Cream Cheese Chicken Soup

Cream cheese, chicken, potatoes? Definitely a winner with the kiddos. :o)

Source: Jackie

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3 cups chicken broth
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed

Directions:

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in butter. Add broth, carrots and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the chicken, parsley, salt and pepper; heat through. Combine flour and milk until smooth; add to the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Add the cream cheese; cook and stir until melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Disclaimer: I do not normally measure any of my ingredients, but these are the measurements on the recipe that I have. I usually use about half the amount of cream cheese that it calls for, but if cream cheese is your thing, then go for it! You can alter the recipe to your taste by adding or deleting pretty much anything....I always like to throw in some extra vegetables.

Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart

Tried this tart made by Carrie. Delicious! She also added a crumbling of bacon to hers.

Source: Smitten Kitchen

Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart
Adapted in a bunch of ways from Gourmet

I changed a slew of things: I opted out of the San Pellegrino and Plugrá, though you don’t need to if you’re feeling fancy. I swapped in my favorite quiche crust these days, which barely shrinks and manages to stay sturdy even without par-baking first. I made one large tart, rather than the 6 tartlets the original recipe called for, added more potatoes to compensate, and swapped tarragon (what I had on hand) for the suggested thyme and rosemary but think any herb you enjoy eating with potatoes and cheese would work.

One note: This is not a quiche. The filling will remain soft and custard-like after baked, not firm up like most egg fillings. I liked this texture; it was a little different but wanted to give a heads-up that the recipe hasn’t gone wrong if your potatoes can still be nudged a little after baking.

1 Savory Tart Shell, below, or recipe of your choice, in a 9-inch tart pan and ready to fill
1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup heavy cream
1 large egg yolk
1/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoons finely chopped herb or herbs of your choice, such as a mixture of thyme and rosemary
Fine sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan, cover potato slices with water by two inches. Simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. If the potatoes don’t seem very dry, pat them dry with towels.

Arrange potato slices, overlapping slightly, in concentric circles around the tart pan. Sprinkle blue cheese over potatoes. Whisk cream and egg yolk together and pour into tart shell, then sprinkle tart with herbs of your choice and salt.

Bake tart on a baking sheet until bubbling and golden brown, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on rack and serve warm or cold. With a big green salad, for balance.

Savory Tart Shell

1 1/4 (5 1/2 ounces) cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter, diced
1 large egg

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and salt. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender, fork or two knives until it is in very tiny bits. Add one egg and mix with a fork until a dough forms. If this does not happen easily, toss it out onto a counter and knead it together. This dough is rather tough but with a little elbow grease, it does come together nicely.

This dough can also be made a food processor, or in a stand mixer, though I’ve only tried it in a food processor.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan and press to remove any air bubbles. Level the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Proceed with a filling of your choice, no parbaking required.

Mashed Kohlrabi and Red Potato Bake

Recipe Source: All Recipes
Image Source: The Bitten Word (has a recipe for Celery Root, Kohlrabi and Apple Puree)

Ingredients

• 1 large kohlrabi bulb, peeled and cut into cubes  (I used both Kohlrabi that were in my CSA box)
• 6 small red potatoes (I probably used twice as many)
• 2 teaspoons grated garlic scape
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook kohlrabi cubes in boiling water until soft, about 15 minutes; drain.
3. Do the same for the potatoes in a separate pot (making sure NOT to boil the kohlrabi and potatoes together!).
4. Beat kohlrabi, potatoes, and garlic scape together in a bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth; transfer to a 1-quart casserole dish and top with mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese begins to brown, about 30 minutes.

Roasted Root Vegetable Pizza

Had this at Amy's house. Yum!

You can roast the root vegetables ahead of time to help with prep work.
You could also grab some dough from Trader Joe's to save time.

Source: Everyday Food

Roasted Root Vegetables:

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
• 1 pound red onions, peeled and quartered lengthwise
• 1 pound carrots, halved lengthwise if thick, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Divide vegetables and garlic evenly between two rimmed baking sheets; drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then spread in single layers.
2. Roast until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 40 to 50 minutes, tossing vegetables and rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through. Serve hot or at room temperature.

For the pizza:

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1 pound Basic Pizza Dough, or store-bought pizza dough, fresh or frozen (thawed)
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 6 cups (about 1/2 recipe) Roasted Root Vegetables
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (optional)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Brush a large rimless baking sheet with oil. Gently stretch dough into 12-by-16-inch oval (or as large as will fit on baking sheet); transfer to prepared sheet.
2. Sprinkle dough evenly with half the mozzarella. Scatter vegetables on top, then dollop with ricotta; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and the rosemary, if desired. Drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake rotating sheet from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until crust is golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Lemon, and Asparagus

This is a favorite dish to serve company. We've made this many, many times!

 I love that you cook everything in the same dish.

Source: Everyday Food

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, halved
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 package cut-up whole chicken (about 3 pounds)
• 1 bunch asparagus (1 pound), trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place potatoes and half the butter in a roasting pan; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until potatoes are golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Place chicken, skin side up, on top of potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes.
3. Scatter asparagus, lemon, remaining butter, and thyme around chicken. Roast until asparagus is tender and chicken is opaque throughout, 5 to 15 minutes. Serve chicken, vegetables, and lemon drizzled with pan juices.
   
   

Leek and Potato Galette

This was really yummy. I didn't mess with the parchment paper or inverting it, so I just baked it in my round stoneware.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 pounds (5 to 6 medium) baking potatoes, peeled
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 leek, white and light-green parts, thinly sliced crosswise, well washed
• 6 ounces Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack set in top third. Line bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with a round of parchment paper. Place melted butter in a large bowl. Using a mandoline or cutting by hand, slice the potatoes 1/8 inch thick; add to bowl with butter. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. In prepared pan, arrange some of the potatoes around edge of pan, overlapping the slices.

   

2. Fill center of pan with more overlapping slices. Sprinkle with half the leek and half the cheese; season with salt and pepper. Repeat with another layer of potatoes and remaining leek and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining potatoes. Using a spatula, press galette down firmly.

   

3. Bake until potatoes are tender, 70 to 80 minutes, pressing down firmly twice with a spatula during cooking. Run knife around edge of pan. Carefully invert galette onto a plate, remove parchment, and reinvert onto serving plate. Cut into wedges, and serve.

   

Sausage and Kale Soup

I also like to add a little half-and-half or heavy whipping cream before serving, for a little extra creaminess. :o)

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 5 waxy potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bunch kale (12 ounces), stemmed and shredded
• 12 ounces smoked chicken sausage, cut into 1/2-inch half moons

Directions

1. In a large pot (6 to 8 quarts), heat oil over medium. Add onion and cook until soft, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes; cook unti fragrant, 1 minute. Add potatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. In a blender, puree half the soup. Return to pot; add kale and sausage. Simmer until kale is wilted, 10 to 15 minutes.

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

We also make a quick gravy using some of the meat juice and mixing it with flour, salt and pepper.

Also I rarely have dry onion soup mix in the house, so I just caramelize some onions and toss them in there.


Source: All Recipes

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 pounds chuck roast
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 packet dry onion soup mix
• 1 cup water or beef broth
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 stalk celery

DIRECTIONS

1. Take the chuck roast and season with salt and pepper to taste. Brown on all sides in a large skillet over high heat.
2. Place in the slow cooker and add the soup mix and water. Then add carrots, onion, potatoes and celery half way through cook time.
3. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.

Potato and Turnip Cakes

I used sweet potatoes instead of russet potatoes. Mine didn't stick into patties very easily, so I cooked them more like hash browns. They still tasted yummy! I ended up using 4 medium sweet potatoes and 7 small turnips.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 pound russet potatoes (about 2 medium)
• 1/2 pound white turnips (about 1 large)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions

1. Coarsely grate (with a box grater or a food processor fitted with the grater attachment) potatoes and turnips, all scrubbed, trimmed and peeled. Squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible; transfer vegetables to a medium bowl. Toss with coarse salt and ground pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Form potato mixture into four tightly packed patties; place in skillet, flattening gently with a spatula to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cook patties, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes per side (reduce heat if patties start to brown too quickly, and add more oil to skillet if necessary). Transfer to paper towels; sprinkle with salt.

Warm Spinach Salad with Fried Egg and Potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 baking potatoes (about 1 pound total), scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 bunches flat-leaf spinach (2 pounds total), thick stems removed, leaves washed well and roughly torn
• 2 ounces Parmesan, shaved with a vegetable peeler
• 4 large eggs

Directions

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until potatoes are tender and browned, 12 to 14 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine remaining 2 tablespoons oil with vinegar, mustard, and shallot; season with salt and pepper, and whisk to combine. Add spinach and Parmesan (do not toss); set aside.
3. When potatoes are done cooking, immediately transfer to bowl with spinach and dressing (reserve skillet). Toss salad until spinach is slightly wilted, and divide among four plates.
4. Heat skillet over medium, and gently crack eggs into skillet without breaking yolks; season with salt and pepper. Cook until whites are almost set, about 1 minute. Cover, turn off heat, and let stand until whites are just set but yolks are still soft, about 2 minutes more. Top each salad with a fried egg, and serve immediately.