Potato & Ham Soup

I had LOTS of leftover ham so I decided to throw this soup together....it is DELICIOUS!!!

Ingredients:
Ham (chopped up - about 1 1/2 cups)
dried onion (about a tablespoon)
celery seed (a few dashes)
salt/pepper (to taste)
garlic powder (about a teaspoon)
carrot (one large - chopped)
4 small potatoes (peeled and chopped)
3 cups of water
3 chicken bullion cubes
2 cups of milk
1/2 stick of butter
3 tablespoons of flour

Directions:
In a big pot add potatoes, ham, carrots, water, dried onion, garlic powder, celery seed, salt/pepper and bring to boil. Let boil for about 10 minutes (until the potatoes are tender). Next add the chicken cubes and stir to dissolve...turn pot down to a simmer. In another pot (small one) melt butter (med heat) then whisk in flour to make a thick paste....once it's thick add the milk slowly, while continuing to whisk. Bring heat up to a med high heat on the milk...and whisk until it starts to thicken. Once it's thick add the milk mixture to the potato soup. Stir together and let simmer for about 15 minutes...add any salt or pepper if needed for taste:-)

Serve with cheese and green onions on top...YUM!!!!!!!!

Cinnamon Almonds - Crock Pot

OMG...these ROCK! They are just like the ones you get at the fair. I am IN LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Easy to make too:-) The only thing I have to say about them...is keep stirring about every 20 minutes or they will burn...and make sure you spread them out on foil or something so they can harden. If you don't spread them out they will harden in big clumps...and you don't want that. This was my first attempt at making these are they turned out perfect...it's easy...just keep an eye on them!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C. Sugar
• 3 Tbsp. Cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. Salt
• 1 Egg White
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 1/2 Cups Almonds
• 1/4 C. Water

Directions

1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together sugas, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
2. In another medium sized bowl, whisk the egg white and vanilla until it’s a little frothy. Add almonds. Make sure the almonds are thoroughly coated in the egg white mixture.
3. Add cinnamon mixture to the almonds and toss until coated.
4. Thoroughly spray the stoneware of your large crock pot. Add the mixture of almonds and sugars to the crock pot and turn it to high
5. Cook ( with the lid on ) 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. In the last 15  minutes, add the 1/4 C. of water and stir well. Stir really well, especially as it gets later in the cooking process.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment and spread the almonds flat to cool. The almonds will be sticky at this point, so make sure you separate them a little and have no large mounds.
7. Once the almonds have cooled store them in an air tight storage container and enjoy as you wish!!!!

Roasted Broccoli

This is the best broccoli I have ever put in my mout....mmm...mmm.mmmm:-)

Cut fresh broccoli up into bite size pieces  spread on cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil, salt, pepper and crushed garlic...mix together. Bake in pre-heated 425 oven for about 15-20 minutes...turning once. Once the broccoli is fork tender and starting to brown, it's done. Pull it out and squeeze a little lemon juice all over it...and shred a little fresh parmesan on top too....YUM!!!!

Parsley Garlic Grilled Chicken

So, I totally bought parsley instead of cilantro...OOPS! Had to make up a recipe....and it turned out AWESOME!!!

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 cup fresh parsley
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
3 tbs olive oil
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
few dashes of pepper
few dashes of Thai chili sauce

Mix everything above in a food processor (except chicken)...then pour marinade over chicken and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Grill chicken for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until chicken is done...ENJOY!!!
This is really a great recipe....doesn't need any sauce or anything to go with the chicken. It's healthy too!!!

Mummy Cupcakes

These were super simple...and they turned out super cute! I just made a regular batch of chocolate cupcakes and put the icing on in a mummy pattern. Then I added black gel dots and red sugar dots for hte eyes...that's it!!!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

These are pretty darn tasty! I was suprised:-) Super easy too!!!

First off...Happy Halloween everyone!!! Here is our pumpkin this year:-)

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

Scoop seeds out of pumpkin and rinse under cold water...getting all of the stringy stuff off of them.
Spread out on roasting pan and sprinkle with salt, cumin, garlic powder and chili powder. Toss together to coat all of the seeds and roast in 350 oven for about 30 minutes....or until the seeds are toasted brown. They will smell awesome too....so you will know they are done:-) I tossed them around on the pan about half way through the cooking. ENJOY!

Beef Stew

Perfect Fall Supper!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs boneless chuck roast, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 yellow onions, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2-3 tbsp cup flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 3 carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch slices
• 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut in eighths

DIRECTIONS

1. On medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil to a large heavy pot (one that has a tight fitting lid).
   
2. When it begins to smoke slightly, add the beef and brown very well. Add the salt and pepper as the beef browns.
   
3. Once browned, remove the beef and set aside.
   
4. Add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened.
   
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the flour and cook for 2 minutes stirring often.
   
6. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
   
7. Add wine and deglaze the pan, scraping any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. The flour will start to thicken the wine as it comes to a simmer.
   
8. Simmer wine for 5 minutes, and then add the broth, bay leaves, thyme, and the beef.
   
9. Bring back to a gentle simmer, cover and cook on very low for about 1 hour.
   
10. Add potatoes and carrots and simmer covered for another 30 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning.
    
11. Turn off heat and let sit for 15 minutes before serving. 

ENJOY! This is wonderful stew!!!