Ranch Potatoes

This easy side dish is something my mom made when I was growing up. It is great for BBQ's or a potluck. It only has two ingredients!!!

Any kind of potato, I like red ones but you can use whatever you like. Use enough sliced potatoes to fill a 13x9x2 Pyrex dish.
Ranch dressing, nothing fancy, just get the cheapest kind.

Preheat oven to 400.
Slice potatoes as thin as possible. I use my Cuisinart attachment and it works perfectly. Put potatoes in your dish, cover with Ranch and stir to coat. I like to use a little extra to make it a little soupy.

Bake for about 30 min. You might have to cook a little longer if you used alot of potatoes. If you need to, cover with foil towards the end so they don't burn.

If you want, you could add pepper or cheese. I like these because they are so easy!!

Enjoy!!!

Darren's favorite tacos!!

When I first got married and Darren asked me to make tacos, I thought sure. So I ground up hamburger, cut up all the tomatoes, cheese, lettuce etc... When he sat down for dinner he said thats not how you make tacos. I thought what do you mean. So the old "this is how my mom would have made them" phrase came up. So here is Bonnie's taco recipe. It is a great way to stretch a meal.

1 lb. hamburger
1 can refried beans (2 would make it stretch further)
1/2 c. of salsa
Shredded cheese
Diced up tomatoes
Taco shells

Cook up hamburger, add can of beans and salsa. You might add a little water if it seems too thick. Let it cook for a few minutes. Put mixture into shells, add cheese and tomatoes.

I dont know why but we have always had to eat this with Chocolate milk. It tastes so much better if you do!!

Caramel Apple Cider

I just love this drink this time of year. Here is how you make it. You will need apple juice, cinnamon syrup (the kind they have at coffee shops) whip cream and caramel in a bottle.

Find a cute mug, heat up apple juice, put a little cinnamon syrup in the bottom of your cup or you can just add it to the apple juice. Pour the juice in your cup top with whip cream and caramel and Voila. Enjoy.

Pioneer Woman Cooks Crash Hot Potatoes.

If you have not seen the blog Pioneer Woman Cooks, you have got to check it out. She has nummy recipes and her photos are amazing. She shows you step by step how she makes things. Here is a easy recipe for potatoes. It looks like a nice side dish. I will be making these tonight with my crockpot pork ribs.


http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

I knew I could do it.

One one of my other posts told you how hard bread was for me to make. But since I was able to find a dough hook I have been able to succeed. I made some half white half whole wheat bread and some cardamom bread. The cardamom is so good. I had it when I was little and forgot about it. I found the recipe a while back and it tastes just like I remember.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

I dont know how many of you have had this soup at Olive Garden but Darren and I love it. We get this instead of the salad. It is sooo tasty. I use more potatoes, sausage and bacon. It just adds more flavor. Plus Darren likes it more meaty and chunky. Dont use turkey bacon, it really takes away from the flavor. And try to cut the fat off the bacon after you cook it. It gets kind of rubbery. If you want you can add 1/2 t. fennel and I would use and Italian sausage, I think I use Isernios. And I didnt know what chicken base was, I was using chicken broth but finally figured out it was chicken bouillion cubes and it adds way more flavor than chicken broth. You dont really need 12 links, I think those are small ones. I just add as much as I think looks good. And use a big pot, it makes alot of soup. Serve with a salad and some nummy bread and you will get rave reviews.

1 1/2 C. spicy sausage links -- 12
2 medium potatoes, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut into 1/4" slices
3/4 C. onions, diced
6 slices bacon
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 C. kale leaves, but in half, then sliced
2 T. chicken base
1 qt. water
1/3 C. heavy whipping cream

Methods/steps
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place sausage links onto a sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until done; cut in half length-wise, then cut at an angle into 1/2 inch slices.

Place onions and bacon in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Remove bacon and crumble. Add garlic to the onions and cook an additional 1-minute. Add chicken base, water, and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes. Add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale and cream. Simmer 4 minutes and serve.

New England Clam Chowder

This recipe is really nummy. I used canned clams. I used 2 5oz cans and the juice. And I added a can of chicken broth because I didnt have enough clam juice. You will probably need to add some water too if you dont use fresh clams and the juice. We are having it for leftovers because we thought it would be better if it sat. So try to make it earlier in the day so all the flavors can meld together.

7 pounds cherrystone clams, scrubbed and rinsed
3 cups water
4 strips bacon, finely chopped
1 medium Spanish onion, diced small
2 tablespoons flour
3 large red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup heavy cream

In a large soup pot over high heat, add clams to 3 cups water. Bring to a boil and cook just until clams open, about 10 minutes. Remove clams from broth and set aside. (Discard any clams that don't open.) Strain broth through a sieve lined with a coffee filter and set aside.


Clean your soup pot; then over medium-high heat, sauté bacon until it's browned and fat is rendered. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a paper towel. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Add diced onion to the pot and sauté until translucent.


Stir in flour and cook 1 minute, being careful not to brown. Whisk in reserved clam broth. Add potatoes and thyme, and simmer 10 minutes.


Remove clams from shells, reserving liquid, and chop roughly. Strain liquid; then add clams and liquid to the pot. Stir in parsley and cream and cook just long enough to heat clams through, about 3 minutes.