Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup
Recipe by Our Best Bites


2 Tbs butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C flour
4 1/2 C low-fat or skim milk
1 14oz can chicken broth
4 medium baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) baked*
2 C grated cheddar (or sharp cheddar) cheese, divided
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 C light sour cream, divided
1/2 C chopped green onions, divided
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided

*don't have time to bake potatoes in the oven? Just pierce them with a fork a few times and then pop them in the microwave. Cook in 5 minute intervals until a knife easily pierces through them. It usually takes 5-10 minutes. To bake in the oven, pierce each potato with a fork and place directly on oven rack. Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes.


Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Add flour to pan. Slowly add milk a little at a time while whisking constantly to eliminate lumps. Whisk until smooth and then add chicken broth. Bring soup just to a simmer and heat until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Once soup is thickened, turn heat down to medium-low. Cut potatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scoop out potato flesh into the pot. Use a wooden spoon to smash potatoes, breaking up large clumps. Add 1 1/2 C grated cheese and salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4 C sour cream, 1/4 C green onions, and 4 strips of the crumbled bacon. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with each serving with the remaining sour cream, onions, cheese, and bacon.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Yield: 24 muffins
Ingredients:
For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:
½ cup sugar
5 tbsp. flour
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:
To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.

To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving. (It may be hard to resist immediate consumption, but the cream cheese filling gets very hot!)

Tuscan Macaroni and Cheese Bake

Tuscan Macaroni and Cheese Bake

*Serves 4 (I doubled the recipe and it easily served three adults and three children)

12 ounces precooked smoked chicken (or turkey) sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened
1 cup sliced olives
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (don't be afraid of this! It won't make it spicy, I promise)
1 ½ cups milk
1 tomatoe, sliced thinly
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions but undercook the pasta by 1-2 minutes since it will continue baking in the oven. In a large bowl, combine the sausage, cooked pasta, cream cheese, olives, and mozzarella cheese. In a small bowl, mix flour and spices together.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter, then whisk in flour and spices. Allow the flour/butter mixture to cook without browning for about 30 seconds while whisking/stirring. Slowly add the milk and stir until slightly thickened, this may take about 5-6 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan. When slightly thickened, pour the milk mixture over pasta mixture and mix well.

Pour into an 11X7-inch (or circular) lightly greased casserole dish. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove cover and add tomato slices on top then sprinkle parmesan cheese over and bake uncovered for 10 minutes more. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Source: From My Kitchen Cafe (www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com)/adapted from my friend Dixie
by:Chelsey Lindsay

Summer Strawberry Salad

submitted by Lindsay Boudreau

Salad:

• Lettuce (as much as you want) - I used a Spring Mix
• Strawberries - sliced

Dressing:

• 1/2 C Miracle Whip (or Mayo)
• 1/4 C Sugar
• 1/4 C Milk
• 2 T Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 T Poppy Seeds

*Wait until ready to serve to add dressing, and a little goes a long ways :)

New York Baked Cheese Cake jen brown

CRUST
2 packages of the the keebler graham crackers crushed
1 1/2 sticks of butter melted
melt butter and add to the graham crackers and combine. Press the mixture on the bottom and up the sides of a pam sprayed 8 or 9 inch spring form pan and set aside.

FILLING
4 8 ounce packages of 1/3 less fat cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sugar ( I use sugar in the raw. It is delish)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 eggs
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until no lumps. Should be creamy. Takes about 10 min.
Pour into the spring form pan and bake 55 minutes on 325 degrees. Take out of oven and set aside.

SOUR CREAM TOPPING
2 cups light sour cream
1/4 cup sugar (i use sugar in the raw)
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a small mixing bowl combine ingredients and pour over the cooling cheese cake and let set for 30 minutes before refrigerating. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Corn Salad jennifer brown

8 ears of corn
3 Tablespoons of cilantro
3 Roma tomatoes
3 tablespoons green onion
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 limes

Boil 8 ears of corn on the cob, and cut off the cob. Chop the onion, tomatoes, and cilantro and add to the corn. Then right before serving add feta cheese and the juice of 2 limes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spinach Salad

One bag of spinach

one red onion

8oz of cottage cheese

one package of sliced mushrooms

one pound of bacon

one bottle of poppy seed dressing

Mix: Spinach, diced red onion, mushrooms.

Rinse cottage cheese and add to salad

Chop and cook bacon and add to salad.

Mix all together and add dressing to your desire!