Two Recipes- Wild Rice Potato Soup and Linguine with Garlic Sauce

Potato Wild Rice Soup

Adapted from Taste of Home cookbook Simple & Delicious

Ingredients:

1 package long grain and wild rice mix

2 cups diced potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)

½ cup diced onion

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups milk

1 can cream of mushroom soup

8 ounces Velveeta, cubed

½ pound bacon cooked and diced

In a large saucepan cook potatoes, onion, and rice mix in the chicken broth for as long as the instructions on the rice say and until the potatoes are tender.

Add milk, cream of mushroom soup, and Velveeta.  Stir until smooth.  Serve with bacon as a garnish.

I also added cooked corn to mine, but you don’t have to.

Linguine with Garlic Sauce

Adapted from Taste of Home cookbook Simple & Delicious

Ingredients:

Small box of uncooked linguine

½ pound cooked bacon, diced

5 cups fresh baby spinach

½ cup chopped ion

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 1-4 cups milk

1 package of cream cheese, cubed

2 Tbsp. butter

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

¼ tsp pepper

1 small jar artichoke hearts (optional)

Cook linguine according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in a small pan.  Sauté the spinach, onion, and garlic until tender.  About 2 minutes.  Add the milk, cream cheese, butter, salt, nutmeg, and pepper.  Stir until smooth.  Stir in the bacon and the artichoke hearts. 

Drain pasta and toss with sauce.

Easter Nests

Easter Nests

Its just a no-bake cookie with dyed coconut and jelly beans.

To make the No-Bakes...

Mix in a saucepan:

2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 stick of margarine

Boil for one minute.

Remove from stove and add in:

3 cups oats (I prefer the regular over the instant.)
1/2 cup peanut butter

Mix well and drop in 1/3 cups onto waxed paper to make circles.
 Let it sit for a few minutes and then use a spoon to make indentations in the center to make nests.

 To dye the coconut put in a plastic bag. Squirt a few drops of green food coloring in as well and shake until dyed. Lay out for 1/2 hour to dry on waxed paper.

 Assemble by putting coconut on the cookie and then jelly beans or chocolate eggs.

Raspberry Cheese Danish and a mini adaption

  I discovered this recipe a while back and its one of my husband's favorites.

    It makes four loafs and it also freezes well so its easy to store. I recommend making the whole recipe and then freezing the leftovers.

My husband had a great idea this week to try to make the individual size and I think they turned out great and are even easier to freeze and store.  Instructions at the bottom.

    Raspberry Cheese DanishAdapted from a Taste of Home magazine
What you need:

2 packages yeast (about 2 tbsp.)
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter or margarine cubed
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
4 cups flour

For the filling:
One 8 oz. package of cream cheese and one 3 oz. package
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 can (21 ounces) raspberry pie filling

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

   In a large bowl dissolve yeast in warm water.

In a saucepan mix the sour cream and cubed butter over medium heat to about 110 degrees. I used my candy thermometer. Stir often.

Add this to the yeast mixture. Then add sugar and eggs. Mix well.

Gradually add flour and mix well. Do not knead.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. I only put it in the fridge for four hours and it turned out fine.

For the filling: beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and extract until it is smooth.

Take the dough out and divide it into four equal sized balls. Roll onto a floured surface to make a 12x8 inch rectangle.

Spread a fourth of the cream cheese mixture into middle

and then 1/4 of the pie filing on top of that.

  Fold over the edges.

 Then fold it into thirds by folding over one flap.

  And then the next.

 Pinch the seems together and flip over onto on a well-greased cookie sheet or a Silpat. Cut with scissors or a knife to make diagonal cuts into the loaf.

 Repeat three more times. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. I put mine in the oven without the heat on. Then bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Careful that you don't burn it. They seem to brown quickly.
 Then drizzle on the glaze while its still warm. Cool and refrigerate leftovers or freeze it in aluminum foil when completely cool. Enjoy!

 To make them individual sized just roll out the dough and cut out about 6x3 rectangles.  Then dollop in the middle a Tbsp. of each of the fillings and then fold like you do the bigger ones.  Don't overfill or this happens...

 Or it just squeezes out the bottom. 

They take about 10-15 minutes to bake at this size.  Then just wrap them in foil to store in the freezer.  When you want one pop it in the microwave for a minute and drizzle on the glaze. 

Dad's Dutch Oven Chicken

My dad used to Dutch Oven this Chicken every time we went camping.  It is so good!

Dad's Dutch Oven Chicken (re-done in the crockpot)

4 chicken breasts
1 8 oz. bottle of Russian Dressing (this can be tricky to find, but Wish Bone makes one I found at Walmart)
1 cup Apricot Jam
1 package onion soup mix

Place chicken in a crockpot or dutch oven.  Mix the dressing, jam, and soup mix together in a bowl and then pour over the chicken.  Bake for 4-10 hours depending on the highness of the heat.  I did it for four hours on high on the crockpot.  Then it still wasn't falling apart to my satisfaction so I put it in a saucepan for 20 minutes and then it was perfect.

When you serve it make sure to spoon copious amounts of the sauce on top.  Soooo good!

*The recipe says to bake it in the oven at 350 for an hour and 20 minutes, but its just not as good as doing it in a dutch oven so I do it in the crockpot.  But if you really want to do it right do it in a dutch oven!

Hot Salad Chicken Sandwiches and a Pocket Possibility

Hot Chicken Salad Sandwiches
This is the best sandwich!  I'm usually not a fan of stuffing, but this sandwich is great!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
2 cups diced celery
2 cups small croutons (or I prefer to just use a stuffing mix)
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. minced onions (instant)
1/2 tsp.salt

    Mix all together and then place on rolls or croissants and bake at 450 for 5-10 minutes until golden.

I couldn't find croissants at the store so I just made some rolls to put them on.  I forgot how good these rolls are!  They are amazing!

This time we used it as a pocket filling.  My husband's idea.

Scalloped Potatoes

6 large peeled and thinly sliced potatoes

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 large onion chopped

¼ cup butter cubed

6 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375.

Prepare a large pan lined with foil.  Prepare 6-7 ramekins in the pan.  Liberally spray with oil.  Place 6-7 slices on potatoes in each ramekin one on top of the other.  Then add a cube of butter and divide spice on each one.  Top with cheese.  Then layer more potatoes on top of that.  Pour milk into each ramekin so that it fills it about ½ way.  Then top with more cheese.  Cover entire pan with foil and bake for 70-80 minutes until potatoes are tender.

 

Turtle Cheescake

Turtle Cheesecake

Adapted from Taste of Home Cookbook

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ cup chopped pecans

6 Tbsp. butter

Filling:

4 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ cup flour plus 1 tsp. for later

2 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

4 eggs

½ cup milk chocolate chips, melted and cooled

½  cup caramel ice cream topping (store bought or see recipe below)

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Ganache:

½ cup milk chocolate chips

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp. chopped pecans

Optional garnish: pecans and more caramel ice cream topping

Place a 9-inch spring form pan on two pieces of foil.  I placed one lengthwise and one opposite to make an x under the pan.  Spray the pan and then wrap the foil around it. 

In a bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, and pecans.  Cut in the butter until its crumbly.  Press into the bottom of the pan.  Place pan on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 15 minutes until set.  Cool.

In a large bowl cream the cream cheese and sugar together.  Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom.  Beat in ¼ cup flour, cream, and vanilla.  Beat in eggs one at a time. 

Remove 1 cup of the batter to a small bowl and stir in the melted chocolate.  Spread over the crust. 

Mix the caramel ice cream topping 1 tsp. flour, and the pecans.  Drop by spoonfuls onto chocolate layer.  Top with the rest of the batter.

Place springform pan on a large baking pan.  Add 1 inch of hot water to the large pan.

Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 ½ hours until set.  Remove springform pan from water bath and cool on a rack for 10 minutes.  Refrigerate over night. 

For the ganache place chocolate chips in a bowl.  In a saucepan bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate chips.  Mix quickly so the chips melt.  Pour over the top of the cheesecake.  Don’t worry if it drips over the side.  It makes it pretty.

Garnish with pecans and caramel topping if you want.  I think more caramel is never amiss.  Chill until ready to serve.

Caramel Ice Cream Topping

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a small saucepan melt the butter.  Add the brown sugar and whisk until combined and thickened.  (About 2 minutes.)  Whisk in the whipping cream for another 2 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla until combined.  Cool.