Elayna's Potato Soup

Whenever my Grandpa Neal would come to visit my mom would make cheesy soup. That's because cheesy soup was vegetarian and Grandpa couldn't have meat. He knew he couldn't have meat because the last time he tried it and went grocery shopping with me afterwards he threw up at the check out stand. So he didn't eat any meat (besides beef jerky and hot dogs, because for some reason his stomach could handle those). When my roommate Elayna raved about her favorite potato soup, my expectations were low. I'd already tried "potato soup" with velveeta cheese and broccoli and carrots. I was silently taken aback when I tried her soup for the first time and loved it. It was creamy from some of the smashed potatoes, without being too rich. It had a strong white cheddar flavor and was complimented with the celery I'd happily donated to the cause. Her soup was so simple, just potatoes, celery, and white cheddar, but was utterly delectable. I licked my bowl entirely clean, not wanting to waste any of it.

Eating this soup always takes me back to the first time I had it. We'd just gone sledding with some of the boys from Clark apartments at the sand dunes and came back with an appetite. Reese and I helped peel potatoes for the soup and then sat around the counter talking and sipping on our hot chocolate while it simmered.

Elayna's Potato Soup 

Ingredients:

• 8 cups chicken broth (ya know water and boullion)
• 8 potatoes peeled and diced
• 2 cups milk
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup diced celery 
• 1/2 cup diced green onion
• 2 cups cheddar, 1 white 1 yellow

Directions:

1. Boil the broth. 
2. Boil the potatoes until they are soft. Smash most of them into the soup so it's creamy. 
3. In another bowl measure the flour and slowly add the milk, whisking continuously so it doesn't get lumpy. Now pour that into the soup. 
4. Add everything else (bacon, spices, celery, onion, cheese). Add more milk or flour till it looks right. 
5. Simmer for like 10 minutes or until it looks done. 

Bacon Ranch Cheeseball

Mom makes this cheeseball for holidays. It's very easy and addictive. It's my favorite thing to eat during Thanksgiving when everything else is still cooking and off limits.

Cheeseball

Ingredients:

• 1 package cream cheese, 8 oz softened
• 1/2 cup chopped bacon 
• 3 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 teaspoons onion powder
• 3 teaspoons ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans/slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Beat cream cheese and seasonings till smooth. 
2. Add cheese and bacon. 
3. Cover in plastic wrap, shape as a sphere, and chill for about an hour
4. Unwrap and roll in chopped nuts. Rewrap and chill until serving with crackers and veggies. 

Cheese Fondue

One of my favorite New Years traditions is a fondue party. We make angel food cake and whipped cream the morning of. New Years is the only time we eat angel food cake, and we call it angel foo cake instead of food. There's also chocolate fondue and fruit, caramel too. Mom pulls out the mini wok with boiling chicken broth and you can use skewers to cook vegetables. My favorite part of the fondue party is the cheese fondue with french bread. This isn't like that velveeta cheese that people put on vegetables, it is thick garlic parmesan fondue and I love it! This year I got the recipe from her. It is super easy to whip up, you could make it in the microwave just as a dip instead of a fondue. The recipe uses a lot of estimation rather than exact measurements, just adjust it till it looks right. You can use real parmesan cheese or the canned stuff. I prefer it with more milk than cream so it's a little lighter, but it's about a cup of liquid either way.

Cheese Fondue

Ingredients:

• 1 package cream cheese
• 1 cup cream (or half and half)
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 3 teaspoons onion powder

Directions:

1. Combine everything and melt it. Adjust ingredients to taste. It should be very thick. 

Potato Leek Soup

I went home from my apartment specifically looking for things I'd left behind at my house. My favorite thing I brought back to the apartment was my childhood cookbook Farmyard Tales. I love many of the recipes in there. Even if there are better macaroni and cheese recipes, more perfect cookie recipes, these are nostalgic, easy, and they taste really good! This was the only time I had ever had potato leek soup but it was really good! I remember walking out to the backyard to pick green onions for the soup. This soup is very simple and comforting with nice flavors.

Potato Leek Soup 

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes
• 2 leeks or 4 green onions
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 vegetable boullion cube
• dried seasonings (onion, garlic, italian, the works)
• 1/4 cup milk
• salt and pepper
• parsley 

Directions:

1. Peel potatoes, cut into chunks, put in pot. 
2. Cut roots and dark green tops off of leeks. Slice through the outside layer of each and then peel it off. Wash them under cold water. Slice into half inch pieces. Put leeks, butter, and oil in the pot with potatoes and stir to combine. 
3. Turn on heat to melt better. When it starts to sizzle cover with lid and turn heat to low. 
4. Let the vegetables cook gently for ten minutes. Shake the pan occasionally to keep them from sticking, but don't lift the lid. 
5. Prepare the vegetable boullion ( four cups boiling water for one cube, or follow package directions). 
6. When vegetables are cooked, carefully pour in stock. Add seasonings, milk, salt and pepper. 
7. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Let it boil for less than a minute and turn soup back to a simmer. 
8. Simmer for fifteen minutes, then serve. 

Mrs. Boots' Cherry Loaf

 This recipe comes from the Farmyard Tales cookbook. I have fond memories of making this cake with mom. It is a very sweet loaf with a buttery almond crumb, dotted with juicy cherries. 

Mrs. Boot's Cherry Loaf

Ingredients:

• 5 oz marashino cherries (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 2 oz almonds, finely chopped
• almond extract
• vanilla
• 3 eggs

Directions:

1. Cut cherries into quarters. Strain them with water so they don't dye the bread pink. Pat dry on a paper towel. 
2. Grease and flour loaf pan. 
3. Sift flour into a bowl. Add butter, sugar, almonds, and eggs. 
4. Beat until light and fluffy. Gently fold in cherries. 
5. Scrape the mixture into the loaf pan, smooth out the top with spatula. 
6. Bake at 350 for 80 minutes until it rises and turns golden. Let sit for a few minutes and then turn onto wire rack. Let cool (I put it in the freezer to speed this up) and then serve chilled. 

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

This is another one of my favorite recipes from the Farmhouse Kid's Cookbook (ya know, Mrs. Boot with Rusty and Sam). Mom made it with me for dinner one night along with the potato-apple salad. It takes more time than regular macaroni and cheese but is out of this world good. Comforting, creamy, warm, with strong cheddar flavor. I like using a mix of sharp white cheddar and mild yellow.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:

• 3 cups dried macaroni
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 4 Tablespoons flour 
• 2 2/3 cup milk 
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni. Drain and set aside. 
2. Melt butter, stir in flour into a pot over medium heat and cook for one minute. 
3. Take pot off of heat and add slowly stir in milk. 
4. Return pot to stove and bring to a boil, continually stirring. 
5. Let sauce boil (with bubbles) for one minute, then turn off heat. Stir in 1 cup cheese. 
6. Pour sauce over macaroni and stir to coat noodles. 
7. Grease an oven baking dish, pour in macaroni. Sprinkle remaining 2 cups of cheese on top. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 until the top is golden brown. 

Potato Apple Salad

 

I have enjoyed cooking from a young age. I loved picking food out of kid cookbooks and then making it with mom. I remember my Strawberry Shortcake's World of Friends Cookbook where Strawberry Shortcake visits her friends in Iceland, Brazil, France and China (Crepe Suzette, Plum Blossom, Tangerine Torta, and someone else). The book came with crafts and recipes. For China, I pressed flowers and made almond cookies with mom. Another beloved cookbook was the Farmyard Tale's Children Cookbook. The Farmyard Tales with Mrs. Boots, Rusty and Sam were really funny for kid's books. The cookbook had great recipes, like picnic cookies, Mrs. Boot's cherry cake, potato leek soup, and my favorite, this potato apple salad. I remember shaking up the jar with the lemon vinegarette. This is a fresh side or main dish, so tasty! Since the recipe is so simple the quality of ingredients really matters. I prefer red potatoes and red dessert apples. 

Potato Apple Salad

Ingredients:

salad-

• 1 1/2 lbs of small new potatoes (red is best)
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 small red skinned dessert apples 
• 6 stems fresh chives
• 1 big can of peaches in syrup (29 oz about)
• 1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup) 

honey lemon dressing-

• 2 1/2 tablespoons oil
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. First, make the dressing. Pour everything into a jar and shake well. 
2. Scrub and boil potatoes for about 15 minutes or until cooked.
3.  Drain and cut into cubes. 
4. Put in a large bowl and pour half of the dressing over while they're still warm. Put in fridge to cool. 
5. Slice celery and cut apples into chunks. 
6. Add celery, apples, and chives to the potato bowl, mix well.

Texas Fudge Cake

This is probably the cake we've eaten the most of in our family. We have it for almost every birthday, reunion, or special occasion.

It's freaking amazing. Very moist, tender, and topped with a poured chocolate frosting that is to die for.

Texas Fudge Cake

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp baking soda

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• dash of salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 1/2- 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Bring butter, cocoa, and water to a boil in a small saucepan.
2.  Have ready in a bowl the flour, sugar, and salt. 
3. Pour the boiling mixture into the dry ingredients and beat well. Add eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and baking soda. Mix well.
4.  Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13″ pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes. 
5. Make the frosting while the cake is baking. Bring butter, cocoa, salt, and milk to a boil in a small saucepan. It may appear curdled- that's fine. 
6. While mixture is boiling, measure 3 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. 
7. Pour boiling chocolate mixture over powdered sugar. Beat till smooth and add vanilla. Add more powdered sugar if needed. 
8. Pour over cake after it has cooled for about 5 minutes.

Christmas Caramel Corn

We make this every year as a neighbor Christmas treat and it's very popular! Puff corn doesn't get stuck in your teeth like popcorn, it's easier, and also adds a nice salty flavor to compliment the sweet. Mom's caramel recipe is soft and gooey, it doesn't harden up which is how I like it.

Caramel Puff Corn

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown sugar 
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup corn syrup 
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk 
• handful of marshmallows, optional
• 2/3 bag corn puffs

Directions:

1. Boil first four ingredients to a boil over medium heat (watch carefully that it doesn't burn). Boil for one minute. 
2. Add marshmallows, stir
3. Pour over corn puffs. 

Homemade Noodles

Mom makes homemade noodles for chicken noodle soup that are SO good. The recipe is pretty simple and yields unbelievable results. Get ready for the best noodles you've had in your entire life.

Noodles

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 Tablespoons milk
• 1-2 cups flour

Directions:

1. Combine eggs, salt, and milk.  
2. Slowly add flour until dough is stiff. 
3. Roll dough until 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into thin strips, then into bite-size pieces using a pizza cutter. Keep them thin since they expand when they're cooked. 
4. Cook either in boiling salted water and add to soup later, or just cook directly in the soup. 

Crockpot Lasagna

Mom originally got this recipe from Angela, and it's one of my favorites. It's really easy to throw in the crockpot before church and come home to a mouthwatering meal. 

It's ten times better than regular lasagna and with a lot less prep. The picture shows spaghetti noodles. I like lasagna noodles the best, but you can actually use whatever noodles you have on hand. 

  CROCKPOT LASAGNA

Ingredients:

1 container of cottage cheese, 24 oz bag of hamburger (like 1 lb cooked ground beef) 3 cups mozzarella cheese 10-15 lasagna noodles, uncooked mushrooms spaghetti sauce - 1 or 2 jars  olives 1/2 cup water 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Directions:

1.	Break noodles in half. Layer everything in a crockpot: noodles, sauce, hamburger and mushrooms, cheese, olives, repeat
2.	Cook for 3-5 hours on low. Serves 10