I am not much of a soup person, and only recently have I started thinking of soup as a dinner option. I still don’t tend to think of it as a main course, but now that winter is really here, it has been more on my mind as a co-star of the dinner table.

I was feeling a little under the weather the day after Christmas this year, and was really craving some warm and hearty comfort food. We had some wonderful left over prime rib from Christmas dinner I wanted to use to make french dip sandwiches with, and when thinking about what to serve with it, Loaded Cheddar Potato soup came to mind. I recalled having made this one before, but that it turned out sub-par. I checked all my usual recipe sources to find a tried and well-reviewed recipe, but every one I came across had an ingredient I or my husband aren’t fans of, or were missing what I felt was a key component. Thus I decided to take the things I liked from several recipes and throw them together to see what came of it. Luckily, it was DELICIOUSNESS!

Loaded Cheddar Potato Soup

 

By:

M. Crowder

Type: Soup

Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

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Ingredients

• 3 large Russet Potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
• 3 cups Vegetable Stock
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 16oz Velveeta Cheese, cubed
• 1 cup Sharp Cheddar, shredded
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ⅛ teaspoon Pepper
• 2-4 pieces of Bacon, cooked and crumbled (for topping)
• 1 Green Onion, sliced (for topping)
• Additional Sharp Cheddar, shredded (for topping)
• Sour Cream (for topping)

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water with a generous pinch of kosher salt added to a boil. Once boiling, add potatoes and cook 12-15 minutes until soft, but not totally falling apart.
2. Drain potatoes and leave in colander. Put pot back on stove.
3. Add vegetable stock and heavy cream to pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat.
4. As liquid heats up, add cubes of Velveeta, stirring often to help it melt.
5. Once all the Velveeta is in and melted and liquid is starting to bubble, add 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar. Stir to help cheese melt and incorporate.
6. Add cooked potatoes back into pot with the cheese liquid. Using a handheld potato masher, roughly mash potatoes in the soup, leaving a few chunks.
7. Stir in salt and pepper. The measurements above are just my best guess, as I just added each to taste.
8. Turn off heat and ladle into serving bowls.
9. Top with generous pinches of the extra shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, and green onion. Add a dollop of Sour Cream, if desired.

3.1.09

I seriously though I already posted this recipe. I came back to look for it to show a friend, who’s Christmas party I am think if bringing this to, and when I couldn’t find it I realized my oversight. I am now correcting this. So without further ado…

Cherry Lemon Angel Trifle

 

By:

Melissa Crowder (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Type: Dessert

Serves: 8-10

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 15 mins

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A light yet decedent dessert that combines sweet and tart flavors over a fluffy sponge cake.

Ingredients

• 1 Angel Food Cake, cut into 1″x1″ cubes
• 1 large can Cherry Pie Filling
• 1.5 Cups Lemon Curd (from the jar is fine, or make your own)
• 2 Cups Heavy Cream

Instructions

1. Use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whip heavy cream until soft peeks form.
2. In a trifle bowl begin with a layer of Angel Food Cake cubes.
3. Over the cubes, spoon in ⅓ of the cherry pie filling, spreading out to cover the cake.
4. Over the cherry pie filling, spread ⅓ of the whipped cream, sealing the layer of cherries below.
5. Next spread ⅓ of the lemon curd out over the whipped cream.
6. Repeat until you are out of ingredients and/or your trifle bowl is full
7. Chill until ready to serve.

3.1.09

Photo by Marg of Cayman Designs

Aren’t these just the most adorable thing ever!!

Santa Strawberries

 

By:

http://www.facebook.com/CTC2011

Type: Dessert

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Ingredients

• 1 lb large strawberries
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3-4 Tablespoons powdered sugar (or sugar substitute – to taste)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Black Sesame Seeds

Instructions

1. Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top, (enough for a hat). Clean out the whole strawberry with a paring knife, if necessary (some of them are hollow already. Prep all of the strawberries and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or Ziploc with the corner snipped off. Fill the strawberries with cheesecake mixture.
3. Once strawberries are filled, top with the ‘hats.’ Decorate with black sesame seeds and cream dots. (see photo for reference)
4. If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving.

3.1.09

Love caramel apples, but hate how messy they are to eat? Well you can kiss the stick goodbye but still have your apple and eat it too. A Mouthful of Deliciousness over on Facebook posted a brilliant way to reverse the physical placement of the caramel to apple and thus creates an easy-to-eat and eye-appealing presentation.

Photo by A Mouthful of Deliciousness

You will want to select a firm apple variety, such as Granny Smith, Jonathan, Jonagold, Braeburn, or Fuji for this application.

Assembly:

• Cut apples into halves.
• Hallow out apple halves with a tool such as a melon baller or grapefruit spoon.
• If needed, apples can be balances in muffin tins.
• Fill halves with melted caramel and place in fridge to cool.
  Note: To keep exposed apple flesh frown browning, coat with lemon juice. The juice can be diluted up to 3:1 ratio to keep from changing any flavors.
• Slice and enjoy!

My wonderfully creative friend and fellow blogger Dot of Dabbled.org created an awesome tutorial for making your own super creep-tacular vintage undead photos just in time for Halloween. Reminiscent of the spooky decorations found at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom ride The Haunted Mansion, these pictures are sure to garner interest at a Halloween gathering. One could also create a few of these from existing photos of friends and family and tuck them around the home for a discreetly dark vibe.

via dabbled.org