Jean's Potato Soup

5 lbs. white potatoes, peeled and diced

½ c. celery, chopped

1 white onion, diced

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. minced garlic

(2) 32 oz boxes unsalted chicken stock (I use Kitchen Basics)

1 can Pet milk

½ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. poultry seasoning

4 oz. sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

1 lb. ground sausage, cooked, drained of fat, and crumbled (optional--you can leave this out or you can replace it with cooked and crumbled bacon if you prefer)

Instant potato flakes (only if needed)

Put potatoes, celery, onion, salt and garlic in dutch oven with enough chicken stock to just cover potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Spoon out about two thirds of the potatoes into a mixing bowl, leaving one third of the potatoes and the water in the pot. Mash the potatoes in the bowl with a masher or pastry blender and return to the pot.

Pour in Pet milk and stir. Add black pepper and poultry seasoning. Stir and taste. Add more seasonings if needed. Stir in sausage and cheese. Heat through and serve immediately.

If soup cooks up too thin, you can add a spoonful (or as much as needed) of instant potato flakes to thicken it to the desired consistency. If soup cooks up too thick, you can add more Pet milk to thin it to desired consistency.

Green Lemon-Lime Punch

1 Gallon Green Lemon-Lime Hawaiian Punch, chilled

64 oz. White Grape Juice, chilled

2 liters Ginger Ale, chilled

8 scoops lime sherbet

Mix liquid ingredients in punch bowl and stir. float scoops of sherbet on top.

This makes a great Halloween punch. You can float black plastic spiders or bugs on top to make it extra creepy.

Cheesy Peas

1 can green peas, drained

1 can asparagus, drained

1 can cream of mushroom soup

4 oz. American or Velveeta cheese finely diced (any cheese you like will work)

1 tsp. garlic salt (to taste)

Layer the ingredients in the following order: asparagus, mushroom soup, garlic salt, half the cheese, peas, half the cheese. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

This is my Aunt Sue’s recipe. It’s a family get-together classic for her. She says the amount of cheese varies with the people you’re cooking for. Children and picky eaters will like it cheesier, so adjust for your audience.

Lowell Inn Crescent Rolls

¾ c. warm water (110-115 degrees)

2 pkgs. Active dry yeast

4 c. flour

½ c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

½ c. soft shortening (Crisco)

In bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Measure flour by dip-level-pour method or by sifting. Stir remaining ingredients except half of flour into yeast. Add rest of flour; mix until smooth. Scrape dough from sides of bowl, cover with cloth. Let rise in warm place (85 degrees) until double, about 1 ½ hours. Divide in half. Shape as crescents by rolling dough out to ¼ inch thick into a 12 inch circle. Spread soft butter over dough (OPTIONAL-I usually don’t do this). Cut into 16 pie shaped pieces. Beginning at rounded edge, roll up. Place on pan, point underneath. Cover, let rise until double, 1 hour. Brush with melted butter (OPTIONAL-I usually don’t do this). Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 32 rolls.

This recipe is from the Text Edition of Betty Crocker’s New Picture Cook Book (I can’t find the copyright date in it, but it was my mom’s textbook when she was in Home Ec. in high school, hence all the butter. They didn’t worry about low-fat back then.) This is the recipe I’ve used to make bread for holidays since I started making bread. I don’t think there’s a better one out there. It’s a holiday staple.

Bread Machine Quick Pretzels

2/3 c. warm milk

1/4 c. warm water

¾ tsp. salt

2 1/4 c. bread flour

1 ½ tsp. brown sugar

1 ½ tsp. bread machine yeast

1 egg, beaten

Coarse salt

Add milk, water, salt, flour, brown sugar and yeast to bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough/manual cycle.

When cycle is complete, transfer dough from machine to lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 14 in. rope (at least—the longer the rope, the prettier the shape of the pretzel,). When rolling the rope, make sure the dough is of even thickness throughout and that all pretzel ropes are the same thickness to ensure even cooking. Curve ends of each rope to make a circle; cross ends at top. Twist ends once and place over bottom of circle. Place pretzels on greased baking sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with salt.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and let cool briefly on wire racks. Serve warm.

Delicious with cheese sauce or mustard for dipping!

6 servings.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 5 points per pretzel.

This recipe is a slightly modified version of the one from the cookbook Breaking Bread with Father Dominic 2 by Father Dominic Garramone, OSB

Bell Pepper Chicken Salad

4-5 cups cooked, diced chicken

¼ c. dijon mustard

2/3 c. mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 c. finely chopped celery

1 Tbsp. freeze dried chives
2 heaping Tbsp. sweet pickle relish

salt and black pepper to taste

2 heaping Tbsp. orange marmalade

Put chicken in food processor and process until it’s a fine crumble, if desired. If you prefer a chunkier salad, skip this step. In an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the chicken, mustard, mayo, pepper, celery, chives, salt and pepper. Mixture will be sticky/clumpy. Taste. Add more of anything if desired. Add marmalade last and mix just until combined. The sugars will loosen up the texture and add a slight sweetness.

Serve on sandwiches, or with crackers, chips, or veggies.

Turkey and Ham Tea Sandwiches

Pepperidge Farm Very Thin White Sandwich Bread

Thin Sliced Deli Black Forest Ham

Thin Sliced Deli Smoked Turkey Breast

3 oz. Cream cheese, softened

1 Can Whole Cranberry Sauce

1 Tbsp. Tang powdered drink mix (in powdered form)

Stir the Tang into the cranberry sauce. For a sandwich, spread a thin layer of cream cheese on both slices of bread. Put one thin slice of ham on one side and one thin slice of turkey on the other. Spread a spoonful of the cranberry mixture on top of the turkey and close the sandwich. Cut diagonally to create triangles. Serve chilled.

My Aunt Nell used to make these for showers and parties.

Lasagna

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 c. chopped mushrooms
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 6 oz. can tomato paste with basil, garlic, and oregano
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
10 uncooked lasagna noodles
15 oz. ricotta cheese
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
12 oz. mozzarella, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add onion and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, until translucent. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Add cooked ground beef, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 Tbsp. of the parsley, basil, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium low heat, for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a large pot with the hottest tap water. Add the lasagna noodles. Cover and let them sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1/2 c. parmesan, the egg, the remaining 1 Tbsp. parsley, the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, and the remaining 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Add the layers as follows: half the noodles, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta mixture, and one third of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta mixture, and sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

This is a modified version of an Ina Garten recipe found in her cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa Family Style.

White Cream Cheese Frosting

1 lb. cream cheese, at room temp.
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 lbs. powdered sugar, sifted

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

This is taken from Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

Variations I've tried:

Orange Icing

Replace 1/2 tsp. almond extract with 1 tsp. orange extract. Add red and yellow food coloring to turn icing orange if desired.

Blue Punch

1 gallon Blue Polar Blast Hawaiian Punch
64 oz. White Grape Juice
2 Liters Ginger Ale
6-8 scoops vanilla ice cream

Chill all ingredients. Mix together in punch bowl and float ice cream on top. Looks very cute with rubber duckies floating on top for baby showers.

Mom's Mint Patties

2 lbs. powdered sugar
2 sticks melted butter
1 can Eagle Brand Milk
1-2 tsp. mint extract (to taste)

Coating:
½ c. Canola oil
24 oz. pkg. of semi-sweet chocolate chips (you may need more to coat the whole batch, keep extra chips and oil on hand in case you need to melt more)

Mix sugar and milk together. Then add butter and extract. Mix well. Mixture will be sticky. You will need to put this in the freezer for a few minutes to harden so it will be easier to shape. Shape into patties. In double boiler, bring water to a boil, then turn off heat and add chocolate chips and oil to top pan. Stir until melted. Dip candies into chocolate and roll with fork to coat, remove quickly and place on wax paper covered baking sheet to set. If kitchen is hot, you may have to pop them in the freezer for a few minutes to get the chocolate hardened. Let cool completely before storing. Keep refrigerated.

Mom's Coconut Bon Bons

2 lbs. powdered sugar
2 sticks melted butter
1 can Eagle Brand Milk
2 c. finely chopped pecans
7 oz. shredded coconut

Coating:
1/2 c. Canola oil
24 oz. pkg. of semi-sweet chocolate chips (may need more, keep extra chips and oil on hand in case you need to melt more to finish coating your batch)

Mix sugar, milk, nuts, and coconut together. Then add butter. Mix well. If mixture is sticky, put in refrigerator or freezer to chill so it will be easier to work with. Shape into balls. In double boiler, bring water to a boil. Turn off heat. Put chocolate and oil in top pan of double boiler. Stir until melted. Dip candies into chocolate and roll with fork to coat, remove quickly and place on wax paper covered baking sheet to set. If kitchen is hot, you may have to pop them in the freezer for a few minutes to get the chocolate hardened. Let cool completely before storing. Keep refrigerated.

White Cheese Spread

8 oz. grated Smoked Gouda
8 oz. grated Vermont White Cheddar
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. mayonnaise
½ - 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (amount to taste)
1 minced red bell pepper
½ of a small jar of diced pimentos

Mix (either by hand, in a stand mixer, or in a food processor) all ingredients together until combined to a spreadable consistency. Refrigerate. This is good on sandwiches or as a dip/spread for crackers, chips, or veggies.