Potato Soup

Sometimes when you're sick and craving a bowl of warm soup you just have to make your own. After being in Mississippi for 12 days I guess my body just did not adjust well to the sudden cold Canadian weather. I felt pretty crummy for a few days when I came back and with everyone being gone to work I decided to make myself soup potato soup.

 

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes

3 thinly sliced green onions (I did not add any to this soup, though I usually do)

3 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

4 cups of milk

1 1/4 shredded American cheese

6 slices of bacon, cooked crisp (I like a lot of bacon in my soup.)

 

Directions      

Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Prick potatoes with a fork. Heat in a microwave for 3-5 minutes and let cool. Cut each 4 potatoes lengthwise. Scoop out white portion of each potato. Break up any large pieces of potato. Discard potato skins.Cut 2 of the potatoes into diced potatoes. (I like mine with the skin on them.)

                                                              

In a large saucepan cook 3 tablespoons of the green onion in butter over medium heat until tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk slowly as stirring the flour. Cook and stir for 12 to 15 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Add the potato and 1 cup of the cheese. Stir until the cheese melts.

                            

Top each serving with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese, remaining 3 tablespoons green onion, and the bacon.

                                                         

Makes 5 to 6 servings (5 1/2 cups)

 

 

 

Halloween Time Y'all

Aren't painted pumpkins sometimes just the cutest!

And they are super easy and fun to do.

Feeling Crabby

So my mom has been asking me to paint her a crab painting for over a year now after seeing the crab painting I made for me & Steven's kitchen. While thinking "Man what can I get my mom for Christmas?" it hit me! I should totally make her a crab painting that she's been asking for forever, especially while I am in town.

New addition to my mom's kitchen wall.

A Taste of Fall

Which do you prefer, pumpkin spice latte or salted caramel mocha from Starbucks? Or have you tried both from Starbucks & Tim Hortons? I liked both, though think I can handle more of the salted caramel mocha because the taste isn't as strong. Next I'd like to try the ones from Tim Horton to compare. Both drinks were quiet tasty.

On the left is pumpkin spice latte & on the right is salted caramel mocha.

 

And my hubby was my test tasting buddy on this beautiful day. Believe it or not I just discovered that I like the taste of pumpkin. Looks like I've been missing out!

Future Home Musts

Boy oh boy Pinterest certainly gets me excited about decorating our future home. Once we finally get one that is. The fireworks in my head just start going off & I get all sorts of grand ideas!

Some things are just a "must" for our future home...

 

 A sweet &cozy bedroom

             

   

 A kitchen with enough space & a nice chandelier

 

A warm living area

                    A chic desk space



         A bathroom with a
            two sinks & light colors




                             A welcoming entry way

Other "musts" include.....Lovely sayings &paintings

                                                                             hung throughout the house

 

Something pretty on our front door

A fun extra bedroom with a spunk of color

Love items that give a touch of the "old" look

A patterned chair                       

                                                              Sparkle

                  A neat lamp

                                                                                    

Chicken Roll-Ups

Guess who made dinner two nights in a row? Drum roollll please..... Me!

 

Ingredients

I got this recipe idea from Right At Home, but altered it based on what I had in the house.

• 4 small (4 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon of basil leaves for each chicken
• 1 red bellpepper
• 2 cooked sausages
• 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 12 Tablespoons)
• 1 1/2 cups canned, plain tomato sauce

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place 2 chicken breasts in a 1 gallon Ziploc® Brand Freezer Bag and seal. Working from the thinnest to the thickest part of the chicken breast, pound each piece with a rolling pin, meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet, being careful not to tear the meat. Remove the chicken from the bag and set aside on a clean plate. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.

 

• Lay the chicken breast on a clean work surface or cutting board, horizontally, with the smooth side down. Layer each piece with 1 teaspoon of basil leaves, 2 tablespoons of  red bellpepper, 1 tablespoon of cooked sausage and 2 Tablespoons of the shredded cheddar (reserve remaining cheddar for later). Roll one long edge toward the other long edge to enclose fillings—like a wrap—making sure the edges overlap slightly. Fold in the loose (short) ends and secure with toothpicks on each side.

• Pour 1 cup of the tomato sauce into a 9-by-12-inch nonaluminum baking dish that’s at least 2 inches deep, and distribute sauce evenly over bottom of dish.

 

• Place the rolled chicken breasts, seam side down, in the baking dish. Top each roll with the remaining 1/2 cup of tomato sauce (about 2 Tablespoons each) and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

 

• Sprinkle the remaining 4 Tablespoons of shredded cheddar (1 Tablespoon each) over the top of each chicken roll and broil on a low setting for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese melts and browns on top.

 

• Remove the baking dish from the oven, transfer the chicken breasts to plates, carefully remove toothpicks, spoon any remaining sauce from the baking dish around the chicken and serve immediately. Now dig in!

BBQ Pulled Pork

Last night I made one of my favorites for dinner. Delicious!!! Now I don't think any pulled pork can be as good as the BBQ at Shed's BBQ or Slap Yo Momma's BBQ in Gulfport. Hog Heaven BBQ & Blues in Bilioxi is also a great BBQ joint.

 

 

I got my yummy BBQ pulled pork recipe from Six Sisters Stuff.

 

 

Ingredients:

3-4 pound pork shoulder butt roast

3 Tablespoons paprika

1 1/2 Tablespoons salt

1 1/2 Tablespoons pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dry mustard

1/3 cup liquid smoke (though I would only use like 1/4 cup of liquid smoke)

1 tsp of hot sauce (This is something I like to add)

1 (16-20 oz) bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Directions:

Spray the inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray (or use a slow cooker liner).

Combine paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, mustard and liquid smoke in a small bowl. Rub all over the roast, covering all sides.

This is optional, but I think it's a must: poke your roast with a large fork a couple of times to let the flavors really soak in.

Place lid on slow cooker and bake on low for 8-10 hours (or high 5-6 hours).

Shred meat when finished and add bottle of BBQ sauce.

Serve on buns or not and dig in!

For your sides you can fix up baked beans, macaroni, coleslaw, pasta salad or potato salad.