The Best Dang Potato Soup

I stole this recipe from my sister, Rachelle.
If I was a swearing kinda girl - I'd say a different word when referring to this dang potato soup.
It might have something to do with the bacon?
Whatever it is, it's delicious.  And it's perfect for a fall evening!

Potato Soup

2 cups chicken stock (1 14.5 can)

3 cups of diced potatoes

1/2 cup of diced onions

1 small carrot, grated

1/2 tsp of celery seed

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of pepper

1 T parsley

3 T flour

3 cups milk

8 oz of cubed cheddar cheese

6 strips of bacon

Cook bacon strips.  Set bacon aside and save bacon drippings.  Combine chicken stock, potatoes, onion, carrot, celery seed, salt, pepper, and parsley in a pot.  Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. (until potatoes are soft)  In the pan with bacon drippings, add flour until smooth.  Add milk.  Pour the mixture into the pot with veggies and seasonings.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes.  Add cheese, remove from heat, and stir unti cheese is melted.  DONE!  Spoon into bowls and top with crumbled bacon.  Serves 8 (I doubt it...you're going to want to eat 2-3 bowls of this creamy deliciousness!)

**Oh...and you see that roll?  That recipe is coming.  You don't want to miss it.
They're the best things I make.  Promise.

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PS It's official! We have a FACEBOOK PAGE! You know you want to "like" us! ;)

Follower Friday: Cowboy Potatoes and Barbeque Chicken

The person chosen for Follower Friday is Shaylin!  We have a lot in common.  We both went to BYU-Idaho and studied to be teachers.  She married my brother's best friend.  (I didn't marry him too - but that's how we originally met!)  We both live in Utah and have daughters named Paige.  I wish we lived closer, but sadly we don't.  It's all yours Shaylin!

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Hi Tiffanie!  I am so excited to share a recipe with everyone today! My name is Shaylin and I LOVE to cook yummy, easy food!  Especially food that gives my family of four lots of leftovers for the week! I also really like food that I can prepare in the morning so that it's done just in time for dinner without too much fuss.  Plus, having yummy smells in my house all day is always a plus.  Today we are making a recipe that I learned from my mom - one of our favorites!

Cowboy Potatoes and Barbecue Chicken

What you need:

1 lb bacon

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 small bag of baby carrots

6-8 red potatoes, washed and scrubbed

1/2 bag of frozen peas

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

3 frozen chicken breasts

1/2 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce

 Cut the bacon into 3/4 inch pieces and cook in a frying pan until almost done.  Add the chopped onion and cook until the onions are nice and soft.

While that is cooking, cut the potatoes and carrots into bite size pieces and put them in your crock pot.

When the bacon and onions are done, dump them into your crock pot too - bacon grease and all.  Yummy!  Cook this in your crock pot on high for about 7 hours - or until they are nice and soft.

When they are soft, add the peas and cook for another 20-30 minutes.  Finally, add the cheese and let it cook just long enough for the cheese to melt on top.

After you get the potatoes and carrots cooking for the day, put the frozen chicken into a baking dish and cover it with the barbecue sauce.  Add about an inch of water to the bottom of the baking dish - you don't want your chicken to dry out!

  Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 275 degrees for 6 to 7 hours. It should easily fall apart when it is done.

As far as I'm concerned - these two items ALWAYS go together - they are just so good together.  Whip up a salad or some rolls and you have a dinner to die for!

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Looks delicious!  The PERFECT meal for a crisp fall day.  The bacon won me over :)  Happy weekend!

Follower Friday: Taco Soup

Happy Freaking Friday!

Heather, one of my followers, was chosen to share a recipe today.  Heather and I went to the same high school - go Broncos!  We sang in the Madrigal Choir together.  An all girl choir was way too much fun!  She is an absolute sweetheart.  I won't share too much about her because she wrote a nice little bio herself.  Take it away, Heather!

 

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My name is Heather. I am married to Thomas. We have two sweet kids, Eleanor (3) and Thomas (1). We also have a little boy on the way. I love to cook and bake. It is one of my favorite things to do! I hardly ever follow recipes and tweak pretty much every recipe I make. I have a food blog and would love some more followers. I have been a horrible blogger lately between moving, being pregnant and chasing after my two kids, but will be posting another recipe very soon.

 

Check out my blog, Food from the Sellers

 

 

This is one of my favorite recipes. My sweet friend Melissa gave me this recipe and then as usual I tweaked it. Cooler weather is coming and this is perfect for one of those cool days. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have! (At the end I included a homemade tortilla chips recipe. I don't remember where it came from, but my family loves them.)

 

Taco Soup
(based off of a recipe from Melissa Borders)

1 onion

2 lbs hamburger

3 packages of ranch dressing powder

2 packages taco seasoning

2 cans corn-drained

1 can pinto beans

2 cans black beans

1 can red kidney beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomatoes with chilies

 

Brown hamburger. Then add onions, 2 ranch dressing powder and 1 taco seasoning. Cook until the onions are translucent.

Put in crock pot. Add all beans, tomatoes, corn, taco seasoning packet and ranch dressing packet. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve with sour cream, cheese and homemade tortilla chips (see below for recipe). Enjoy!

Homemade Tortilla Chips

corn tortillas

vegetable cooking spray

salt (if desired)

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Cut corn tortilla chips into to desired shape (we cut ours into strips) and place on cooking sheet. Spray the top of the tortillas with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt. Place in the oven and cook for 10-20 minutes at 425. Be sure to check often, they burn easily. Serve over taco soup.

Acapulco Chicken and I need your email!

Alright everyone, before we get into another recipe, I have a huge favor.  I'm having a little trouble getting a hold of my followers because a lot of your profiles DON'T have your email address.  So, would you PLEASE send an email to willtherebefoodthere@gmail.com?  That way I can easily ask you to share one of your favorites.  Thanks - I'd really appreciate it.

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Okay...here we go.

Acapulco Chicken
(recipe from here - I tweaked it slightly)

2 chicken breasts

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 roma tomato

1 T. olive oil

1 T. chili powder

1 teas. garlic salt

Extras: sour cream, jalepeno pepper, hot sauce

Cut chicken breasts into small slices. Cover with chili powder. Cook chicken in pan with heated oil.

Add peppers, onions, tomatoes, and any other veggies you desire (jalapeno pepper).  Add garlic salt and a little more chili powder (& 10 drops of hot sauce).  Cook for 5 minutes occasionally stirring.

I usually add more onions, peppers and tomatoes.  But this was all I had left in the fridge!

Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  

Pour over a generous helping of rice or in a tortilla shell.  I like to add sour cream to the mixture if I'm putting it over rice - it makes a creamy sauce.  And if you're putting it in a tortilla, just put sour cream on the tortilla.

And it's usually WAY more colorful....but again, missing half of the veggies.

 Roll and eat!

a little variety

As much as I love food and cooking, sometimes I'm at a complete loss for what to prepare for dinner.  Ever had that feeling?  It usually happens on a day where I didn't shower until after lunch, gave my children anything they wanted to keep everyone happy, and then realized I had an hour until dinner.  On days like those, I usually make something like this:

I open my fridge/freezer, piece together 4-5 items and call it dinner.  And actually, it turns out to be one of my favorite meals of the week.  I have this obsession with variety.  I like having as much food on hand as possible.  What if my husband is craving cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting?  Or what if I want chicken tacos with all the flavorful toppings?  See...it's important I have all those ingredients on hand.

You should try it.  Don't stress about having a recipe followed, menu planned meal.  Make dinner in an hour with random food from your kitchen.  It's actually really fun...

Monday Night Surprise
Baked chicken breast smothered in barbeque sauce and onions (350 for an hour)
Yellow squash from a good friend sauteed in butter and salt
Grilled cheese quesadilla

Cut up strawberries (my kids favorite! We eat them with every meal)

Chopped romaine lettuce with mozarella and cheddar cheese, tossed in Ranch dressing.

De-FREAKING-licious

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Happy Monday!  Did you have a good weekend?  Did you try Caley's cashew chicken?  I hope so!

For today, I have a yummy recipe that my Mom taught me how to make.  It's insanely delicious and whenever I make it my husband comments that we're having Panda Express for dinner!  Yeah we like cheap Chinese.  But I promise this tastes BETTER than cheap Chinese :)

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Two medium size chicken breasts
2 chicken bouillon cubes
6 T. ketchup
6 T. water
1 C. Sugar
4 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 C. vinegar
2 eggs
oil
And more cornstarch

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine chicken bouillon cubes, ketchup, water, sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and vinegar in one bowl. Set aside.  Crack two eggs into bowl and mix. Pour a hefty amount of cornstarch into another bowl.

Cut chicken breasts into small pieces (strips, chunks, w/e). Dip chicken into egg, then corn starch and put into pan with oil already heated. Cook each piece of chicken until light brown on each side. Place cooked chicken into large casserole dish. Repeat until all chicken is deliciously cooked! Pour the sauce over the chicken. Put casserole dish into oven and bake for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, prepare your ham fried rice!

Ham Fried Rice
1 cup of chunked ham
 (I use leftover from a ham roast.  You don't HAVE to put in ham. 
I make fried rice more without the ham.)
1 cup rice
2 cups of water
2 T. of diced onions
2 T. of oil
2 eggs
1 T. soy sauce

Combine water and rice in saucepan over medium heat.  Once it comes to a boil, lower temperature, cover and set timer for 20 minutes.  Heat oil, onions and ham in a frying pan over medium heat until light brown.  Move ingredients to the side of the pan.  Crack two eggs onto opposite side of the pan and scramble the eggs until thoroughly cooked.  Mix eggs in with the other ingredients.  Turn off heat.  Pour fully cooked rice into the pan.  Add soy sauce and stir together.

Enjoy your chicken and rice.
(I forgot to take a picture of the finished project!  Next time...)