Easy Potato Soup

Soup two nights in a row. Not something I usually do, but it was so cold it just seemed right. This is not my usual potato soup recipe, but it was a recipe I wanted to try because it was alot less time consuming. It turned out very good, and Dave remarked favorably. The kids would rather have eaten the chicken soup again, so not a winner with them. Regardless, I will make this again because it was quick and comforting.

2 Tbs. minced onion
1/8 tsp. celery salt or chopped celery (I didn't feel like chopping)
1/4 C. butter
2 cans (14 oz. each) chicken broth
2 1/3 C. potato flakes
2 1/2 C. milk
1 C. Velveeta
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 C. sour cream

In a large soup pot, saute minced onion and celery salt in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat. Add potato flakes; cook and stir until heated through. Add milk, cheese, garlic salt. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Just before serving, add sour cream and heat through without boiling.

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

This is one of my favorite recipes and one of the family's too. Joey ate two big bowls of it last night. It is very economical and there are always leftovers for lunch the next day.

1 whole chicken
1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice
2 chicken bouillon cubes
Diced up carrots and celery (however much you like)
12-14 C. water

Put everything in large soup pot. Bring to boil and then simmer for 1 hour or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and cut meat into bite-size pieces, discarding bones. Return chopped chicken to pot with broth, rice and vegetables. Stir and serve.

Honey Banana Muffins

I had some way past ripe bananas on the counter and decided to try a different banana muffin recipe. I love to find ways to make things healthier and this recipe fit the bill with whole wheat flour and honey in place of the sugar. My family would prefer everything made with all white flour and I do humor them once in awhile with the white stuff, but for the most part I try to always add whole wheat and a sprinkling of wheat germ. I am posting the recipe the way I made it, which is a bit different than the original. The original had raisins in it and no one around here likes them but me, so no raisins. Also, the original called for applesauce, but I was out, so I subbed in the oil and yogurt.

1 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (I used pumpkin pie spice)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 C. mashed bananas
1/4 C. oil
1/4 C. plain yogurt
6 TBS. honey
In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Combine the eggs, banana, oil, yogurt and honey; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or I used cupcake papers; fill two-thirds full with batter. Bake at 375* for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Yield: 12-14 muffins

If you aren't into whole wheat, these probably won't be for you, but I thought they were good and moist.

Blog #2

I am starting this blog for fun to share my cooking obsession with the blogosphere. My cooking style is not fancy or complicated, well not most of the time anyway. Unless a recipe really intrigues me, then all bets are off. I don't like to cook with hard to find or exotic ingredients. I want my family to eat it after all. So, if this style matches yours check in now and again and try one of the recipes to tell me what you think.
Although I love to cook, I don't really invent recipes on my own, just try others and tweak it a bit to suit my tastes.
I hope to take pictures of every recipe I post for visual effect. If it looks good, you'll want to try it, right? One last thought, I do have my fair share of cooking disasters, many times relating to my impatience or shortcuts, and I intend to chronicle them also. It makes for a good laugh now and then.