
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup water 
1/2 stick butter (melted)
1 1/2 pounds of shrimp (pre-cooked & cook in half)
One garlic glove or garlic powder

Saute onions in a little butter, Spray your casserole dish with Pam, Combine all the ingredients, bake @350 for an hour.
Optional.. 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. 

My favorite soup :)

Dave has a cold and I made soup yesterday.  

It was so good......I decided I would share it with everyone.  

I'll update this post with a picture the next time I make it (we've already eaten it all).

If you've eaten at the Olive Garden you may have tried their Zuppa Toscana soup (is that how you spell it?).

This recipe is similar but not exact (but my whole family loves it).

We call it Italian Sausage Soup.

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian Sausage

1 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Peppers

1 Large Onion

4 Tbsp Bacon pieces

2 tsp Garlic

2 Cans Chicken Broth

8 cups Water

2 Tbsp L.B. Jamison's Soup Base

1 cup Heavy Cream

1 lb Russet Potatoes (4 or 5 large potatoes)

Bunch of Kale

1. Brown Italian in large stock pot

2.  Add crushed red pepper

3.  Saute onions, bacon & garlic until onion is tender

4.  Mix Chicken Broth with water & add to pot

5.  Add L.B. Jamisons soup base

6.  Wash potatoes, do not peel.  Cut in half and then slice thin.

7.  Add potatoes to pot and boil until potatoes are done (do not overcook....under cooking would be better than over cooking).  Takes around 30 minutes

8.   Stir in Heavy Cream

9.  Wash Kale, cut it in strips (I cut the vein out of the center and slice it in thin strips).

10.  Add Kale right before you serve it.

We usually eat salad and french bread with it.

Enjoy!!

p.s. let me know if you try it and if you like it :)

p.s.s. it has a kick to it...you can leave out the crushed red pepper if you'd like.