10/6/2014
Today I am celebrating my birthday and doing some thinking about the past, the present and the future. My kiddos are almost through high school, and I will soon be empty nesting. I've taken up some new hobbies, and am dusting off a few old ones. I'd like to get a little more serious about my blog. I updated my white bread recipe today with lots of photos, and I added a new recipe for baked potato soup, it's a fall/winter favorite around here.
I hope everyone is staying warm, enjoying the first cool evenings of fall, and cheering on my STL Cardinals.

Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup - great for a cool fall evening

Ingredients:

6 baked potatoes

2/3 cup flour

8 cups whole milk (1 quart) 

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 t pepper

1 t salt 

1 cup sour cream

1 bunch chopped green onions

Peel potatoes and coarsely mash with potato masher or two forks.  Discard skins.

Place flour in a large stock pot; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended.  Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes), whisking constantly.  

Add potatoes, 1 cup cheese, salt and pepper, stirring until cheese melts. 

Stir in sour cream.  Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil), stirring frequently.  Sprinkle each serving with 1 T cheese, and green onions.  

Wontons

Our New Year's Eve Tradition!  These little pockets of fried heaven are quickly inhaled each year, even though I make 100!  Even the kids like them!

Wontons

1 pound ground pork

1 T soy

¼ c green onions, finely chopped

2 medium potatoes, baked, peeled and mashed

¼ c diced carrots, finely chopped

½ c peas

1 t paprika

1 t garlic powder

3 T ginger paste

100 wonton wrappers

Sweet N Sour Sauce

Mix together pork through ginger paste.  place 1 t of mixture in the middle of each wonton.  Fold Wontons envelope style, packages usually have directions and photos.  Fry wontons 2 minutes each side, or until golden.  Set on plates lined with paper towels to drain well.  Serve warm with sweet and sour sauce.

To cook ahead, store in airtight container layering wontons in paper towels.  Place in 250 degree oven for 4-6 minutes or until warm.  

Thin Mint Brownies

Made these for my teenagers and their friends on New Year's Eve.  If you like thin mint cookies, you'll love these brownies!  I adapted a similar recipe that I found online.  With a few tweaks, it became thin mint for this scout family!

Ingredients
1 roll of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1 package Oreo Mint cookies
1 package brownie mix, including any ingredients you need for the mix. (eggs, & oil)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9x13" baking dish with foil.  Spray foil with cooking spray.  Press cookie dough into bottom of pan.  Use a small rolling pin to roll it out flat and even.

Layer the whole cookies on top of the dough.  Fit as many as you can in a flat layer.

Mix the brownie dough per package directions.  Pour/spread the brownie dough evenly over the top of the cookies.

Bake 30-40 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick.  Let cool completely before cutting.

Jake's Afghan

I made my son an afghan for Christmas.  He kept stealing mine.  Now he has his own!

Hamburger Cookies

Fun for a backyard cookout!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vanilla frosting
Red and yellow paste or gel food coloring
40 vanilla wafers
20 peppermint patties
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions:

Place 1/4 cup frosting in each of two small bowls. Tint one red and the other yellow. Frost the bottosm of 20 vanilla wafers yellow; top with a peppermint patty. Spread patty with red frosting. Brush tops of remaining vanilla wafers with corn syrup; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place on top of red frosting.

Yield 20 cookies

Spider Cupcakes

We make these every Halloween.  Big hit even with the teenagers!

Ingredients:

One Devil's Food Cake Mix

Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

One container white frosting

Red food coloring

Yellow food coloring

Black icing

24 pieces of soft black candy (jelly beans, gumdrops, etc.)

Directions:

Make and cool cupcakes according to package

Tint frosting with red and yellow food colorings to make desired orange color.

Spread orange frosting over cupcakes.

Using #3 head on