Trying some new soups

I'm kinda getting bored of the same old soups. I usually make Turkey Vegetable or Chicken Vegetable. I am determined to try some new ones. Hopefully my family will survive my attempts! LOL!

I made up a recipe yesterday for potato soup. It actually turned out quite well! Everyone loved it. I had some leftover today for lunch and it tastes even better today. Strange how that always seems to be the case.

Anyway, I'll post the recipe, but be aware that most of my measurements are approximate.

POTATO SOUP

6-7 medium potatoes
water to cover potatoes
1/2 can evaporated milk
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
bacon pieces (I used real bacon bits)
green onion
salt/pepper to taste

Peel, wash and cut potatoes. In large pot, add enough water to cover potatoes. Boil until soft. Remove potatoes (reserve water) and mash well. Put back in the pot with the water. If you think it will be too watery, you can take out some of the water. Also, I used my mini hand blender and just blended the potatoes right in the pot.

Add the milk, cheese, bacon bits, green onion and salt/pepper.

Simmer, but be careful it doesn't burn on.

We served it with garlic bread and a salad. Delicious!

Next time I will try it with cheddar cheese.

Microwave popcorn

With all the concerns lately of trans fats and hydrogenated oils, we've stopped eating microwave popcorn pouches. Instead, we make our own :-) It's so easy and we get to control the amout of butter and salt. Yaah!

This recipe I got from the Saving Dinner website. They have some super ideas there for snacks!

HOME-MADE MICROWAVE POPCORN

1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1 lunch-size brown paper bag
salt (to taste)
1 Tbsp butter (or to taste)

Put popcorn in the bag. Fold the top over twice and secure with tape. Microwave for 2-5 minutes on high, until you hear the kernels finish popping. In our microwave, it takes about 2 1/2 minutes and makes enough for one teenager :-)

Add melted butter and salt, and shake in the bag. Transfer to a large bowl. ENJOY!

easy squares

This recipe is handed down from my late mother-in-law, though I didn't get it directly from her. Devin and I were talking about his mom's cooking one day, and he said he remembered these lemony squares that she used to make. Well, a few months later, his Aunt Barb and Uncle Gerald came to visit us all the way from Ontario :-) Aunt Barb and MIL were very close. I metioned the lemony squares to her and she knew the recipe!! So, I had her write it out for me. We made them that day and surprised dh with them. YUM! He loved them -- actually we all love them!!

They are so easy to make and don't use very many ingredients.

LONNA'S LEMON SQUARES

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
Graham Wafer biscuits
icing sugar/water

Mix together condensed milk and lemon juice. Layer graham biscuits on a cookie tray (with raised edges). Make sure the whole pan is filled in. You may need to cut some biscuits to make them fit.

 Spread the milk mixture over the biscuits.

Top with another layer of biscuits -- make sure they are arranged in the same pattern as the bottom layer. Mix about 1 cup icing sugar with a small about of water. Drizzle over the biscuits and chill for a few hours before cutting.

You can use more/less icing -- as desired.

a dreamy dessert

This recipe is one from my mom. We used to make it quite a bit in the past, but haven't recently. It's yummy!

PINEAPPLE DREAM SQUARES

Crumb Layer:
2 cups graham wafer crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix together and press into a 9x9-inch baking dish. Reserve 1/8 cup for topping. Bake at 300 deg for 10 minutes. Cool.

Creamy layer:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups icing sugar
2 well-beaten eggs

Cream together butter and icing sugar. Add eggs. Spread over cooled crumb layer.

Topping:
1 pk dream whip or cool whip (prepared)
1 cup well-drained, crushed pineapple

Prepare cool whip and fold in pineapple. Spread over top of dessert. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs.

Chill 24 hours

Cooked Playdoh

This was one recipe that I used a LOT when my kids were younger. Today, my daughter was bored (!) and said she wished she had some playdoh. I said "well, let's make some!" She thought it was a great idea :-)

This has got to be the easiest recipe for playdoh -- but only because I tweaked it a bit. LOL! It originally called for mixing everything in a pot on the stove. I didn't like that idea as it seemed more work. I remember, at the daycare where I worked, we'd make 4-5 batches of this at a time; and a batch can be made in 5 minutes!


COOKED PLAYDOH

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup salt
1 Tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 cup flour
food coloring

While the water is boiling in your kettle, mix the salt, oil and cream of tartar in a big bowl. Stir. Add in the boiling water and stir for about a minute to dissolve the salt. It won't dissolve completely! Add your food coloring at this point.

Next, add in the flour and stir to combine the ingredients. Turn out onto floured table and knead by hand. You're done!

Here's an interesting alternative -- add a package of Kool-Aid when you pour in the boiling water. It makes a nice scented playdoh! You don't need food coloring if you use Kool-Aid. Another option is use the food coloring and add in some extract, like peppermint or coconut. Also makes a nice scent to the playdoh.

Store your playdoh at room temperature in a sealed Ziploc bag or in a covered plastic container. Keeps for a LONG time :-)