Cream of Potato Soup

In a large stockpot, heat 2 Tblsp. butter and 1 Tblsp. vegetable oil.
Over medium heat, saute:
2 cups diced onions
2 cups diced celery
1-1/2 cups diced carrots
Cover and saute until wilted, not browned.
Add 8 slices of fried, drained and chopped bacon.

To the vegetables, add:
10 cups chicken (OR vegetable) stock
Bring to a boil. Lower to med-low and simmer - COVERED - for 1/2 hour. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add a couple Tblsp. chopped parsley.

In another pot, place 8 medium peeled & diced potatoes (doesn't matter what kind) and bring to a boil - simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are nearly cooked. Drain & carefully add the potatoes to the stockpot. Simmer for 15 minutes, keeping the heat on medium-low.

Keeping the heat on low, add 2 cups heavy cream (whipping cream), stirring to heat, but NOT boil! Taste - add more S&P if needed.

If you're happy with the thickness of the soup, leave it the way it is. If you like a thicker soup, add (a Tblsp. at a time, whisking constantly to prevent clumping) instant mashed potatoes. It works a LOT better than making a flour/cornstarch thickening paste and tastes much better too! Thicken as little or as much as you like.

Now's the time to add cheese if you like a cheesy potato soup. Grate as little or as much colby/jack cheese as you like, and add to the soup, stirring constantly and keeping the heat LOW to prevent sticking/scorching. Here's a tip: If you really like a smoky/bacon flavor but do not want to ADD bacon (or just don't have any on hand), grate smoked Gouda cheese and add a half cup or so to the soup. It will TASTE as though there's bacon in the soup even if there isn't any! Be creative - use chopped ham or whatever else sounds good to you. Serve in bowls and have shredded cheese on hand to sprinkle on top.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin cookies

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, mix well:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

Beat for 5 minutes until fluffy.

Continue mixing in:

2 eggs

1 teasp. vanilla extract

In another bowl, mix dry ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour

3 cups rolled oats

1 teasp. baking powder

1 teasp. baking soda

1 teasp. ground cinnamon

Combine dry ingredients with butter mixture, mixing well. Add 1-1/2 cups raisins. (You can also add dried cranberries, chopped nuts, chocolate chips.....) Blend everything together.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets, leaving at least an inch between cookies (around 12 per sheet). Flatten slightly and if you like, sprinkle the tops lightly with sugar (I do that!).

Bake for 13-15 minutes until edges of cookies are golden. Cool completely.

Fudge Truffle Pie

This recipe is INCREDIBLY easy & will satisfy ANYone's craving for chocolate. For the best result, use a GOOD quality chocolate (like Ghirardelli).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees - 325 degrees if you're using a glass pie plate. Spray a pie pan lightly with nonstick spray.

Melt (and cool slightly) a 12 oz. package of semisweet chocolate chips. Instead of smearing up a bowl, I spread the chips out on a large, heavy paper plate and microwave it until it's just barely melted.

In a mixing bowl, combine and mix well, using a wire whisk:
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teasp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream

Stir in the melted chocolate and mix thoroughly. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pie dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the OUTER half of the pie is a bit puffy, but center is still slightly soft. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack.

Serve with whipped cream. Garnish with raspberries or other berries, if you like. Keep refrigerated.

(Chopped, toasted nuts can also be added when you add the chocolate to the batter before baking.)

Tortilla Soup

Keep in mind that there isn't a standard recipe for this and amounts are approximate. Add more (or less) vegetables/seasonings, depending on your taste!

In an 8 qt. stockpot, add a couple tsps. olive oil and saute 2 cups sliced celery, 2 cups chopped onion & a few cloves crushed/chopped garlic - until soft & wilted, NOT browned.

To that, add 1- 15 oz. can of chopped tomatoes with juice (or 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes. Add 1-1/2-2 cups sliced carrots. Add 4 qts. chicken stock/broth, home made or canned/boxed. Bring to a boil - add 2 large pcs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Simmer (covered) for 1/2 hour, until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken & dice up meat - return meat to stock. Simmer another 1/2 hour.

Season stock with salt & pepper to taste. Add 1 teasp. ground cumin, 2 teasp. chili powder and 2 tblsp. chopped fresh parsley. You can add some fresh, chopped cilantro now OR before serving, if you'd like - I'm not crazy about fresh cilantro so I don't use it. If you like a super-spicy soup (say THAT 3 times quickly!!), add some hot chili peppers or cayenne - to taste.

Continue to simmer the stock for another 15 minutes. Add 2 cups (canned or fresh/cooked) black beans and 2 cups (canned, frozen or fresh off the cob) corn. Taste and add more salt/pepper, if needed. Simmer for another half hour.

Spoon the soup into bowls - add grated chihuahua cheese (or co-jack) and garnish with tortilla strips.

Spicy pumpkin bread

After trying many recipes and doing a LOT of experimenting, this is the most MOIST and delicious pumpkin bread recipe around! At the end of the recipe, add whatever you like most (chopped walnuts, dried cherries, miniature chocolate chips, chopped dates...) - the trick is to use sour cream and BABY FOOD (or even applesauce) instead of OIL. Oil usually makes the breads greasy-tasting and fat-laden.

Spray loaf pans with nonstick spray. I even line mine with parchment, but it's not necessary.

Prehead the oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees if you're using glass pans of dark-colored teflon pans)

Mix ingredients together in a large mixing bowl:

2 cups canned (cooked, packed) pumpkin (NOT pie filling!)

1 cup BABY food (I used a mixture of carrots and banana-applesauce) OR just applesauce

3/4 cup light sour cream  OR vanilla Greek yogurt

2-1/2 cups white sugar

4 lightly beaten eggs

2 teasp. vanilla

Stir in:

3 cups white flour

2 teasp. baking soda

1 teasp. baking powder

2 teasp. ground cinnamon

1-1/2 teasp. ground ginger

1/4 teasp. ground cloves

1/8 teasp. ground/grated nutmeg

Mix WELL - at this point, add whatever you like to the batter. You don't have to add ANYthing if you prefer it plain. I added dried cranberries (Craisins) and chopped walnuts to mine.

Divide the batter equally and spoon into greased pans. You can use standard 8X5 loaf pans or smaller mini-loaf pans. Make sure if you use smaller pans to adjust the baking time and check them after 30-40 or so minutes. The larger loaves take 45 minutes or more.

Bake the loaves - test the center with a toothpick to make sure it's baked thoroughly. Remove from oven and then remove from pans after 15 minutes. Cool completely before cutting. If you can wait that long. :-)

Pumpkin Pie

This recipe is made for a diabetic diet (no crust, no sugar & VERY low carbs!). You can EASILY adapt it and make a regular pumpkin pie by preparing your favorite (unbaked) crust. Make the filling exactly the same but use regular sugar instead of Splenda. Then bake it @400* degrees the first 15 minutes - lower the oven temp to 350* and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes, until the center is cooked.

Spray a 9" pie plate with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350* degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine and mix together well:

1 15 oz. can of solid packed, cooked pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie FILLING)

3 lightly beaten eggs

1 cup Splenda (OR sugar)

1 teasp. ground ginger

2 teasp. ground cinnamon

1/8 teasp. ground cloves

1/8 teasp. ground/grated nutmeg

1 teasp. vanilla extract

1- 12 oz. can evaporated milk

Whisk all the ingredients together until thoroughly mixed. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake the pie for 40-45 minutes or until center is set. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

* IF YOU USE A GLASS or DARK- COLORED Nonstick PIE PAN, REDUCE THE OVEN TEMPERATURE 20 DEGREES - otherwise it'll overcook and burn!

Cannoli cake

Lemon cake:

Grease 2- 8 or 9" round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment and lightly grease the bottom- flour the pans, shaking off excess. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In an electric mixing bowl, (medium speed) cream 1 cup (2 sticks) soft butter for 1-2 minutes. Gradually add 2 cups white sugar- beat until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add 4 large eggs, ONE at a time - mixing after each addition until the batter is fully blended - around 5 minutes. Occasionally stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Mix dry ingredients (separately) in a bowl and then set aside:
3 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 tblsp. baking powder
1 teasp. baking soda

Measure 1-1/4 cups buttermilk and to it, add 1 teasp. vanilla and 1 Tblsp. grated lemon zest/

To the butter/sugar mixture in mixing bowl, ALTERNATELY add the flour mixture and buttermilk- a third at a time - mixing on a low speed until everything is mixed together well and thoroughly incorporated.

Spoon 1/2 the batter into each of the 2 pans. Bake 20 minutes - quickly and carefully rotate the pans so the cakes cook evenly. Bake for another 10 - 15 minutes more (checking after 10 minutes) and testing with a toothpick to make sure cakes are done.

Remove to cooling racks - cook 20 minutes in pans before turning upside down and removing from pans. Cool completely.

When layers are cooled, split each in half. You can put filling between 2 or 3 of the layers, depending on how high you'd like the cake. Or you can leave them intact and just put filling between one layer. Or go ahead and eat it plain. :-)

Cannoli filling:

There are countless variations for cannoli filling; some are cooked, some are uncooked. It's all a matter of personal taste and preference. Add candied fruit, citron, peel, toasted chopped nuts, chopped chocolate ... whatever floats your cannoli boat.

This makes more than enough filling for a 3-4 layer cake:

Mix together:
2 lbs. fresh whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar (or more if you like a sweeter taste)
1 teasp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
scant 1/2 teasp. grated lemon (or orange) zest
1/3 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 bar (standard size- 6 oz?) imported chopped milk chocolate (like Lindt or Lindor)
Fold in gently:
1-1/2 cups freshly whipped whipping cream (not canned!)

Divide ricotta filling and spread between layers of cooled cake. Either sift powdered sugar over cake & serve with freshed whipped cream or use your favorite frosting.

Sausage, pepper & cheese strata

Grease a 9x12" pan. Tear up 6- 1" slices of Italian bread and scatter the pieces onto the bottom of the pan.

In a pan over med. heat, saute 1 lb. of Italian sausage (bulk - or just remove casing) along with 2-3 bell peppers (I used yellow ones, but any colors work fine), breaking up the sausage as it cooks. When it's nearly done (total time of 5-7 minutes, tops), lower the heat & cover the pan to let everything steam.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix well & set aside:

6 large eggs

2 Cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1 small chopped onion

1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese

1 Tblsp. fresh chopped (or 1 teasp. dried) oregano

salt to taste

freshly ground pepper

Pour half the egg/milk mixture over the torn up bread in the pan. Scatter 1 cup freshly grated Asiago (or fontina - I use Asiago) cheese over the bread. Spoon the cooked sausage and peppers evenly over the cheese. Pour the rest of the egg/milk mixture over the top. Sprinkle another cup of grated Asiago (or fontina) cheese evenly over the top.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the strata is set.

Panna Cotta

Panna cotta means 'cooked cream' in Italian. The variations on this simple, yet luscious dessert are endless! After making the cooked cream, you might want to spoon some fruit compote or lay fresh berries on the bottoms of the custard cups before pouring in the cream (before chilling it). You may also choose to use different flavorings (instead of vanilla) - grate some lemon or orange zest into the nearly finished dessert - don't be afraid to experiment!

In a small pitcher or bowl, measure 1-1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream. Take a half of a vanilla bean- split it down the side, scrape out the beans and drop the entire bean into the heavy cream. Set aside.

In a 2 cup measuring cup, pour 1 cup (whole) milk and 1/2 C. light cream (half & half). Pour 1/3 of it into a heavy saucepan and sprinkle 4 teasp. unflavored, powdered gelatin over the top. Let it sit until the gelatin softens and swells, approx. 5 minutes. Pour in the rest of the milk and stir in 1/2 cup white sugar- stir well. Set the saucepan over medium heat and cook (around 5 min. or less) - stirring CONSTANTLY with a wire whisk - until the gelatin & sugar completely dissolve and milk mixture is HOT - DO NOT SIMMER OR BOIL - that will deactivate the setting property.


Once the milk/gelatin/sugar is heated and dissolved, remove from heat. Remove the vanilla bean from the heavy cream, making sure it's scraped well - stir it up and slowly pour it into the hot milk in the pan. Mix everything together thoroughly.

Lightly grease custard cups, ramekins or small bowls and place them on a baking pan. Divide the cream equally and pour into the little cups (leaving 1/2" space from the top). Loosely cover the ramekins and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours (or overnight) until the panna cotta is completely set.

You could serve it right in the ramekins or gently unmold them (as you would do with jello). This is a delicious dessert plain, or with fresh berries, sweet sauces or melted chocolate.

Scottish 'Mince & Tatties'

This traditional Scottish dish has always been a favorite of my husband's - & his family (from Fife, Scotland)- kids especially love it! 'Mince' translates into 'minced meat' or finely chopped beef or (what I & many usually use) ground beef (round or sirloin is best - less fat). This 'mushy beef stew' (as my kids have always called it) tastes much better than it looks! lol   It's basically a deconstructed Shepherd's Pie.  FYI, I usually double or triple this recipe:

In a pot or dutch oven, saute 2 lbs. (or more - - - - if using more meat, increase the amounts of vegetables/other ingredients) of meat (ground round, see above note), breaking it up as it cooks. Halfway thru cooking time, add a good-sized (med/large) chopped onion & a clove of minced garlic (I'm pretty certain this was NOT used by my mother-in-law, but it adds something special to the taste! Omit the garlic if you want.) and continue cooking until meat loses its pink color. Drain off ALL juices/fat. Return to medium heat. To the pot, add 1-1/2 cups chopped celery, 1/3-1/2 cup diced green pepper. Add enough water to cover the meat/vegetables. Add 2 Tblsp. beef base (that's a 'paste' in a jar found by soups in the grocery store) thinned in 1/4 cup hot water and 2 Tblsp. worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and (a generous amount of) ground black pepper; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding a bit more water if it reduces too much. The 'juice' should cover the meat, but the meat shouldn't be swimming in a lot of liquid. Simmer the meat for 45 minutes. Add 1-1/2 cups. chopped carrots and continue simmering for another 1/2 hour, or until the carrots are tender. At this point, you can add a cup or 2 of cooked peas - or serve them on the side. Once the cooking is completed, you could either eat as is, or thicken the juice with a little cornstarch mixed with cold water - if you like a thicker 'gravy'. Ladle the mince over freshly cooked mashed potatoes.

Honey Wheat Bread

If you aren't familiar with bread baking, yeast proofing & kneading, check out a basic cookbook for more detailed instructions/technique. This is an abbreviated version (the way I make it). I use a heavy-duty Kitchen Aid mixer to 'knead' the dough, but you can use a mixing bowl to combine the ingredients and just knead the dough by hand for approximately 5 minutes. I usually buy wheat flour in bulk at Whole Foods Market, but King Arthur, Hodgson Mills, Gold Medal or Pillsbury works just as well. If you bake as much bread as I do, you might consider buying a large package of yeast from GFS; they sell a BIG bag (like 2 cups of dry yeast) for around $5.-6., which is a STEAL!

In 1 C warm water, stir in 1/2 tsp. sugar to dissolve. Add 4 tsp. dry yeast and stir to dissolve. Let it proof for 5 minutes or so until yeast starts bubbling/activating.

While the yeast is proofing, in a glass bowl, melt 4 Tblsp. butter (microwave) --- to the melted butter, add 6 Tblsp. honey and 1-1/2 C. milk. Microwave for another minute or so, or just until milk is warm. Stir well.

In a large mixing bowl (or metal Kitchen Aid mixing bowl), combine the milk/honey/butter with the proofed yeast. Mix it up to combine. Add 2-1/2 cups wheat flour, 1 teasp. salt, 1 cup BREAD flour (higher gluten % than standard all purpose white flour) and mix well. Continue adding flour 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough gets thick and starts holding together. The total amount of dough varies - between 5-6 cups... be careful not to add TOO much flour though- that would produce a very dense, dry, tough bread.

Once all the flour is added, put a dough hook on the mixer and knead the dough for 5 minutes. You can also do this by hand on a wooden board or countertop - sprinkling with flour to keep the dough from sticking. Remove it from the mixing bowl and continue kneading by hand for another minute or 2.

After the dough is thoroughly kneaded, place it in a lightly oiled ceramic bowl, put it in a warm, draft-free area (NOT A HOT OVEN!), cover it with a towel and let it rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. If you want to form the dough into loaves (baked in a pan), divide the dough in half. Grease 2 standard sized loaf pans. Knead each section of dough and form into loaves- place in the pans.

If you want a more 'free' style loaf, knead the dough, divide into equal parts and shape into balls - using a rolling pin, roll into a circle (frisbee shape), or whatever shape you prefer. Place the dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Let the dough rise another 20 minutes, whether in a pan, or shaped on a sheet.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the free formed loaves for approx. 18-24 minutes - check after 18 minutes to ensure that it's fully baked (lightly golden brown on top & bottom). The dough in loaf pans will take a bit longer, possibly another 10-15 minutes.

Again, check a cookbook with detailed instructions on bread baking if you're not very familiar with it. I could SHOW you how to do this much better than writing it out! :-)

Shrimp with basil & sundried tomato cream sauce

Pat dry 1 lb. medium raw shelled & deveined shrimp, tail removed.

In a skillet, heat 2 T. butter and 1 T. olive oil - when hot (med. heat), add to pan:

4 Tblsp. minced onion

2 garlic cloves, smashed/minced

Saute until translucent but not browned at ALL.

Add shrimp to pan - increase the heat and stir-fry the shrimp for a minute - maybe a little more (depending on the size of the shrimp), but only until they're barely cooked (not pink anymore)! Do NOT overcook them!

Remove the shrimp (only) to a plate and continue making the sauce.

To the pan drippings, add a splash (1/4 C.) white wine - (over medium heat) bring to a simmer. Season with salt and ground pepper. Add 6-8 leaves of minced fresh basil & 1/3 c. chopped sundried tomatoes. Keep stirring pan as it simmers 3-4 minutes, letting the flavors develop and the liquid reduce a bit. Stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream (whipping cream) and continue to cook & thicken for a few more minutes (shouldn't simmer vigorously... only slightly) until thick & creamy. Add the shrimp and let them heat through, another minute or so. (Double up on the ingredients if you want more sauce to spoon over pasta.) You can sprinkle fresh minced basil over the finished dish if you'd like.

This is delicious as is, or tossed with cooked linguine!

TIP: Trader Joe's carries a product that EVERYONE should keep in their freezer at all times - it's WONDERFUL!!! It's a little plastic 'tray' packet (approx. 3"x 5") of chopped basil - and it's frozen in a dozen or so tiny 'sections' like an ice cube tray.... you can pop out as many cubes as you need for a recipe (they defrost in a minute) and it's totally fresh tasting! It is FAR better than dried basil!!

Peach Apple crisp

This isn't a traditional sweet, gooey crisp. The inside is more custard-like and not too syrupy sweet. Althou gh I used regular sugar in this recipe, I would try it with Splenda (both white and brown sugar, where called for). The results shouldn't be much different and it would cut carbs for anyone watching their carb intake.

Grease a pyrex baking dish (or glass, ceramic or metal) approx. 7 X 11". Preheat the oven to 375 degrees ( 15-20 degrees lower if you're using a glass dish or dark/black teflon coated pan).

For filling: In a mixing bowl, put:

8 cups of peeled, sliced fruit: 4 Cups peaches and 4 cups apples (I used Gala)

Sprinkle with:

1/3 C. flour

1/2 C. white sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Stir to coat the fruit and spoon it into the baking dish.

In another bowl, combine:

1 C. creme fraiche (or sour cream)

2 large eggs

1 teasp. vanilla extract

1/4 C. white sugar

beat together well - pour this mixture evenly over the fruit.

For topping- combine:

1/2 Cup (1/2 stick) butter, MELTED

6 Tblsp. golden brown sugar

1 teasp. vanilla extract

1 C. flour

Mix ingredients together until crumbly. With fingers, crumble topping over the fruit, distributing evenly.

Bake until the custard is set, about 50 minutes. Check 5 minutes sooner- it may be golden brown enough or may need to bake another 5-10 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving. (Try using berries or other fruit!) Serve the crisp plain or over scoops of ice cream.

Triple Chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, mix together very well:

1 cup softened butter

3/4 c. (packed) light brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir in:

1/4 cup powdered cocoa

1 teasp. baking soda

2 cups flour

Mix well. Add whatever types of chocolate chips (and nuts, if you'd like) you prefer. For these, I added:

1 C. semisweet chips

1/2 C. mini semisweet chips

1/2 C. Ghirardelli 60% choc. chips (can't beat them!!!)

1 c. white chocolate chips

Lay dough on plastic wrap or put in a large ziplock bag, flatten out a bit and refrigerate for 2 hours (or more).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cookie dough (heaping tsp. or small tblsp.) on parchment lined sheets, leaving an inch of space between them.

Bake for 9-10 minutes- do NOT overbake! They'll look pretty soft when you remove them from the oven but they'll firm up as they cool. Slide the parchment onto a countertop and let the cookies cool completely before removing.