Friday, January 15, 2016

Crockpot Baked Potato Soup


Crockpot Baked Potato Soup


10 red potatoes, cubed
3 TB flour
1 cup real bacon bits
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 TB ranch dressing mix
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
3 cups water
1 cup half n half
1 cup cheddar cheese

Add potatoes to crock pot. Sprinkle flour over potatoes and then add the rest of the ingredients through to the water. Bake on HIGH for 4 hours.

Add half n half, and cheese and mix well. Cook an additional 15 minutes. Mix well.  Serve warm.

Recipe Source:  Lil Luna

Orange Muffins


It happened...our church time got switched to the afternoon. It is always stressful just thinking about trying to deal with church with young kids during nap time, let alone trying to make dinner after we get home.  Whenever this happens, I have to switch gears.  I generally make big breakfasts and take Sunday dinners to the simplistic level.  So be prepared for lots more breakfast posts from me!

These muffins were just what I was hoping for.  I LOVE baking with citrus fruits, and this gave me the tang I was craving.  They are not overly sweet themselves, but the glaze adds just enough sweet to balance it all out.  So good :)


Orange Muffins

For the muffins:

1 cup milk
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
2 sticks (16 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1½ tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
Zest of 1 orange (organic if possible)

For the glaze:

¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tsp. orange zest (organic if possible)

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line 16 wells of a muffin pan (or pans) with paper liners.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the milk, orange juice, sour cream, eggs and melted butter.  Whisk together to blend.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Stir to blend.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.  Fold in the orange zest with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups.  Bake about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet.

To make the glaze, combine the orange juice, confectioners’ sugar, and orange zest in a small bowl.  Whisk together until smooth, adding more juice if necessary to achieve your preferred consistency.  Drizzle the glaze over the muffins while they are still warm.  Allow the glaze to set before serving.  Store in an airtight container.


Recipe Source:  Annie's Eats

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Cranberry Fluff


We were ready to head out of town the day after Christmas and I had a package of cranberries that needed to be used up.  I just happened across this recipe while browsing some of my "usual" blogs.  I had seen many other versions of this recipe and decided to finally give it a try since I happened to have all the ingredients on hand.  Sadly, I am the only one that tried it.  My husband has never been a fan of anything that reminds him of a jello-y type salad and my boys must have gotten his genes when it comes to that.  I thought it was so so good!  I ate it alongside my Christmas dinner and it was perfect.

This would be a great Thanksgiving side as well, so stash it away for future use :)

Cranberry Fluff


12-ounce package fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
8-ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups mini marshmallows
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a food processor (you can use a blender or by hand, also), pulse until the cranberries are coarsely chopped. I don't like really large pieces so I chop them until they are somewhat finely chopped without turning to complete mush.

Add the sugar and pineapple, pulse once or twice, and pour into a container - cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors blend.

Stir in the marshmallows.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Pour in the cream and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold the creamy mixture into the salad.

Cover and refrigerate for four hours or up to overnight. It tastes best, in my opinion, if it has at least 8 hours to hang out before serving.

Recipe Source:  Mels Kitchen Cafe