Creamy Potato Soup

It is cold outside!  We received our first winter snow yesterday on top of a sizable amount of sleet. Today is an inside day and I've been busy purging and organizing the pantry so everything starts out fresh and organized for the new year.

I've also been battling a cold, so the cleaning and organizing job was just the ticket; not to strenuous and I could easily pause for a nap attack.  
After a little break in my work, I was chilly and the hunger pangs set in.  My tummy was rumbling and I wanted something easy and something that would warm me inside out.  I spied potatoes and onions on the counter; in the pantry, a carton of chicken stock. Instantly I knew lunch was going to be a nice steaming bowl of potato soup with shredded cheese and bacon crumbles.  Yummers!

This recipe is easy and quick to make.  Enjoy reading through it as I go grab a second helping!

...and oh, by the way, my pantry and cupboards are looking neat and tidy now!

Potato Candy

Spud, potato, tater, whatever you want to call it, this simple root vegetable is undoubtedly the oddest ingredient in this candy recipe.  It's fun to make this potato candy and see the reactions of folks tasting it for the first time.

I will admit that I had not planned to make this recipe this year as part of my holiday baking and candy making.  However, I uncovered this old fashioned gem while leafing through the ragged, stained pages of my grandmother's cookbook while looking for another recipe for a friend of mine.  When I saw this recipe, I was immediately transported back to my childhood and visiting Grandma and Grandpa's at Christmas. I couldn't wait to try the recipe.

Research to find the origin of potato candy resulted in a lot of stories and claims, but there seems to be nothing definitive.  This is an old recipe and very likely passed down from generation to generation.  I presumed it was maybe a depression era recipe since it is made of very simple ingredients.  If anyone has any history feel free to post a comment and share it with all of us.

Don't let the potato throw you.  This recipe works and is super simple to make and you have to trust me, you will not taste the potato!

One important word of caution.  Do not, I repeat do not, use a large potato.  One about 1/3 the size of what I used would be sufficient, unless you have a very large family!

As with many of the recipes in my grandma's recipe book, it lists ingredients, not necessarily measurements and not much in the way of instructions.  So there aren't quantities included, I had to make things up as I went along.  Don't let this deter you from trying this recipe.  I'll share my tips from the lessons learned and you can adapt and have some fun too!

Loaded Potato Cakes

Tonight I am getting ready to go out of town for a few days.  I'm busy and don't really want to cook, but there are leftovers in the fridge.  What do I do....not enough for a real meal.  I open the door to the fridge and look at what is there.  My eyes come to rest on the bowl containing the leftover mashed potatoes.  There isn't much, maybe a cup.    I pull them out, open the dish and debate, do I throw them away, or....then inspiration struck!

Potato Cakes.  I haven't had potato cakes in a long long time.  So I grabbed the ingredients and went to work.

Since there wasn't much to accompany them, I thought why not spiff them up a bit. I have bacon, onion, cheese...so let's load 'em up!

Since I just pulled these together on the fly, I don't have a recipe, but will do my best to describe my steps so you can make your own loaded potato cakes.

Shipwreck Casserole

Shipwreck Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 medium chopped onion
3 large baking potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
2 cups of sliced carrots
4 stalks of celery, sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 can of condensed tomato soup
1 soup can of warm water
1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning
Cajun Seasoning
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray, such as Pam and set aside.
Brown the ground beef and turkey and salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Drain if needed and set aside.

Layer the casserole dish with onions on the bottom, then potatoes; sprinkle lightly with seasoning salt or salt and pepper. 

Top with carrots, celery and bell pepper.  Sprinkle this layer lightly with salt and pepper or seasoning salt. 

Top with the browned meat. 

Whisk together the can of soup, the can of water and Italian seasoning until well blended. 

Pour the soup and seasoning evenly over the top.  Season the top with a light dash of Cajun seasoning. 


Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for around an hour. 

Test with a knife to make sure the potatoes are done (mine weren't and required another 30 minutes).
Remove the foil lover and sprinkle the cheese over the top. 

Return the dish to the oven until the cheese is melted.

 ...and that is What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Au Gratin Potatoes (aka Cheese Potatoes)

I was wandering the isles of the grocery this afternoon trying to decide what to fix to accompany the Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders that I'll be serving for dinner tonight and wasn't feeling inspired when I remembered that a friend of mine had asked for my Cheese Potato Recipe.

You would think that would be a relatively easy request to fulfill right?  Not for me.  My problem is that I do not have a written recipe.  I just make it.  You know, add ingredients until it is "just right".  So I could pass along the recipe, I made the effort to write down the ingredients and measurements and the dish is happily bubbling away in the oven and should be ready in about 20 minutes.

This takes more effort to prepare than the boxed variety which is dried potatoes and powdered cheese and you add butter and milk.  I think if you give this recipe a try, you will be happy with the results.

I have some cast enamel cookware that is great for dishes like this.  I used it to saute the bacon and onion and create the sauce, added the potatoes and it went directly into the oven.  So there is one less pan to clean up!  Cast enamel cookware isn't inexpensive, and I only have two pieces, one Le Creuset and one Chantal, and I love to cook with it!

Au Gratin Potatoes

Ingredients:

6 Idaho Potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
4 oz. Provolone Chees
4 oz. Mild Cheddar
4 oz. Sharp Cheddar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme

Directions:

1. Peel potatoes and slice them in 1/4 inch slices.
2. In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with cold water, add salt and bring to a boil.
3. Boil potatoes about 10 minutes, or until they are almost tender. Drain potatoes and set aside.
4. Heat a medium size heavy pot over medium high heat.
5. Add the diced bacon and onion and saute until bacon is crisp.  If your bacon is relatively lean, to prevent burning, add a drizzle of olive oil. 
6. When the bacon is crisp, remove the bacon and onion with a slotted spoon and set aside.
7. Add 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil to the drippings already in the pan.
8. Stir in 1/4 flour and stir quickly to make a roux.  It will clump like in the photo.
9. Slowly add 2 cups of cold milk, stirring constantly with a whisk to blend.
10. When milk starts to thicken add the cheeses, continue to stir constantly until the cheese melts and incorporates with the milk.
11. Finally, add the black pepper and thyme along with the bacon and onion mixture and stir thoroughly.
12. Remove from heat.
13. Spoon  the cooked, drained potatoes into the cheese sauce, mixing carefully to not break up the potatoes.
14. Turn the mixture into a casserole that you have coated with non-stick spray.
15. Top with a sprinkling of shredded cheese.
16. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, until bubbly and top is golden brown.