Instant Oatmeal "Packets"

Homemade Instant Oatmeal - the topping possibilities are endless!

My brother just called this week and reminded me that I haven’t put my Instant Oatmeal recipe onto the blog. We love Fruit and Cream Instant Oatmeal packets at our house; they are creamy, sweet, and so tasty. To save money, we buy non-Quaker Oats brands, like Great Value, but it is still pricey when each person in the family wants at least 2 packets in their bowl for breakfast. Also, the purchased packets sometimes seem a little too sweet.

Our solution was to make our own Instant Oatmeal. I’m not sure where the recipe originated, but we have been making and enjoying our version for years. Some of the benefits of making our own Instant Oatmeal are that we can determine our own portion size, the amount and type of sugar used (such as white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, sucanat, Splenda, etc.), and the best part: choosing our own flavors! 

My kids usually favor Oreo cookie crumbs, so I use the food processor to crumble a package of Oreo cookies, and store this “topping” in a covered plastic container for easy access. My favorite flavor is chocolate chip cookie. I buy the cheapest, crispy, chocolate chip cookies, and crumble them just like the Oreos. One tablespoon of crumbs in a bowl of oatmeal is delicious! Fresh fruit is a close second-favorite for me. Fresh berries, Mmm, good!

Sometimes we do use purchased Instant Oatmeal packets, supplemented with a few tablespoons of our own Instant Oatmeal. We save money that way too, by using fewer of the purchased packets.

Instant Oatmeal

Yield: 8 servings, 4 cups dry mix

2½ c Quick oats

1¼ c Powdered quick oats*

1 ts Salt

10 TB Non-dairy powdered coffee creamer

  6 TB Sugar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Store in a covered container until ready to use. For a serving size comparable to a Quaker Oatmeal packet, measure out ⅓-½ cup of the oatmeal mixture into a bowl; add desired topping, and boiling water to desired consistency. Stir and enjoy.

*NOTE: To make the powdered oats, grind some oatmeal/quick oats in a blender or food processor on HIGH, to a coarse powder. This is what makes the mixture creamy.

Some Topping Possibilities:

• 2 Tbsp. dried fruit, chopped in food processor, with ¼ tsp. cinnamon

• 1 crushed Oreo cookie (food processor crumbles them well)

• 2 small crushed chocolate chip cookies (like Mothers brand)

• Use brown sugar instead of white, and add ¼ tsp. cinnamon

• Use brown sugar instead of white, add 1 Tbsp. raisins, and ¼ tsp cinnamon

• ½ crushed cinnamon graham crackers

• 1 tsp. cake decorating sprinkles

• ½ tsp. “Pop Rocks” candy—for a celebration day!

• 2 Tbsp. Butterfinger Babies, smashed, or ⅓ of a regular Butterfingers candybar, crushed

It takes a little advance preparation, but you save a lot of money doing them this way!

Store 4x the recipe in a gallon jar

Chili Bread - Dinner In a Beautiful Package

Chili Bread is one of our favorite meals! It tastes great and looks fantastic too. The best part is - it's not at all difficult to make.



I'll include the recipe for my white bread dough, but if you're in a hurry, Rhoades or any other prepared bread dough will be a quick way to get this meal to the table. 

I got this recipe at a Bosch bread-making class. There are a lot of variations you could make for the filling. In fact, whatever sounds good as a filling (as long as it's cooked, and not too thin) should work. (The cream cheese seals the inside bottom of the braid so that it doesn't get soggy.) Some variations that I have thought of are:

Pizza: thin layer of cream cheese, pizza sauce, pepperoni, sauteed peppers and onions, cheese, pineapple, and olives.
Calzone: Sausage, ricotta cheese, spinach, shredded Parmesan cheese, and seasonings.
Broccoli/Cheese: thin layer of cream cheese, steamed & drained broccoli, and thick cheese sauce.
Spaghetti: thin layer of cream cheese, spaghetti with thick sauce, mozzarella cheese. Coat exterior of bread braid with egg white, parmesan cheese, dried parsley, and garlic powder.
Chili Bread is still my favorite, though!

Chili Bread

 Yield: 6-8 servings

           1          Recipe white or wheat bread dough (2 lb loaf)

           3-4  oz Cream Cheese, softened

           1  can  Chili with beans

           1  can  Diced green chilies

          ¾  c       Sour cream

                        Grated cheddar cheese (opt.)

          1   can Sliced olives

Prepare your own bread dough (see recipe below), or buy frozen bread dough and thaw it. Preheat oven to 350 F.

After the first rise, roll dough onto large greased cookie sheet (half-sheet cake pan). Roll it ¼-½" thick. 

Down the lengthwise center third of the dough, spread the cream cheese. Spread chili over the cream. Sprinkle the diced chilies over the chili beans. Spoon sour cream evenly on top. Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and olives.

Create the “braid” by folding up the short ends of the rectangle over the filling and cutting the long sides of the rectangle into 1½" strips. Fold the strips over the filling, alternating sides and pulling the dough to overlap in the middle, so that it looks braided. If desired, brush dough with egg wash (whisked egg with a little water).

Bake at 350 F. for 20-30 minutes (longer for wheat dough), until bread starts to brown and looks done. Serve in slices, with lettuce and tomatoes.

White Bread – Pillsbury

Yield: 1 Loaf

1⅛ c Milk (1 cup plus 2 TB)

2 TB Oil

3½ c Flour

2 TB Sugar

1½ ts Salt

1 TB Active dry yeast (1 pkg)

1 Egg

If you have a bread machine, just put all of the ingredients into the pan, liquid first. Then set on DOUGH setting until done. 

If not, heat milk and oil until very warm (120 to 130 F.). In large bowl, blend warm liquid, 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, yeast and egg at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough. On well-floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes (or 15 minutes in mixer.) Place dough in greased bowl; turn greased-side up. Cover; let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.

If you are making Chili Bread, continue with directions above.

If you are making a regular loaf of bread, generously grease (not oil) a 9x5 or 8x4-inch loaf pan. Punch down dough; and shape into 1 loaf. Place in prepared pan. Cover; let rise in warm place until light, 30 to 45 minutes. Heat oven to 350 F. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from pan; cool. If desired, brush warm loaf with melted margarine or butter. 

Hearty & Healthy Lentil and Barley Soup

When you've cooked a healthy, vegetable-filled soup for dinner, and your 17-year-old, junk-food-loving son says, 
     "Mom, have I told you that this is my favorite soup? Can I have some more?" 
Then you KNOW that you've found a winning recipe! It doesn't get much better than that! 

I found this recipe originally in the Lean & Free 2000 Plus cookbook. I only altered it slightly. If you can't find pearled barley in the rice section of your local grocery store, it should be available in the bulk foods section of stores such as Fred Meyer or Winco. Take a few minutes to chop your vegetables in the morning, put all ingredients in the crockpot on LOW, and the delicious soup will be ready to eat by dinnertime.

I use my amazing Cuisinart food processor to pulse-chop the veggies

Lentil and Barley Soup

Yields: 6-8 servings

1 c     Dried lentils (any type)
1 c     Pearled barley (or other whole-grain barley)
1 can Petite diced tomatoes (about 16 oz.)
1 c     Chopped onion
1 c     Chopped or sliced celery
3/4 c  Chopped or sliced carrots
2 TB  Soy sauce
1/2 ts Pepper
1 ts    Dried dill weed
1 ts    Garlic powder
10 c   Chicken broth or bouillon

Place all ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker or crockpot. Set covered crockpot to LOW and leave it to cook all day, 8-10 hours, until vegetables, grain and lentils are tender. Serve warm. Season individual bowls of soup with Tabasco sauce, to taste (optional), and garnish them with freshly-chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley (optional).

Note: The soup could also be cooked in a large saucepan or 5-quart stockpot on the stove top. It would need to simmer for about an hour.

Creamed Eggs - A Stoddard Favorite

Creamed Eggs is one of those comfort foods that my Dad really liked when I was a kid. Grandma Stoddard really liked it too, and it was simple fare that she could eat without concern that it would give her heartburn or indigestion. 

As I mentioned in my Quiche Lorraine post, we enjoy eating "breakfast foods" for dinner at my house. Since this is essentially eggs and toast, Creamed Eggs would qualify as a breakfast food. We like to eat it on toast or over baking powder biscuits. It's also a GREAT way to use up a lot of those decorated, boiled Easter Eggs when the party's over.

Wikipedia calls it a breakfast dish made from a bechamel sauce. On the same page, it refers to Chipped Beef on Toast, and Biscuits and Gravy. Sounds like something out of a World War II cookbook!

Creamed Eggs

4 TB Butter
4 TB Flour
3 C Warmed milk
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Freshly-ground pepper
1/4 tsp Mustard powder (optional)
8 Hard-boiled eggs
Toasted bread or fresh baking powder biscuits

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, then slowly add the warm milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly so sauce will not scorch. It will thicken somewhat upon boiling. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add mustard powder, if desired. Thinly slice the eggs into the sauce. Cook and stir until mixture is warmed throughout. Serve warm over toast or biscuits.

Makes 4-6 servings

Roasted Vegetables with Garlic

 On Pinterest I came across a recipe for roasted broccoli. It sounded really good, but some of the quantities weren't specified. So, I did a little experimenting and came up with the measurements that I liked. 

The recipe is super-easy, takes only 25 minutes of cooking time, and is a great way to get your family to enjoy more veggies. I found the crunchy, garlic-laced broccoli pieces to be so addicting, that it was hard to stop eating them!

I tried roasting cauliflower chunks too. They didn't get quite as crispy as the broccoli, but the roasted flavor was still very good. You could probably use the same technique for any type of vegetable, varying the baking time depending upon the amount of moisture in the vegetables.

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

3-4 TB Vegetable oil
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 lb Broccoli pieces
1 tsp Minced garlic

Preheat oven to 425 F. degrees. Combine all ingredients in a closed ziploc-type bag. Knead the bag gently with your hands, until all of the pieces appear evenly coated with oil and seasonings. Spread broccoli on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until pieces are lightly browned and crispy, but not burned. Serve  immediately.

Mashed Potatoes - With Flavor Added

Growing up, I never really liked potatoes -- especially mashed potatoes. My mom always made them from scratch (never from a box), but I don't think she put anything in them... maybe a little salt. And I didn't like them at all. 

Now that I live in Idaho, I've had to change my mind about potatoes. My new motto is: If you add enough fat and flavor, potatoes taste amazing! 

Anyway, I came across this recipe for "Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes" several years ago in a Costco Connection flyer that came in the mail. They're easy, and I love the flavor. I usually use Russet potatoes, and they've never turned out "gummy." 

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Yield: 9x13" baking pan, or 10-12 servings

5 lb   Baking potatoes
1/2 c Butter, softened
1 c    Sour cream (low fat is ok)
8 oz   Cream cheese, softened
1 ts    Salt, to taste

Scrub, peel and rinse the potatoes. Cut them into 2-inch pieces. Place them in a large stockpot and cover with water. Boil until fork tender, approximately 18-20 minutes.

Drain potatoes and add remaining ingredients to warm potatoes in large mixing bowl. Mash and mix well. To thoroughly mix ingredients you may want to use a hand or stand mixer. Taste and adjust amount of salt if necessary. 

If not serving immediately, transfer mashed potatoes to a shallow baking dish and cover with foil. Potatoes can be kept warm in the oven at this point, refrigerated, or frozen. 

Make-ahead tip: These can be made several days ahead and kept in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 F. and bake for 30-45 minutes or until hot.

Sweet & Sour - So Tasty!

My husband has been making this delicious Sweet & Sour sauce since 1979, before he and I had even met. So, I have no idea where the recipe originated. But I do know that it has been a favorite at our house for many years!

The ingredients are basic and easy to find. The only preparation that takes a bit of time is preparing/cooking the meat, and steaming the rice. For the meat, you could marinate and saute' thin strips of beef, you could cook chicken in a variety of ways, use ground pork or beef in homemade meatballs, or use frozen pre-cooked meatballs. I'll include instructions for using chicken or homemade meatballs today.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Yield: about 6 servings

1 lb  Chicken
1      Onion, large diced
1      Green pepper, large diced
1/2 c Water
1 c     Ketchup
1 can Pineapple chunks (20-oz), drained; reserve juice
1/2 c Vinegar
3/4 c Sugar
1 ts    Salt
1 dash Pepper, to taste
2 TB   Cornstarch
3 TB   Cold water
4 c      Hot, cooked rice

Boil chicken in water or broth until tender, about 45 minutes. De-bone chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. In large frying pan, saute' chicken pieces with onion and green pepper, adding a little vegetable or olive oil if needed to prevent sticking. Cook until vegetables are tender. In separate pan, combine 1/2 cup water, ketchup, pineapple juice (reserved from drained pineapple chunks), vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally until hot and bubbly. Add sauce to meat and vegetables. Add pineapple chunks. [note: combine ingredients in whichever pan is larger - your saucepan or your frying pan.] Dissolve cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of cold water, and add to the sauce. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Serve immediately over hot, cooked rice.

Homemade Meatballs

1 lb    Extra-lean ground beef or pork
2 TB  Dehydrated onion (you can use fresh, but the onion flavor will be strong)
1/4 ts Pepper
1 ts    Kosher salt
1        Egg, beaten
1/4 c Bread crumbs

Combine meatball ingredients in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Using a cookie-scoop, shape into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place under oven broiler for 5-7 minutes or until meatballs begin to brown. You could also use a toaster oven to brown them. Add meatballs to Sweet & Sour sauce, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often, to completely cook the meatballs. Then add the cornstarch-water mixture (see above) to thicken the sauce.

Enjoy!!

Bushman Bread - MY way!

Bushman Bread (or Outback Steakhouse bread, or Cheesecake Factory black bread) has about as many recipe variations available on the web as there are people who love to bake! Some use rye, molasses and coffee, some use wheat flour and vital wheat gluten, and some use a combination of wheat flour and bread flour. So, the breadbaker first has to decide which ingredients, or recipe, he'd like to use. 

I decided to try Chef Pablo's version (chefpablos.com) of Bushman Bread without rye and molasses. I also tweaked it just a little, and it turned out so good! It isn't as dark as the restaurant bread, but it is full-flavored, a little sweet, and very soft and light for a 50% wheat bread. It has a unique (and addictive) flavor, especially when you eat it warm, with lots of butter!

The only tricky part is the caramel coloring. It is made by caramelizing sugar, so it adds flavor as well as color. You can buy it in liquid form from Orson Gygi (a restaurant supply store in Salt Lake City), or in powdered form from King Arthur Flour (online), or you can take a little extra time to make your own - like I did. It's quite easy to make and stores well in a small jar in the cupboard. I'll add the recipe, below.

I've used a bread machine, on the DOUGH cycle, to knead and raise the bread dough, but you could instead knead it by hand or with a stand mixer (like Bosch or KitchenAid), then let it rise, covered, in a bowl placed in a warm location until the dough doubles - 20-60 minutes, depending on the temperature.

Bushman Bread - MY way!

1-1/4 C Warm water ("hot" from the tap)
2 TB Softened butter
1/2 C Honey
2 C Whole Wheat Flour (I like white winter wheat)
2 C Bread Flour (I used Gold Medal Better For Bread flour)
2 TB Sugar
2 TB Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp Salt
1 TB Caramel coloring liquid
3 TB Cornmeal, divided
2-1/4 tsp Yeast (I use Red Star active dry yeast)

Put all ingredients, (except cornmeal) into 2-lb-loaf bread machine pan in the order listed. Set to DOUGH cycle and watch it while it kneads. If it is too stiff, add a little more water (1 TB at a time). If it is too sticky, add a little flour (1/2 TB Wheat flour & 1/2 TB Bread flour at a time) until it looks/feels right. It should be tender and pliable, but should not be very sticky. Dough will knead and rise in the machine. When finished, remove dough from pan, knead slightly to remove any air bubbles. Form 2 oval loaves and place them on a baking sheet that has been greased and sprinkled with 2 TB cornmeal. Sprinkle remaining TB of cornmeal on the loaves. Cover loaves lightly with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 20-60 minutes. Bake in 350 F. degree oven 10-25 minutes, until crust sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on rack before slicing. Freezes well.

Pumpernickel Color

3 TB Sugar
1 TB Water
pinch Cream of Tartar
1/4 C Boiling water

In heavy saucepan over medium heat, dissolve sugar in 1 TB water. Increase heat to medium-high. Cover pan, and bring to boil for 2 minutes. Add Cream of Tartar and boil uncovered until sugar is almost black. Remove from heat. Sugar will continue to cook and darken. Allow to begin to cool. Using caution, add boiling water. Stir to dissolve, then cool to room temperature. Clean pan and utensils with hot water.

Thai-style Garlic Peanut Chicken

On Pinterest I found a recipe titled, P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps, Adapted from CD Kitchen Recipe. It looked good, so I tried it for dinner last week. The lettuce-wrapping didn't work for me at all. It tasted good with the lettuce, but my lettuce just fell apart. So we ended up eating the chicken mixture with rice and pieces of torn lettuce. Not as elegant, but much easier to eat. We also ate leftovers wrapped in a flour tortilla - also very good! In fact, the flavor seemed to be even better after a day or two in the fridge. 

Not being a Thai connoisseur, I wasn't sure what product to buy for the ingredient, "Chili Garlic Sauce." We also no longer live in a mecca of ethnic foods. In looking over the row of chili sauces at the local Fred Meyer store, I decided to avoid the ones that said "sweet," and I picked the one pictured above - A Taste of Thai's Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce. It was delicious! I don't like food that is very hot, gives me heartburn, or leaves my throat burning, so this was perfect for me. My husband loves hot food, so he added some Sriracha HOT Chili Sauce to his own plate. And we were both happy! Even the children loved it (Note: They are not picky eaters). 

The other preparation problem I ran into was that I couldn't find Ground Chicken Breast at the grocery store. I settled for Ground Turkey - 1 lb Ground Turkey Breast, and 1 lb Ground Turkey. After tasting this dish, I don't think the type of meat matters too much. I think you could make it with chicken, turkey, or even ground pork (not sausage). 

Thai-style Garlic Peanut Chicken

Yield: 4-6 servings
2 lb Ground Chicken breast (or turkey or pork)
1  Medium onion, minced
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
4  Large garlic cloves, minced
1 rounded TB Fresh-grated ginger
2 TB Sesame oil
5 TB Soy sauce
1 TB Water
2 TB Peanut butter
1 TB Honey
2 TB + 2 tsp Rice vinegar, unseasoned
3 TB Chili garlic sauce (or more to taste) - I use A Taste of Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce
Dash Fresh-ground pepper
6  Green onions, chopped
1 can (8 oz) Sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped
1/2 C Roasted peanuts, chopped (salted or unsalted)
10 large Lettuce leaves, torn (opt.)
Steamed rice

Heat a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt & pepper, then cook until chicken is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat. Add garlic and ginger. Continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink.

Heat together in small saucepan or in microwave - soy sauce, vinegar, oil, peanut butter, water, honey, chili sauce and pepper, until warm and smooth. Add to the skillet and stir to combine.

Add green onions and water chestnuts to skillet, then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and water chestnuts are heated through. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Serve with rice, torn lettuce, and additional Garlic Chili Sauce, if desired. 

Alternately, serve over linguine-type pasta or wrapped in warmed flour tortillas. Enjoy! Leftovers taste great too!

Quiche Lorraine - Not Just for Breakfast!

Gathering ingredients

At our house, we often like to have "breakfast" foods for dinner. I'm not sure where I got this Quiche recipe, but I've used it for years and it always turns out delicious.

Simmering bacon

The time-consuming part for me is making the pie crust. I could just buy a crust, but I'm addicted to the delectable flavor of homemade pie crust. In my younger years, I made pie crusts that looked beautiful, but were a bit tough - not as light and flaky as I like. I have learned to make a flaky crust, by using less water, but I admit that it doesn't look very beautiful.... 

Maybe someday I'll be able to make a crust that is both beautiful AND light and flaky.

Bacon, cheese, & onions in pie shell

Quiche Lorraine

9" Pie crust, unbaked
1/2 lb Bacon, crisped & crumbled
4 oz Swiss cheese, grated
1/3 C Minced onion
4  Eggs
2 C Whipping cream or light cream
3/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Sugar
1/8 tsp Cayenne red pepper

Heat oven to 425 F. degrees. Prepare the pastry. Cook and crumble the bacon. Sprinkle bacon, cheese, and onion in pastry shell. In a bowl, beat eggs slightly and blend in the remaining ingredients. Pour cream mixture into pie pan.

Ready for the oven

Bake 15 minutes; then reduce heat to 300 F. and bake 30 minutes, or until knife inserted 1" from edge comes out clean. Let pie rest 10 minutes before cutting and serving. 

Serves about 6

Mmm! Looks & smells delicious!

 Pie Crust

1 C Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/3 C Shortening
2-1/2 to 3-1/2 TB Cold water

In medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Using pastry blender, cut in shortening until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle flour mixture with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, while tossing and mixing lightly with a fork. Add water just until dough is moist enough to hold together.

Form dough into a ball. Place on well-floured surface. Flatten ball slightly; smooth edges. Roll dough to a cirlce 1" larger than inverted 9" pan. Ease crust carefully into pan. Press in place. Trim edges and crinkle or mold edge as desired.

Serves about 6

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

I came across the original recipe, Chocolate Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Cookie Dough "Frosting" on Pinterest, from Gimme Some Oven. I LOVED the creamy, cookie dough frosting, but I didn't really enjoy the flavor of the cake part of the cupcake. So, I decided to use my own favorite Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe for the cupcakes.




There are a number of ways to top the cupcakes, depending on your preference: You could do a "messy" swirl, like I did, or you might want to top them with a "scoop" of cookie dough, or you could even frost them more smoothly, like a typical frosting. Be creative & have fun! Just remember - if you can't help frequent "sampling" of the yummy, egg-free cookie dough, you just might have to make another batch for your frosting (not that I would know anything about that!).

Cupcakes

1 box Devil's Food cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
1  pkg Instant chocolate pudding (abt. 3.9 oz)
8 oz Sour cream
1/2 C Vegetable oil
1/2 C Water
4  Eggs
3/4 C Semi-sweet chocolate chips (mini-size works great!)

Preheat oven to 350 F. degrees. Place 24 cupcake liners into muffin/cupcake pans. Mix cake ingredients together with an electric mixer and pour into liners. Bake in 350 F. oven for 15-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Cookie Dough Frosting

12 TB Butter, softened
1/2 C Creamy peanut butter
1 C Brown sugar, packed
1/2 C Granulated sugar
1/2 C Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
2-1/2 C Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 C Mini semisweet chocolate chips

Use an electric mixer to beat butter and sugars together until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in peanut butter, vanilla and milk. Stir in flour and salt. Mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Add extra milk to thin, if needed. Stir in chocolate chips. Use to top the cooled cupcakes.

Creamy Potato-Cheese Soup

Cooking for a crowd - expecting 100 wedding guests

In preparation for the wedding dinner, I wanted to prepare a really tasty soup that would appeal to a wide variety of ages. In the month before the wedding, I prepared each of the potato soup recipes in my cookbook, to compare them. Our family had some variety of potato soup for dinner quite a few times that month, while my husband and I decided which we liked best. We settled on this Creamy Potato-Cheese Soup recipe. I had hoped that we could make a lot of it ahead of time, freeze it, and then warm it in crockpots for the event, but none of the recipes I tried froze and re-warmed well. They all lost their texture, and a lot of the flavor too. So we decided to prep them all in the morning before the dinner. We prepared 6 recipes of the potato soup (in 3 crockpots) and 6 recipes of a carrot soup (in 3 crockpots). That's why we had 6 crockpots lined up on the countertop. Another lady brought a third soup, so I only had to make enough for approximately 66 servings. It was quite a production! I'll share the carrot soup with you in a future post. I didn't quite plan enough time to prepare and cook all of those soups, so it came right down to the wire - whether or not they would be ready on time. Fortunately, to my immense relief, we finished them in the nick of time, they tasted great and were a big hit at the dinner.

Creamy Potato-Cheese Soup

Yield: 6-8 servings
4  Potatoes, cut in 1/2" cubes (abt 4 cups)
4 C Water
1 C Chopped carrots
1 C Chopped celery
1 C Chopped onions
4 tsp Chicken bouillon granules
1/2 C Butter
1/2 C Flour
4 C Half & Half
6 oz Swiss cheese, grated
4 oz Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 tsp Freshly-ground pepper, to taste

Cook vegetables in water and bouillon until tender. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, melt the butter. Add flour to make a roux. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, then slowly add the Half & Half. Stir in the cheeses. Keep heat moderate, so that the cheese melts, but the mixture doesn't boil and cause the cream to separate. Add cheese sauce to the cooked vegetables. Add pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Wedding Sugar Cookies

I decided to bake about 200 of my favorite sugar cookies for my daughter's wedding reception. I had plenty of time, so I baked them in double batches and froze them until the big day. The only thing I had to do the week of the wedding, was to coat them all quickly with a little glaze and a candy decoration. (Note: I should have taken a picture when they were fresh, because the glaze looked much better. These have been frozen post-wedding, and the glaze doesn't fare well in the freezer.)

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

Yield: 20 cookies

1 C Butter, softened
2/3 C Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Almond extract
2-1/2 C Flour

Frosting/Glaze:
3/4 C Powdered sugar
1 TB Milk
1/4 tsp Almond extract

Cream softened butter and sugar together. Add egg and extract. Mix thoroughly. Gently mix in flour until all is combined. Chill dough overnight (or at least 2 hours) in refrigerator. Roll dough on floured surface, 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and place on baking sheet. Bake in 350 F. degree oven for 10-12 minutes.  These freeze well for storage, before glazing.

Glaze: Combine ingredients and spread thinly on cookies. Allow to dry completely before stacking. This may take several hours.

My SIL made them for a youth activity!