Category: Dinner

Mom's Cheese Soup

9/29/2013

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My mother and I, 25 years ago!

This recipe calls for onions,
don't cry about it!

I love bacon! I've tried this recipe with turkey bacon, and it tastes
like crap, just sayin'!

This soup is perfect for a rainy or wintery day, and, I'm pretty sure it cures any illness! Especially a cold or sinuses!

My mom, Jeannie, was my best friend in the world, hands down!!! I think about her everyday and all the wonderful memories we made together. She was a goofball and put her family before anything else, just like me! Truly one of a kind! One of the best memories I have of her is cooking in the kitchen. Her favorite thing to cook was this soup. She called it cheese soup, but other places where I've seen similar soups call it something like cheesy bacon potato soup.

Bacon, Potatoes, Cheese, Onions, what more ould you want in a creamy soup? Since we have some big guys in our family (my brothers are 6'10"!), she always cooked huge amounts of food. I'm addicted to cheese, so this is one of my favorite soups!!! This recipe will make approximately 20 bowls of soup. So, If you want less soup, half the recipe!

Here's what you will need:
A block (2.5 lbs) of Velveeta cheese (you can
also use any other cheese that melts well)
Two packages (2 lbs.) of bacon
5 lbs of potatoes
3-4 large onions
1 cup Milk
3 Tbsp. Corn Starch
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Chives or Parsley (optional)
Stock Pot (preferably granite instead of aluminum)
Frying Pan

Cooking Instructions:
Peel the potatoes and cut them up into small cubes. Peel and chop the onions. Put the onions and potatoes in a large pot and add water. The water should be at least two inches above the potatoes and onions. Boil the onions and potatoes on high until tender.

While the potatoes and onions cook, cut the bacon up into 1 inch pieces and fry it in a frying pan. Fry it to the desired crispness.

When the potatoes and onions are done, add cooked bacon. Turn the burner to a very low heat and add cheese (cut up into small pieces). Stir constantly until cheese melts. Immediately mix up corn starch and milk in a bowl with a fork. Make sure there aren't any lumps.

Pour mixture into the soup and stir some more. (Stir, Stir, Stir!!) Turn burner off as soon as you add corn starch and milk. Add salt and pepper (to taste). Then, Stir some more! If after 5 minutes the soup isn't thick enough, you can add more corn starch and milk. Sometimes I garnish the soup with parsley or chives (optional).

This recipe makes approximately 20-30 bowls of soup, so throw some of it in the freezer and just re-heat later!

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Asian Lettuce Wraps

7/19/2013

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Green Onions, Celery, and Mushrooms.

With the chicken and spices mixed in.

With the slaw and bell pepper
mixture on top.

After it has cooked on low,
before stirring it.

I love Asian food! I have been to PF Chang's once or twice and fell in love with their Asian Lettuce Wraps. These are kind of like those, but a little bit different. I like this recipe because you can customize it any way you want. Make it the way you like it best. This makes a large portion of Asian Lettuce Wraps, so if you want fewer servings, just half the recipe!

Here's what you will need:
3 tsp. Olive Oil
3 lbs. of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (If you prefer Pork, you can use
pork butt)
A Bunch (8-10) green onions
3 cups chopped shitake mushrooms (remove the stems)
2-3 stalks celery
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. Oyster Sauce
1 Tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp. water
16 oz. broccoli slaw
1 -2 bell peppers (I use green, but you can use red if you want some color!)
Hoisin Sauce
Romaine (or regular) Lettuce
Slow Cooker

Chop up the chicken into 1/4 inch pieces. Heat canola oil in a skillet over
medium heat. Add chicken and brown lightly on all sides (for about 5-7 minutes). When the chicken is lightly browned, place it in the slow cooker.

Chop up the green onions, celery, and mushrooms into 1/4 inch pieces.

Add the mixture on top of the chicken and stir it up! Stir in soy sauce, oyster
sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, water, and black pepper.

Chop up the bell pepper and toss it together with the slaw. Place this on top of the mixture in the slow cooker. Do not stir it yet.

Cover and cook on Low for 5 hours or if you're in a hurry, you can cook it on
high for 2.5-3 hours. I prefer cooking it on low, because it tastes juicier!
Make sure the chicken is cooked through.

When the lettuce wraps are done, mix it up in the slow cooker evenly.

To serve, spread a little hoisin sauce on a piece of lettuce leaf and add some of the mixture to it. Roll it up like a burrito or fold it like a taco, and eat!

Happy Cooking!
Love, Farm Diva

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Chicken Mozarella Bake

7/12/2013

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Pound the chicken breasts and
sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic.

The chicken after it is cooked
for 10 minutes

I love to sauté mushrooms

I like to cook several pans of this,
each with different types of cheese. Then, just cut them up & store in bowls in the freezer.

This recipe is super easy, super fast, and just really good! I especially love it because I love fresh tomatoes and green onions from
the garden. We love chicken in my family, so this recipe is perfect for us!

Here's what you will need:
4-6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
8-12 oz. sliced mushrooms
2-3 large tomatoes, sliced
10-12 green onions
8-12 oz. mozzarella cheese (or more)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Butter or Butter Substitute
3-4 Tbsp. Marsala Wine
Skillet
Glass Baking Pan

Directions:
Thin the chicken breasts by pounding them. You can use a meat hammer, or just put them between foil and use a dough roller. Next, sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic on both sides of the chicken. I use a lot, but
you can use as much as you want according to your tastes.

In a skillet, heat olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter over medium heat. Cook the chicken breasts about 5 minutes on each side. (They will
cook more later in the oven). Remove chicken breasts to a baking dish.

In the same skillet, add 1 Tbsp. butter with the Marsala Wine to sauté' the sliced mushrooms. Sauté' until tender and golden brown.

Pour the cooked mushrooms over the chicken. Next add the tomato and green onion slices. Finally, put mozzarella cheese on the top.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25-35 minutes. Before you serve, cut open a few of the chicken breasts to ensure they are fully cooked. This recipe is so easy, and freezes in the freezer really well for an easy re-heat,
that I usually make 3. Everyone loves it, so they eat this up really fast!

Happy Cooking!
Love, Farm Diva

Here is what it should look like before you
put it in the oven, after you've added the mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions.

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Sunday Crock Pot 15 Bean Stew

7/7/2013

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If you love beans, Hambeens
soup is the way to go!

Vegetables are chopped!

Add the carrots, onions, and celery to the broth.

Added the chicken and let it crock!

This is what you call a man's soup!

If you have a man in the house, chances are he loves beans. Any way you cook them, he goes crazy. And, we're on quite the chicken kick in my house too, so what could be better than a chicken and bean stew? This bean stew has 15 kinds of beans: Northern, Pinto, Large Lima, Blackeye, Garbanzo, Baby Lima, Green Split, Kidney, Cranberry, Small White, Pink, Small Red, Yellow Split, Lentil, Navy, White Kidney, and Black Beans!!! Can you say Bean Overload?? This soup is every man's dream.

Here's what you will need:
Hurst Hambeens 15 bean soup
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts.
A bunch of celery
A bag of baby carrots
A bunch of green or white onions
Cajun Seasoning
Cayenne Pepper (optional)
Two boxes or large cans of chicken stock (Or substitute in about 5-7 chicken bullion cubes).

First, rinse and separate the beans to make sure there aren't any rocks or anything "extra" in your beans. If you don't have Hurst Hambeens 15 bean soup, you can use any kind of beans. Put the beans and the chicken stock in the crock pot. If you don't have chicken stock, you can use chicken bullion cubes and water. The crock pot should be filled up about halfway.

Next, spice the stew. I usually add a few Tbsp. of Cajun seasoning and 1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper. If you don't like your stew spicy, do not add the cayenne pepper!!!!

Then, cube the chicken pieces and add them to the stew. Chop the carrots in half and add them to the stew, then cut the celery into 1/2 inch thick pieces
and add them too. Chop the green onions the same way and add these to the very top.

Since beans expand, make sure there is at least an inch of room at the top of the crock pot so it won't overflow. If you like your stew salty, add a little salt too! Sometimes, I even put a sprinkle of pepper on top too!

One great thing about this stew is that really anything tastes good in it and you can easily customize it to fit your tastes. I've added potatoes before, and random veggies I had in the garden or leftover from other recipes. One thing I like to do to add a little "surprise" is to mince up a few jalapenos and throw them in there.

Cook on high for about 5-6 hours. If it's done, the biggest white beans should be soft. Stir when it's done to mix everything up! This yields about 15 bowls of soup.

Happy Cooking!
Love, Farm Diva

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Stuffed Jalapeno&Banana Peppers

7/4/2013

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Jalapenos make me very happy!

Right before I Put them in the Oven

This is one of my summer favorites!

If you have a ton of extra peppers like I do this year, you will Love this recipe!!!

Here's what you will need:
Jalapenos and/or banana peppers
Package of cream cheese
Package of shredded parmesan
Package of Italian sausage
Small container of sour cream
Package of dry ranch
Cooking spray
A Pan (or two)

Pick (or purchase) some jalapeno or banana peppers.For this particular time I picked 22 jalapeno peppers and 13 banana peppers.

Next, cut them in half and de-seeded them. Be sure to wear gloves if you are dealing with jalapenos.

Then, mix together the stuffing:
One package of cream cheese
One roll of sausage (cooked)
One package of shredded paremsan cheese

Spray a little cooking spray on the pan and wipe it off with a paper towel. Then, time to start stuffing!! The stuffing mixture is sticky, so I usually get a little cooking oil on my fingers so it slides off my fingers in to the peppers.

Put them in the oven on 375 for 20 minutes or 350 for 25 minutes (depending on your oven). While they are cooking, mix the dry ranch packet in the sour cream container
to make the dip for the peppers.

When they are done, dip and enjoy!!! I hope everyone loves this recipe as much as my family and I do!

Happy Cooking!
Love, Farm Diva

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Steak!

7/4/2013

3 Comments

Here is what the steak should look like after it's seasoned.

Steaming the Asparagus.

If you love steak as much as we do, you probably eat it a lot. And why not? It's a fast, easy supper! You can make a steak dinner in 30 minutes!!! Now, I don't know about you, but I love to grill. I had a charcoal grill (which is fabulous if you have the time), and now I have a gas grill because it's so much faster!!!

Directions:
Allow the steak to thaw to room temperature (takes about 30 minutes out of the fridge.) Fire up the grill and let it get hot while you season the steaks. If you have a gas grill, you should most likely turn it on low to medium. If it's charcoal, make sure the flame isn't too close to the steak.

Season the steak. I usually get a pan to put the steaks in if I don't marinate them over night. I pour some Dale's or Worcestershire sauce in the bottom of the pan and flip the steaks around in it a few times. Then I sprinkle a little Cavendar's (salt and pepper or Creole works too!) and Ground Cumin on each side.
Add the steak on the grill. Usually, if you cook the meat 4-8 minutes on each side, you will get the perfect steak. If you're not sure if it's done, use a knife to cut it open to see. Don't keep flipping the steak, or it loses the juiciness.

For this fast easy meal, I picked corn and asparagus from the garden to cook. Add the corn into a pot of boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with butter, salt, pepper.

For this asparagus, I cut off the ends of the asparagus and cut the rest into 3 sections. Put them in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes then steam them for an additional 10 minutes. Garnished with salt, pepper, butter, and a little garlic.

Voila! A fast easy yummy dinner for your family!!!

Happy Cooking!!!
Love, Farm Diva

3 Comments

Mom's Cheese Soup

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Chicken Mozarella Bake

Sunday Crock Pot 15 Bean Stew

Stuffed Jalapeno&Banana Peppers

Steak!

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Mom's Cheese Soup

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Chicken Mozarella Bake

Sunday Crock Pot 15 Bean Stew

Stuffed Jalapeno&Banana Peppers

Steak!

Hey Y'all

Archives

Categories

How FD Bullet Jewelry got started.......

Let's Get Social!

Bullet Jewelry ​by Caliber

Bullet Jewelry ByCate​gory

Get 10% off your first order when you sign up for monthly email updates.

Bullet Jewelry
by Caliber

Bullet Jewelry By
Category