Baked Potato Soup

"This is a recipe that my cousin shared with me.  It's a perfect dish to prepare for St. Patrick's Day or any day that you want to warm up with a comforting bowl of soup.  It's definitely a Pot O' Gold!"

3-4 large Idaho potatoes, baked and cooled
1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced, divided
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. dried dill or 2 Tbsp. fresh dill
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups of milk or a combination of milk and half-and-half
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon

Scoop flesh out of potatoes and set aside.  In a large saucepan, fry bacon until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan and set aside.  To bacon drippings, add sliced green onions, making sure to reserve some for garnish.  Cook onions until tender.  Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add dill, salt, pepper, milk and potatoes.  Bring mixture to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Crumble reserved bacon and add into soup, along with shredded cheese.  Serve soup topped with reserved green onion.

To Make Loaded Baked Potato Soup Bowls:
My favorite way to serve this soup is in a bread bowl.  I purchase bread bowls at my local grocery store in the bakery department.  I cut the top portion of the bread bowl off and scoop out the bread to make the perfect 'bowl' for this delicious soup.  I then ladle in the heated soup and sprinkle the top with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and green onions.  I bake the soup bowls at 350 degrees until the cheese is hot and bubbly.  I love to serve the soup with the bread that was scooped out of the bread bowls to dip in all of the yummy goodness!

Check this recipe out on the Gooseberry Patch Blog .  It was featured on the St. Patrick's Day Recipe Roundup.  Yay!

Cheesy Goodness!

 

Turtle Bars

"I came up with this recipe one Christmas when I had received turtle candies in my stocking.  You know the ones made with pecans and caramel and covered in yummy chocolate.  I wanted to use them in a recipe and this is what I came up with.  They remind me of the classic magic cookie bars that I ate as a child, just updated a little.  YUM!"

1 stick of butter, melted

1-1/2 cups of chocolate graham cracker crumbs

1 (7 ounce) package of flaked, sweetened coconut

1 (11.5 ounce) package of milk chocolate chips

1 (10.5 ounce) package of Turtle chocolates, chopped (I love Nestle Turtles.)

1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 13x9 baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving about 2 inches of foil hanging over the edge of the pan in order to lift the bars out of the pan.  Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.  Mix melted butter and graham cracker crumbs together.  Press firmly onto bottom of pan.  Sprinkle with coconut, chocolate chips and chopped turtles.  Pour condensed milk over the top.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on wire rack.  When completely cooled, use foil to lift bars out of pan.  Cut bars and serve.     

Dad's Tacos

"In honor of my Dad's Birthday this month, I wanted to share his taco recipe.  His recipe is one of my  family's favorites." 

3-1/2 pounds ground beef

garlic powder, dried cilantro, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and chili powder, to taste
1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup of tomato sauce (or 1/2 of a small can)
1-1/2 packets of taco seasoning
3 Tbsp. salsa or picante sauce
corn or flour tortillas, heated


Toppings:  shredded cheddar cheese, shredded or chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped black olives, chopped onion, sour cream and hot sauce

Break ground beef up in a medium-sized non-stick saute pan with a spatula or wooden spoon.  Sprinkle with seasonings.  Add onion, green pepper and garlic.  Saute until ground beef is browned and onions, green pepper and garlic are tender.  Add tomato sauce, taco seasoning and salsa.  Simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes.  Serve on tortillas with toppings.

Delicious!