Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 large onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. white wine to deglaze the pan *

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

2 Russett potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2 c. fresh kale, chopped **

3 c. chicken broth

2.5 c. water

1 c. heavy cream

salt and pepper

* I cut this out.

** I didn't have any kale on hand so I just did without.

Recipe:

1.  Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside.

2. Add the chopped onion to the pan and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant.

3. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits.

4. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth, and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot.

5. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through.

6. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Rating: 3 of 5

When we go to Olive Garden, this is the soup I always get. I love it because of it's strong flavors! So, while this was a good copy-cat, I really don't think it comes close. Not nearly strong enough. But, if you like flavor/heat on the weaker side, then this is your dish!

Source: Annie's Eats, Zuppa Toscana

No-Fry Fries

Ingredients:

2 large russet potatoes, peeled

2 T. olive oil

3/4 t. coarse sea salt

Recipe:

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Cut potatoes in half horizontally; cut each half into 1/3-inch thick fries and place in a bowl of cold water.

3. Remove from water and dry thoroughly. Toss with oil and sprinkle with salt.

4. Place fries on a cookie sheet. Roast until browned and cooked through, turning occasionally, 25 minutes.

Rating: 4 of 5

I thought these were fine, but not amazing. LaDon, on the other hand, could not get enough of them. It's a super easy fry recipe and the results are better than others I have tried. And, they are really, really good with ranch. 

Source: Self, No-Fry Fries

Garlic Mashed Potatoes - take 2

Ingredients:

3 lbs. russet potatoes, skins on, cut in to wedges

5 whole garlic cloves, peeled *

1/2 t. salt

salt and pepper to taste

*I just used minced garlic

Recipe:

1. In a large pot with water add potatoes, garlic and salt and bring to a boil.

2. Cook potatoes until tender, about 25 minutes.

3. Drain water from potatoes and add milk and butter.

4. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes until desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Rating: 3 of 5

These were good, but I really couldn't eat the skins. So, next time I've got to peel the skins off. I used minced garlic and I thought the garlicky taste was perfect. Actually, now that I think about it I didn't measure the garlic and just plopped a few tiny spoonfuls in the pot. Ally really liked them so that's a good thing.

Source: Mother Thyme, Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Baked Oven Fries

Ingredients:

3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges

5 T. vegetable, canola, or peanut oil, divided

3/4 t. kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl. Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes.

2. Put 4 T. of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet. Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil. Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Drain the potatoes. Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels. Pat dry with additional towels.

4. Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry. Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 T. of oil. Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.

5. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Rotate the pan at 10 minutes into cooking.

6. Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, about 5-15 minutes. Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.

7. When the fires are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease. Season with addition salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Rating: 4 of 5

I actually burned our a little and still thought they were delicious! Love how they are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Delicious with ranch. When the wedges were ready to come out of the oven, I sprinkled half with salt and the other half with garlic powder. Yum! Now when Dans gets his french fry craving I can just make them at home!

Source: Annie's Eats, Baked Oven Fries

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

3 T. butter

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. flour

4 1/2 c. milk

1 14-oz can chicken broth *

4 medium baking potatoes, baked

2 c. grated cheese, divided

1 1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. black pepper

1 1/2 c. sour cream, divided

1/2 c. chopped green onions, divided

8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided

*I actually just added 1 cup water and a few scoops of chicken bullion instead.

Recipe:

1. Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.

2. Add flour to pan. Slowly add milk a little at a time while whisking constantly to eliminate lumps.

3. Whisk until smooth and then add chicken broth. Bring soup just to a simmer and heat until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

4. Once soup is thickened, turn heat down to medium-low.

5. Cut potatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scoop out potato flesh into the pot. Use a wooden spoon to smash potatoes, breaking up large clumps.

6. Add 1 1/2 c. grated cheese and salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted.

7. Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4 c. sour cream, 1/4 c. green onions, and 4 strips of crumbled bacon.

8. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with the remaining sour cream, onions, cheese, and bacon.

Rating: 3.75 of 5

We liked this soup much better than the other Baked Potato Soup. Today's soup is pretty darn thick so make sure you have an appetite. Otherwise, you'll only be eating a few bites and calling it quits. Also, it makes a huge pot! Definitely not a one-meal kind of recipe for a family of four. More like a family of 8. Anyways, creamy, love the bacon on top, the green onions are a nice subtle taste, and the potato clumps are just right. I'd make this recipe again.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Baked Potato Soup

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

2 unbaked pie crusts

1 lb. leftover roasted chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 12-16 oz. bag of mixed vegetables, thawed

1 onion, minced

1 T. butter

5 medium-small red potatoes, diced

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 t. Kosher salt, or to taste

ground black pepper to taste

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. When ready, add potatoes to water and boil until tender. Meanwhile, heat about 1 T. butter in a medium skillet. When the butter is bubbly, saute the onion until it's translucent and fragrant. Set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, chicken, vegetables, onion, and potatoes. Season to taste.

4. Place one pie crust on the bottom of a pie plate, transfer the filling to the pie plate, and then top with the other pie crust. Crimp the edges and then cut a few vent holes on top. Place pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

5. Remove from oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

Rating: 3 of 5

Easy recipe, unless you aren't that experienced in pie crusts. You might get a bit flustered, but it's not as hard as it might seem. The chicken mixture could not be any easier. Especially if you pick up a rotisserie chicken at Costco to use. I really liked the potatoes in this pie, but I thought the actual filling was way to thick when cooked. So, I would probably either add another half can of cream of chicken or add a half cup milk or something to make it a little more runny. Tasted fine enough, but it wasn't a super good pot pie.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Chicken Pot Pie

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
8 medium russet potatoes (about 4 pounds)
1 head peeled garlic cloves (about 15)
Coarse salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces

Directions:
1. Peel potatoes and quarter lengthwise; cut crosswise 1/2 inch thick.

2. In a 5-quart saucepan, combine potatoes and garlic cloves; cover with water (about 8 cups) by 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon salt.
3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Drain; return garlic and potatoes to pan. Stir over medium-high heat until dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. In a small saucepan, bring milk to a boil; pour over potatoes. Add butter and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mash until smooth and creamy.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

I liked these mashed potatoes. I didn't put enough garlic in so that taste wasn't stong, which was too bad. I'll have to add everything next time.

Source: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/garlic-mashed-potatoes-2?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/quick-potato-side-dish-recipes#slide_1

Baked Potato Soup

Pretty lazy job this week. No picture. Just a link to the recipe this week.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/baked-potato-soup-i/Detail.aspx

Rating: 3.5 of 5

We liked this recipe. LaDon doesn't like soup but said this was good. It's really, really thick...more like mashed potatoes with baked potato garnishings than soup. Put together pretty quick. Perfect for a bag of potatoes about to go bad, right?

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

(It may not looked completely cooked, but it is!)

Ingredients: *

1 can (1o.75 oz) Campbell's Condensed Cream of Potato Soup

3/4 c. milk

1/8 t. ground black pepper

1 c. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

2 cans (4.5 oz each) Swanson Premium Chunk Chicken Breast, drained**

1 c. all-purpose baking mix***

1 egg

*I doubled the entire filling part of the recipe. Glad I did too.

**I used canned chicken as well as frozen chicken shredded.

***Opps! Used flour instead of baking mix. Don't do that!

Recipe:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Stir the soup, 1/4 c. milk, black pepper, vegetables and chicken in a 9-inch pie plate.

3. Stir together the baking mix, egg, and the remaining milk with a fork in a small bowl until the ingredients are mixed. Spoon over the chicken mixture.

4. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and topping is golden.

Rating: 2 of 5

Not my favorite, but I did mess up the topping since I used all purpose baking flour and not mix (easy to misread that when skimming). It's a little bit of a bland dish. I think it would be better with some other spice or maybe cream of chicken soup instead. I think a non-sweet pie crust recipe wouldn't be too bad as the topping either. The good thing is that the sister missionaries are my guinea pigs and ate it....and liked it enough to have more than one helping.

Source: Campbell's Cooking Companion pg. 197