Soup Lady, "Cooking from the Heart"

Ranch Potato Salad

I love ranch dressing and potato salad, so I decided to combine 2 of my favorites.  This is a great recipe for potlucks, picnics or packed in a lunch. 

Ingredients:

1 packet ranch dressing

Mayo

Milk

6 potatoes

6 strips cooked bacon, crumbled

1 cup cubed cheddar cheese

1/3 cup green onions, sliced

Instructions:

Make dressing according to package directions.

Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender.  Put in the fridge until chilled.

Cube chilled potatoes.  Mix in the dressing until well coated.  Add in the bacon, cheese and green onions. 

Apple Streusal Cake

Jamie loves apple pie, me, not so much.  But I do love cake.  I decided to come up with a solution...a cake with apples and streusel topping.  Hope you like the recipe.

Ingredients:

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup toasted and coarsely chopped walnuts

Cake Batter:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup milk

2 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thin (1/8 inch) slices.  Coat with lemon juice.  Shake in mixture of flour, sugar and Chinaman.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter an 8 inch spring form pan and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.  Set aside. For streusel topping:  In a large bowl, mix together the flour and ground cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in the brown sugar and chopped walnuts.  Set aside while you make the cake batter. For cake batter:  In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter.  Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.  Add the flour mixture, alternately with the milk, and beat only until combined.  Spread the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Evenly arrange the apple slices on top of the cake batter and then sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake for about 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.  Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream.

Cream of Potato Soup

I love cold wintery days.  It inspires me to cook hearty and comforting soups.  One of my favorite foods is the potato.  It is tasty in so many ways.  I hope you enjoy my recipe for cream of potato soup.

Ingredients:

9 baking potatoes

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups whole milk

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup bacon bits, divided

4 green onions, chopped

10 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Instructions

Prick potatoes with a fork and cook in the microwave, 3 or 4 at a time, and scoop out the flesh (while the others are cooking).

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook about a minute. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes, salt, pepper, 1/3 cup bacon bits, 2 tablespoons green onions and most of the cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream and heat through. Serve topped with remaining bacon, onions and cheese.

Jicama Salad

I pack Jamie a lunch everyday.  I try to include fruit and veggies to make sure he is getting a somewhat balanced diet to supplement the soda, chips and candy he loves so much - smile :-).  One of his favorite veggies is Jicama.  I found this recipe that keeps it light, yet adds some interesting sweet and sour flavors.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons corn oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup juice reserved from mandarin oranges (see below)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

12 ounces pared jicama, cut into chunks

1/2 can mandarin oranges

1/2 cup diced red onions

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Pinch ground red pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat oil and add garlic.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 1-2 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from heat and stir in juice from mandarin oranges and vinegar.

In medium bowl, combine jicama, oranges, onion, green onions, salt, pepper and red pepper.  Add orange juice mixture and toss to combine.  Let stand 15 minutes and toss again just before serving.

Light, refreshing and good for you.

Mexican Chicken Soup

Hi folks, for those of you who don't know me, my name is Jamie.  I am Deb's husband, also known as the "sous chef", "daddy-chop", "chief bottle-washer" and "photographer" who takes all the pictures of my "oh so lovely" wife's wonderful cooking creations.  I just wanted to mention that I personally love this home-made recipe of "Mexican Chicken Soup".  When I was shooting the picture above, I moved it just a little and a single drop of the soup spilled on the table.  So I reached down and dapped it up with the tip of my finger and tasted it.  MAN, I couldn't wait to polish it off after I got a good shot of it for this blog.  So take my advice and try this one out for sure.  It's got "Jamie's 4-star seal of approval" and reccomendation.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 cup diced onions

1 cup diced bell pepper

1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes

10 ounces cooked chicken breast, cut into chunks

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Hot pepper sauce to taste

Chips (tortilla, Doritos, Fritos, etc.)

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1 Avocado, diced

Directions:

In medium saucepan heat oil; add onions, red pepper, jalapeno pepper and garlic.  Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently until tender.

Add broth and tomatoes to vegetable mixture and bring to a boil.  Add chicken, bay leaf, marjoram and thyme; cook and stir frequently for about 5 minutes until heated through.  Remove and discard bay leaf.

Just before serving top with chips, cheese and avocado. 

My Inspiration

I was born in New Jersey and had the great fortune of being exposed to a wonderful Italian family who enjoyed food and each other.  Our family get togethers were filled with the smell of great food.  I have happy childhood memories of these times.

What I noticed most about the women who cooked in our family is they did not use a cookbook! Recipes were handed down from generation to generation. Measuring cups and spoons were replaced with a handful of this and a pinch of that. My mother - Angelina - exemplifies the simple tradition of women have made cooking an art form.  My mom is my inspiration to this day...

I love you mom!

 

Black Bean Salad

I am trying to loose weight, but I don't want to consider myself on a diet.  Diets make me feel deprived.  What I am trying to do is find low fat recipes with BIG flavors.  This black bean salad is both low fat and flavorful.  Hope you like this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 small can of pre-cooked black beans

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon white Karo syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

Directions:

Dressing:

To prepare dressing, in small skilled, heat cumin over low heat, stirring constantly, 1 minute, until fragrant.  Transfer to large bowl.  Add lemon juice, oil, vinegar, Karo syrup and salt with wire whisk and blend until smooth.

Add beans, red pepper, cilantro and onion to dressing; toss to combine.

Cream Filled Cupcakes

I always wondered how Hostess could get the cream filling inside a cupcake.  While watching Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network I found the secret.  A piping bag!  I get real creative with this recipe.  If I am in a hurry I use boxed cake mix.  If not, I use a favorite cake recipe and make them in the form of cupcakes.  This recipe is based on the cake mix variety.

I found a great cupcake carrying case at Target as an idea for storing and delivering your treats.

Ingredients:

Cake:

Packaged cake mix (see back of package for list of ingredients).

Filling and Frosting:

2 cups milk

1 (5 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed mild

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed

Instruction:

Cake:

Baked according to package directions (I used chocolate for this recipe) and cool before filling and frosting.

Filling and Frosting:

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a hand held mixer.  Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed mild together and mix until smooth.  Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.  Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir together until well blended. 

Put some of the mixture into a piping bag.  Insert the tip into the center of the cupcake.  Experiment with the amount you fill the cupcake with.  A little goes a long way.  After the cupcakes are filled, use the rest of the mixture to frost the cupcakes.  Add chocolate sprinkles.  A definite treat for kids of all ages!

Banana Pudding

I was on a business trip in Vegas and our group went to dinner at a great BBQ place called Louise's.  We ordered the Banana Pudding and it was a sensory delight.  So, of course I had to find a recipe for this awesome dessert.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Ingredients:

Vanilla wafers or shortbread cookies

6 to 8 bananas, sliced

2 cups of milk (I like to use half and half)

1 (5 ounce) box of instant vanilla or banana flavored pudding

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Instructions:

Line the bottom of 1 13 x 9 x 2 inch dish with a bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using an electric hand held mixer.  Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth.  Fold the whipped cream topping into the cream cheese mixture.  Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.  Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and coverwith the remaining cookies.  Put in the fridge until ready to use.