Maureen shared this delicious soup to the March annual potluck. 

Chicken Potato Soup

This Chicken Potato Soup recipe has a creamy and flavorful broth with bacon, tender potatoes, juicy chicken, and the best seasonings.

Prep Time10minutes mins, Cook Time45minutes mins,

Total Time55minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American 

Servings: 11 cups 

Calories: 285kcal 

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

Soup

• 6 strips thick cut bacon plus 2 tbsp. bacon drippings
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
• Salt/Pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter not needed if bacon drippings are used
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• ¾ cup carrots diced
• 2 ribs celery diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup flour
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 ½ lbs. yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes
• 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded
• Green onions to garnish

Seasonings

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon EACH: dried rosemary, oregano, mustard powder
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Note: This soup can be made without bacon if needed, but it really adds a lot of great flavor to the broth. 2 tablespoons of butter can be used instead of bacon drippings if needed.

• Cook the Bacon: Cook the bacon in a 4.5-quart soup pot slowly over low heat. (I cut my bacon in half, it’s easier to fit it in the pan and have it cook evenly.) While the bacon cooks, measure out remaining ingredients. Once cooked, set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Chop once cooled and reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings.

• Wipe any dark spots from the pot but leave as much bacon remnants as you can, as that will add flavor to the soup.

• Sear the Chicken: Season each side of the chicken with salt/pepper. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and sear the chicken on each side until a golden crust develops, about 3 minutes per side. It’s okay if the middle is uncooked, it will finish cooking in the soup. Set aside and let it rest for 10 minutes, then cut into bite-sized pieces.

• Make the Soup: Add the bacon drippings back to the pot over medium heat. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the pot, this will add flavor to the soup. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and toss to coat. Soften for 5 minutes.

• Add the garlic, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Stir to combine.

• Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, until the raw flour smell is gone.

• Add the chicken broth in small splashes, stirring continuously, and wiping the pan “clean” again as you do so. Add the half and half in the same manner.

• Peel the potatoes and cut into bite-sized cubes. Add them to the soup. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken back along with any juice from the plate and simmer over medium heat, partially covered, until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.

• Reduce heat to low and sprinkle in the cheese, if adding. Stir in half of the chopped bacon and save the other half for the top of the serving bowls. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Notes

Pro Tips

• The hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard powder are flavor enhancers in this soup that can't be tasted outright. The hot sauce doesn't make it spicy. I use Frank's Hot Sauce. 
• Heavy cream can be used instead of half and half for a little extra indulgence. You can also skip the dairy and use an extra cup of chicken broth if preferred.
• Shred the cheese from a block, (if using). It will melt and taste much better than pre-shredded. I use Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Yellow.
• Make sure the base of the soup isn't too hot when you add the cheese, otherwise the dairy will separate and create a grainy consistency.
• Potatoes: I use Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe because I love their creamy consistency, but red potatoes are always a great candidate for soup because they hold up the best. Russet potatoes may also be used, but they're also the starchiest, which makes them more prone to falling apart.
• Chicken: Chicken breast or thighs work well for this recipe, thighs can be a little bit more moist and flavorful.
• Kale or spinach makes a healthy addition to this soup. Add it right at the end and give it a few minutes to cook/wilt.
• Sodium: If using bacon and cheese, consider using low sodium broth if you'd like to control the salt content a little more.
• Be sure to try my Beer Cheese Soup recipe next!

Storage

• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 
• This soup does freeze/reheat well, just be sure not to overcook the potatoes if you end up freezing leftovers as they can become crumbly and fall apart if overcooked.

The nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. Each serving is equal to approximately 1 cup, this recipe makes about 11 cups.

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 682mg | Potassium: 556mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1786IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 1mg

Recipe Source: TheCozyCook.com

I don't know about anyone else but last year I had a bumper crop of tomatoes that we harvested. Wish we would have had this recipe then but better late than never. I love a good Bloody Mary.

Months ago Josie was talking about her Bloody Mary mix making and we tried some of hers at a Board meeting. Here is that recipe She makes it like this except uses 6 Jalapenos instead of the Tabasco but it all works the same.

 INGREDIENTS

• 30medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and quartered
• 2 ¹⁄₂cups green peppers, chopped
• 1 ³⁄₄cups carrots, diced
• 1cup celery, diced
• 1small onion, diced
• 2 -3garlic cloves, minced
• ¹⁄₄cup parsley, minced
• 1bay leaf
• ¹⁄₄cup sugar
• ¹⁄₄cup lemon juice
• 1 ¹⁄₂tablespoons salt
• 1tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¹⁄₂tablespoon Tabasco sauce (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1.      Cook tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, green peppers, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley in a large pot until mushy, approximately 30-45 minutes.

2.      Remove the bay leaf.

3.      Working in batches, place the vegetable mixture into a blender and puree.

4.      Using a spatula, press each pureed batch through a fine sieve to remove any extra seeds.

5.      Place back in a large pot and add the sugar, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, salt, and tobasco (1/2 T. tobasco is very mild, so you may wish to add more now or add when mixing your drink).

6.      Heat this to a boil.

7.      Pour into clean quart jars and add prepared lids.

8.      Process in a boiling water canner for 40 minutes.

Lets all hope for another good crop of tomatoes this fall so we can enjoy this recipe.

As we start the new year I though a salad would be appropriate. This salad was shared at the summer picnic last year. It may sound too healthy but it was yummy. Sorry, I don't remember who shared this recipe. 

Twelve Superfoods Salad

25min · Vegetarian, Gluten free · 4 servings

This superfood salad is packed with 12 superfoods! This is a great clean out the fridge meal and is easily customized to suit whatever you need to use up.

Ingredients

Produce

• 1 2 bunch curly kale (about 4 to 5 cups)
• 1/2 cup Blueberries, fresh
• 1/2 cup Cherries, dried
• 1/2 cup Edamame, frozen
• 1 Garlic clove
• 1/2 cup Grapes, red

Pasta & Grains

• 1/2 cup Quinoa, dry

Baking & Spices

• 1 tsp Granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Oils & Vinegars

• 2 tbsp Olive oil

Nuts & Seeds

• 1/4 cup Sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup Walnuts

Drinks

• 1/4 cup Orange juice

Dairy

• 1/3 cup Feta
• 1 heaping tbsp Greek yogurt

INSTRUCTIONS

1.    Cook quinoa according to package directions, likely cooking with 1 cup water to the 1/2 cup dry quinoa. Transfer about half of the cooked quinoa to a very large bowl. I don’t use all the quinoa for the salad and save the rest for another use. I find it too difficult to cook less than 1/2 cup dry quinoa.

2.    Cook edamame according to package directions. Drain and add to the bowl.

3.    To the bowl, add the kale, blueberries, grapes, dried cherries, cheese, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and stir to combine; set aside.

4.    To a glass mason jar with a lid (or similar jar with a lid), add the orange juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, seal with lid, and shake vigorously to combine; about 1 to 2 minutes.

5.    Add the Greek yogurt and shake until creamy and incorporated, about 1 minute. Taste and check for seasoning balance, adding more salt, pepper, etc. as necessary. I prefer this dressing to be on the saltier side because it’s going to be coating a large bowl of unseasoned kale, vegetables, and quinoa and you need it to read salty out of the jar to properly flavor the salad.

6.    Add desired amount of dressing to salad, toss well to combine, and serve immediately. Extra dressing will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week; shake vigorously before using.

Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake. (My co-workers call it pumpkin crisp)

I brought this to the last board meeting. This is also a recipe that we have shared around the office. 

INGREDIENTS

1 can (29 ounces) pumpkin purée

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

3 large eggs

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 and 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 box (15.25 ounces) spice cake mix

3/4 cup melted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin purée, evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Spread pumpkin mixture into prepared baking dish.

Dump (I like to scatter with clean fingers) the spice cake mix over top of the pumpkin mixture. Try to add it in an even layer.

Pour melted butter as evenly as possible over top of the cake. Don't worry about a few powdery sections on top of the cake. The mixture will combine as it bakes and it's perfect normal to have a few dry spots. DO NOT STIR the butter into the cake mix.

Top with pecans.

Bake in a 350°F oven for 55 to 60 minutes.

Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving and this dessert is best if refrigerated for one to three hours before serving.  It will firm up nicely.  Save with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkled of ground cinnamon. (optional)

NOTES: I recommend serving with cool whip.

Substitutions: You can also substitute a yellow cake mix for the spice cake mix.  (I used a yellow cake mix with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.)

Coarsely chopped walnuts may be substituted for the pecans.

Pumpkin pie spice can be substituted for the 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

Storage Instructions: Store cooled pumpkin dump cake in baking dish wrapped with plastic in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Pete brought these delicious eggs to the October board meeting. They were so yummy!

Scotch Eggs

6 eggs hard-boiled cooled and peeled and rolled in flour

1 ½ pound mild Italian sausage

¼ tsp dry mustard

Pinch cayenne pepper

Pinch nutmeg (optional)

1 cup panko

½ cup flour

2 beaten eggs

Mix sausage, mustard, cayenne pepper, nutmeg.

Divide mixure into six balls.

Flatten the meatballs

Place egg in the center and wrap egg making suremeat is even thickness and tight,

Coat these in flour.

Dipp in egg and press into breadcrumbs (panko). Place on oiled baking sheet and spray outer egg with pam.

Bake in 370 oven for 35 minutes turning three or four times.

Pete served them cut in half. Delicious!!

Maureen made this wonderful dessert for the summer picnic this year. Even though I was full I had to go back for a little bit more of her cheesecake bars. Yummy! 

INGREDIENTS

UNITS: US

• CHEESECAKE

• 2cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 16ounces cream cheese, softened (2-8 oz packages)
• 2large eggs
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3granny smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 1⁄2cup sugar, divided
• 2tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1⁄2teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1⁄2cup caramel topping

• STREUSEL TOPPING USE ONLY 1 CUP IN RECIPE

• 1cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1cup all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2cup quick-cooking oats
• 1⁄2cup unsalted butter, softened

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar.
• Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly.
• Press evenly into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth.
• Then add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.
• Stir to combine.
• Pour over warm crust.
• In a small bowl, stir together the chopped apples, 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
• Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture.
• Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping.
• Bake 30 minutes, or until filling is set.
• Drizzle with caramel topping.

• MAKE STRUSEL TOPPING:

• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients.

Strawberry Slab Pie Perfect for feeding a crowd! Carol was kind enough to share this at our annual potluck.

This strawberry slab pie is a twist on my grandma's strawberry pie with a shortbread crust.

PREP TIME 10 minutes COOK TIME 25 minutes TOTAL TIME 35 minutes Ingredients for the crust:

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup cold butter, cut into cubes

for the pie:

6 oz strawberry jello

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

20 oz sprite (2 1/2 cups)

32 oz strawberries, washed and tops removed

Whipped topping or whipped cream for garnish.

Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 2. Mix flour, sugar, salt and butter together until crumbly. 3. Press into a 18 x 12 inch sheet pan and prick all over with a fork. 4. Bake 22-25 minutes or until light brown. 5. Remove from oven and cool. 6. Add a jello, sugar, cornstarch, salt and Sprite to a saucepan over medium heat. 7. Bring to a boil and whisk until stir thickened. 8. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. YIELD: 16 SERVINGS 9. Slice strawberries. 10. Arrange over crust. 11. Pour filling over strawberries Refrigerate 2 hours or until set. 12. Garnish with whipped topping. Did you make this recipe? Tag us on instagram @missnthekitchen Nutrition Information: YIELD: 16 SERVING SIZE: 1 Amount Per Serving: CALORIES: 305 TOTAL FAT: 12g SATURATED FAT: 7g TRANS FAT: 0g UNSATURATED FAT: 4g CHOLESTEROL: 31mg SODIUM: 212mg CARBOHYDRATES: 48g FIBER: 2g SUGAR: 31g PROTEIN: 3g Nutritional information is estimated and may not be accurate.

At our March potluck, Fran Metelak brought this delicious Rhubarb Cake to share. She was willing to share her recipe with us. She actually brought some vanilla ice cream to top this cake. 

Thank you Fran

RHUBARB CAKE

1-1/2 c. brown sugar

½ c. butter or margarine

1 egg

1 c. sour milk (milk w/ ½ tsp vinegar added)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

2 c. flour

¼ tsp salt

1-1/2 c. rhubarb, finely chopped

TOPPING

½ c. sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter, brown sugar and egg together. Add sour mild, vanilla and dry ingredients. Add rhubarb. Put in greased and floured 13x9in pan. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on the top of cake. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.

Note: This is a very light cake. Delicious with whipped cream and /or sliced strawberries. If you don’t care to make this now, cut up rhubarb and freeze it to make at a later date.

ENJOY!!

Fran Metelak

Larry shared this wonderful dessert at the February board meeting. It was so delicious we felt it needed to be shared. Serves 15 To 18, Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes (Plus 2 hours cooling time)

Carrot Sheet Cake

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Carrot cake was once heralded for its use of vegetable oil in place of butter, and carrots as a natural sweetener. Sure, the carrots add sweetness, but they also add a lot of moisture. And oil? It makes this cake dense and, well, oily. We wanted a moist, not soggy, cake that was rich, with a tender crumb and balanced spice. Cake flour proved too delicate to support the grated carrots, so we started with all-purpose. Some carrot cakes use a heavy hand with the spices; we took a conservative approach and used modest amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. We settled on 1 pound of grated carrots for a pleasantly moist texture, and 1/2 cups of vegetable oil for a rich, but not greasy, cake. For a simple mixing method, we mixed the dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients before slowly whisking them together and then stirring in the carrots. You can serve the cake right out of the pan, in which case you'll need only 3 cups of frosting for the top of the cake.

2½ cups (12½ ounces) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves

4 large eggs

1½ cups (10%½ ounces) granulated sugar

½ cup packed (3½ ounces) light brown sugar

1½ cups vegetable oil

1 pound carrots, peeled and grated 4 cups Cream Cheese Frosting (page 693)

1 cup golden raisins

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 13 by 9-inch baking pan (or two 9 by 9-inch pans) and line bottom with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves together in bowl.

2. In large bowl, whisk eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until sugars are mostly dissolved and mixture is frothy. Continue to whisk while slowly drizzling in oil until thoroughly combined and emulsified. Whisk in flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in golden raisins and carrots. Give batter final stir by hand.

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top, and gently tap pan on counter to settle batter. Bake cake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.

4. Let cake cool completely in pan, about 2 hours. Run paring knife around edge of cake and flip cake out onto wire rack. Peel off parchment, then flip cake right side up onto serving platter. Spread frosting evenly over top and sides of cake and serve. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of frosted cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting

MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS

TOTAL TIME 15 MINUTES FAST

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Cream cheese frosting is the perfect partner for carrot cake, and we enriched our version with sour cream for extra tang, and vanilla for depth of flavor. We found that first mixing the ingredients together on a lower speed, until they were well combined, and then turning up the speed gave us more control of the texture, ultimately producing a pleasing fluffy frosting. Do not use low-fat or nonfat cream cheese or the frosting will turn out too soupy to work with. This frosting has a softer, looser texture than other frostings; it won't work with a three-layer cake. If the frosting becomes too soft to work with, let it chill in the refrigerator until firm.

1 pound cream cheese, softened

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened

2 tablespoons sour cream 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners' sugar

1. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla, and salt together on medium- high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, slowly add confectioners' sugar, and beat until incorporated and smooth, about 4 minutes.

2. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. (Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; let soften at room temperature, about 1 hour, then rewhip using mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.)

Just in time to plan for Super Bowl LVII celebrations, Maureen Janke has offered up her recipe for Hawaiian ham and cheese sliders. They are easy to make, and ready in about 30 minutes.

PREP TIME10 MINS

COOK TIME20 MINS

TOTAL TIME30 MINS

SERVINGS12

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup melted Butter
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp Brown Sugar
• 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds
• 2 tsp Dried Minced Onion
• 12 King’s Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
• 9 oz thin sliced Deli Ham
• ▢8 oz thin sliced Swiss Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
• Combine butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, poppy seeds, and dried onion?.
• Slice the rolls to make sandwiches. Remove tops and set aside.
• Place the bottom pieces into the prepared baking dish.
• Layer the ham onto the rolls. Top the ham with the Swiss cheese.
• Place the tops of the rolls onto the sandwiches. Brush or pour the liquid mixture evenly over the rolls.
• Bake 20 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned and cheese has melted.
• Separate into individual sandwiches to serve.