Fabulous Food

This soup is sort of specialized for someone who doesn't really like vegetables, so you can skip the parts where I boil the crap out of the veggies and mush them up if you want.  I used a base recipe, as I didn't know how to make it. This is the original recipe if you want to see it:  http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-baked-potato-soup-with-136303 You will need: 1-2 packs of bacon (cooked and chopped) 6 medium potatoes (boiled/baked and cubed or mashed) 6-8 cups of whole milk 1 cup of butter or margarine 1 cup of flour 2 cups (or more) of shredded cheddar cheese 1 tbsp salt or garlic salt 1 tbsp pepper 2 tbsp (or more) Parmesan cheese 2-3 cups of your choice of frozen veggie mix (or fresh) 1.5 cups of corn  1 white onion Boil or bake your potatoes (with or without skin) ahead of time to save time! Some people like chunks but I prefer mine semi-mashed with small chunks.  Put the chopped bacon in a pan with the onion. Cook until the bacon is a little crispy and the onion...

These are just like deep fried french fries, except done in the oven, so they aren't greasy or as unhealthy! What you need is: 4-6 white potatoes 2 teaspoons of parsley 1-2 teaspoons of garlic powder/salt 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper 1 teaspoon of paprika 1 tablespoon of olive oil Cut the potatoes up into french fry shapes. Rinse them off in cold water until the water is clear. Put the potatoes into a large bowl and add in the olive oil and the spices. Shake them around until they are all coated. Pre-heat the oven to 415 degrees and bake the fries for 40 minutes or until golden brown, turning them half way through.

I made this without beans because a) I don't like beans, and b) we didn't have any. Of course you can add them after the meat is cooked if you like. This recipe makes a ton of chilli - can probably feed 10 people. Easy to make though and would be great for parties. You'll need: 2 onions (white or purple or a combination) 1 red pepper 1 green pepper 2 large celery stalks 1 pack/can of mushrooms 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 lbs of lean ground beef 3-6 sausages or sausage meat 2 tablespoons of chilli powder 2 teaspoons each of cumin, garlic salt, paprika, and oregano Hot sauce to taste (optional - not in mine) 1 large can of crushed tomatoes 1 small can of tomato paste 1/4 cup of ketchup 1/8 cup of brown sugar 1/8 cup of Worcestershire sauce 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar Brown and crumble the sausage and ground beef in a large pot. Drain the excess grease. Add all your vegetables, diced, and the spices. Add the remaining ingredients and summer for about an ...

I wanted to make some muffins for the kids at work, but we had no flour, so I decided to make pancake muffins for breakfast! To make 12 you'll need: 2 cups of pancake mix 1 egg 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil 1/3 cup of maple syrup or honey 2/3 cup of milk 1 apple 1 tablespoon of cinnamon Whisk the egg, vegetable oil, syrup, and milk together. Add your pancake mix and whisk until combined. Peel and core your apple and chop it into little squares. Toss them with the cinnamon until coated. Mix your apples into the batter and then pour into your muffin tin. Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes. Drizzle some maple syrup on top and enjoy.

So I wanted to make banana bread the other day, but had no bread pan, so I decided to make muffins. The problem is, without chocolate chips, banana bread/muffins can be boring. SO I decided to add some apple and cinnamon to spice things up. They turned out FANTASTIC! Basically, you just make your batter like you normally would for banana bread. Before you put it in the pan, grab an apple, peel and core it, and cut it either into large chunks (one per cupcake) or small pieces that can be mixed into the batter. Put the apple pieces in a bowl and coat with cinnamon. If you went with small pieces, you can mix them into the better OR put half the batter in, add some apple, and then pour the rest (tedious if you ask me). If you are using large pieces, pour your batter in and then just press the apple into it. You'll want to press farther than I have in my pictures - the batter doesn't rise that much. Now you can bake as you normally would, for 10-12 minutes at 350. Eat whi...

Potatoes are pretty simple to make, and they can be either a snack or a side dish. These can be cooked a number of different ways depending on your preferences. If you are in a rush or just don't want to wait, you'll want to microwave the potatoes first. Otherwise, you will end up having to bake them for close to an hour. Just poke some holes in them with a fork and put in the microwave for two minutes. Once the potatoes have softened a little, cut them into bite-sized pieces. The next step can be done either in a frying pan or in the oven. For the oven : Place your potato pieces into a bowl Pour about 1 tbsp of olive oil into the bowl and mix until they are coated Add your spices and toss again until coated (paprika, garlic salt, cumin, salt and pepper) Put in the oven at 400 degrees and bake until golden brown For the frying pan : Place your oil in the frying pan and put on medium heat Add your potatoes and sprinkle with the spices Cook the potatoes until t...

This is another one of my leftovers creations. I had leftover ground beef from taco night (it has taco seasoning on it) and didn't know what to do with it. SO I decided to make a grilled cheese/panini with pesto mayo, and it turned out pretty well! For one sandwich you'll need: two slices of whole wheat (or other) bread 1/4 cup ground beef w/ taco seasoning 1/8 cup of pizza mozzarella or other cheese Pesto mayo 1.5 tablespoons of mayo 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1.5 teaspoon basil 1 tablespoon of olive oil Start by mixing the ingredients for the pesto mayo together.  Next, spread your mayo out evenly on both pieces of bread. Top with the cheese and ground beef. Squish the sandwich together a little to make sure nothing leaks out. Now, you can cook it a number of ways. If you have a panini grill, use that. If not, you can use any other type of grill or, like I did in this case, a frying pan with some olive oil. Simply heat...