The Best Ham and Potato Soup

This is my favorite ham and potato soup ever! We even made it once without ham because we were on a vegetarian kick for awhile, and it was still yummy. If you are feeling a little adventurous, you can top with cheese, sour cream, green onions, etc. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

• 7 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• ⅔ cup diced celery
• ⅔ cup finely chopped onion
• 1½ cup diced cooked ham
• 6½ cups water
• 4 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste (2 tsp os a bit much, I would put in less)
• 10 tablespoons butter
• 10 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk

Directions:

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.


2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.


3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Take about a cup of soup and blend it up in the blender. Mix back into the soup. Serve immediately.

Chocolate-Drizzled Strawberries and Cream Pie

I made this dessert for Easter, and it was a hit! It was a bit runny because I didn't mix the whipped cream mixture enough. Don't make the same mistake! It was still good though. I melted a Symphony chocolate bar and drizzled it on top. Mmmm...(Eat it the same day you make it, it doesn't sit well overnight.)

1 quart fresh strawberries (Don’t use frozen strawberries.)
1 8-oz. package cream cheese at room temperature (light is fine)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 9″ graham cracker crust (store-bought or homemade)
1-2 ounces chocolate

In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. In a separate large bowl, beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks form.  Add about 1 c. of the whipping cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture. Beat until smooth and well-combined. Add the remaining whipping cream mixture and mix until just combined.  Spread in the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for a few minutes while you prepare the strawberries.

Wash the strawberries and cut off the stems. Blot dry with a paper towel and then gently press, cut side down, into the whipped cream mixture. Set aside.

If using a chocolate bar, break it into equal pieces and place in a small Ziploc bag. Microwave for 1-1 1/2 minutes, stopping the microwave every 20 seconds to mash the bag. You want the chocolate to be melted but not hot at all. When the chocolate is melted, snip a corner off the bag and drizzle it over the strawberries. Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving. Serves 8.

Another Our Best Bites Recipe

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites cookbook. They are so yummy! I made them for lunch today, and Ryan said they were too good to be lunch food, he felt like we just had dinner. These are really easy to make, especially since I made the shredded chicken (Lisa's method) the night before. Yummy!

Ingredients:

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro (I didn't use this, yuck!)
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese
Small corn or flour tortillas
Kosher salt (Next time I would skip this too!)
Cooking spray

1. Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

2. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well. You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

3. Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

4. Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can.

5. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

6. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Makes 12-16

Ryan and I dipped them in salsa. They are tasty!

The BEST way to make Shredded Chicken

I made shredded Chicken on Monday. It took me 30 minutes to shred the chicken. I hated every minute of it. I made shredded chicken today, and it took me less than a minute. Here’s what you do:

#1. Cook the chicken. I prefer to put the frozen chicken in a pot of water on super low for over an hour. That way I don’t have to keep an eye on it. It’s sort of like a crock pot. Or if you’re short on time, boil it the more traditional way.

#2. Drain the water out. I get salad thongs, remove the chicken and dump out the water really fast.

#3. Get out your electric mixer (or kitchen aid if you’re lucky enough to have one. I don’t.) Turn it on low and go at it. Some chicken may go flying, be careful. Then, once the chicken is broken up, put the mixer on a higher setting. You might have four or five small little fatty pieces that won’t break up, but I like to be able to find them easily after I’m done. Then I remove the fat by hand and tear it into smaller pieces.

#4.  Make enchiladas, chimichangas, or chicken salad. YUM!

I made enchiladas, but I didn’t want to roll up each one, so I made them lasagna style.

Layers: 1-tortillas, 2-chicken, 3-cooked onions and peppers, 4-sauce, 5-cheese, 6-tortillas, 7-chicken, 8-onions and peppers, 9-sauce, 10-cheese, 11-tortillas, 12-sauce, top-cheese.

Ta-Da! Chicken Enchilada Lasagna!

It’s in the oven now. I’ll tell you how it turns out.

(made using Julie/Mom’s recipe in the family cookbook)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is already in the family cookbook, but I absolutely love it...so I'm going to post it again. This cookie recipe is unique because it has no egg in it, so Ryan doesn't feel guilty about eating the cookie dough. Seriously, best. cookies. ever.

1 cup soft butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 t baking soda
¼ cup boiling water
1 t vanilla
1 ¼ cup flour
½ t salt
2 cups quick oats
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1. Cream butter and sugar together.
2. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water, stir into butter/sugar mixture.
3. Add vanilla, then dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
4. Drop small balls onto ungreased  cookie sheet.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

Quick and Easy No Bake Cookies

Ryan asks for these every week. They are so easy to make! I would recommend using the quick bake oats instead of the regular ones though. The first time I made it, I used regular ones. They were good, but the oatmeal was really chewy. Lesson learned.

No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooling Time: 30 minutes

½ cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cooking oats

1. Add the first four ingredients (through the cocoa powder) to a 4-quart saucepan.
2. Bring to a rolling boil and let boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth, then stir in the oats.
5. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper-lined baking sheets.
6. Let cool until set. (And they really do set! I was skeptical...)

Another Brown Eyed Baker recipe. Yum!

Turkey Sandwich Rolls

I don't really have a recipe for these. I just kinda made it up by looking at the store bought ones. But I make them for Jason for lunch all the time and we both love them. I even brought them to a baby shower once and they were a huge hit. So here are the directions:

Ingredients:

Turkey sandwich meat (or any other kind of sandwich meat)

Sliced or shredded cheese, any flavor

Spinach leaves (lettuce can be substituted, but it doesn't roll as nicely)

Thinly sliced tomatoes

Mayonnaise

Mustard or Salad dressing (I like Ranch or Caesar)

Tortillas (white taste better than wheat, but I've used both)

Tooth picks

1. Spread out desired number of tortillas. Each tortilla makes three sandwich rolls. Spread thin layer of mayonnaise. Add mustard or salad dressing, mixing it with the mayonnaise.

2. Lay out slices of sandwich meat to cover the entire tortilla.

3. Spread shredded cheese over the top. If using sliced cheese, tear in half and make a line across the center of the tortilla, using about 2 halves (sometimes 3 if the tortillas are especially large).

4. Line tomato slices up next to the cheese slices.

5. Evenly spread the spinach leaves over the tortilla.

6. Roll the tortilla tightly, in the opposite direction of the cheese and tomato rows.

7. Insert three toothpicks: one about an inch from each edge and one in the center to hold the roll in place.

8. Cut the turkey roll between the toothpicks.

9. Enjoy!

I have tried several varietes. One combo is mayo/mustard with turkey and cheddar. Another uses Ranch dressing, provolone cheese and turkey. A Caesar variety uses Caesar dressing, shredded Parmesan cheese and turkey.

And make sure to remove the toothpicks before eating!