Potato Soup Recipe

Ingredients

5 slices bacon, diced

3 tablespoons bacon grease (reserved) or butter

1 cup diced white or yellow onion

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups milk, warmed

1.5 pounds potatoes, peeled (if desired) and diced (I recommend Yukon gold potatoes)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper

optional toppings: thinly-sliced green onions or chives, extra shredded cheese, extra bacon, sour cream

Directions

Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add diced bacon and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally.  Transfer the bacon to a separate plate, using a slotted spoon, reserving about 3 tablespoons of bacon grease in the stockpot.  (Discard any extra grease, or you can substitute butter in place of the 3 tablespoons of bacon grease.  Also, if you are short on time, you can dice the potatoes and onion while the bacon cooks to save time.)

Add onion and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.  Sprinkle the flour on top of the onion, and stir until combined.  Saute for an additional minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.  Then stir in the chicken stock until combined.  Stir in the milk, potatoes, and cooked bacon bits until combined.  Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer, but is not boiling.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally every few minutes so that the bottom does not burn.  (The smaller you dice your potatoes, the faster they will cook.)

When the potatoes are soft, stir in the cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt (or sour cream), salt and pepper.  Taste and see if it needs more salt or pepper or cheese.

Serve warm, garnished with desired toppings.

Easy to Make Beef Stew Recipe

Ingredients

1-1 Gallon Freezer Bag

1½ lb. Beef Stew Meat, Cut into 1 inch pieces

½ C. All-purpose Flour

2 Tbsp. Dried Minced Onion

2 cloves of Garlic, finely minced or grated

1 tsp. Sea Salt

½ Tbsp. Brown sugar

½ tsp. Dried Marjoram

½ tsp. Dried oregano

Remaining Ingredients ( to be added at time of cooking):

14 oz. Beef Stock

½ C. Water

1½ C. of Carrots, cleaned and sliced ¼” thick, or one (8 oz.) bag of baby carrots, rinsed

1 (14 oz.) can of Diced Tomatoes, undrained

1 (4 oz.) can of Tomato Paste

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 ½ lbs. Yukon gold Potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes

**Optional- 1 Cup Frozen Green Beans, or 1 Cup Sliced Mushrooms or additional veggies of your choice

Directions

In a 1 Gallon Freezer bag put Stew Meat, Flour, Dried Minced Onion, Garlic, Salt, Sugar, Marjoram, and Oregano. Shake well, and freeze until ready to use. * remove from freezer and place in fridge the night before it will be going into the crock-pot

Eight hours before you want to eat: In a crock-pot, on High, add the contents of your freezer bag, Beef Stock, Water, Carrots, Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, and Worcestershire Sauce, Stir, Cover. Leave to cook.

Three hours before serving, wash, peel, cut, and add the potatoes and additional veggies, stir, cover, and cook until potatoes are done. Serve hot.

Stuffed Shells Recipe

Ingredients

½ box of jumbo shell pasta (about 20 shells)

25 oz. jar marinara sauce

2 T. water

15 oz. ricotta cheese

½ cup parmesan cheese

1 egg

2 t. fresh basil (dried will work, too)

2 t. fresh parsley (dried will work, too)

8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Prepare a 9×13 pan by lightly spraying with non-stick spray. Add about half the jar of prepared sauce and 2 T. of water to the bottom of the pan. Stir around until the bottom of the pan is coated.

Cook the shell pasta as directed on the package.

In a large bowl combined the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, basil, parsley. Mix well.

Drain the shell pasta and run under cool water. Once cooled, fill each shell with cheese mixture. Place each shell seam side down in the prepared 9×13 pan.

Pour remaining sauce over the shells and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350˚ for 35 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned.

Irish Baked Potato Soup with Corned Beef and Crispy Leeks Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3 leeks, divided

1 small onion, sliced

4 cups peeled and diced russet potatoes (about 3 potatoes)

4 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons garlic powder

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces cooked corned beef, chopped

6 ounces Irish cheddar cheese, shredded

1 bunch chives, chopped

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. Chop 2 of the leeks, light green and white parts only. Rinse the leeks and then pat dry. Add the leeks and onion to the pot and cover. Cook for 20 minutes.

Add the potatoes to the pot and stir to combine. Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Pour in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potato is very soft, about 30 minutes.

As the soup cooks, prepare the crispy leeks. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the remaining leek into long, thin strips. Rinse the strips and then pat dry.

Drizzle the leeks with up olive oil in a large bowl until covered, up to 1 tablespoon. Toss the oiled leeks with the flour, paprika, garlic power, and a generous amount of salt and pepper, until coated.

Spread onto a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Let the leeks cool on the sheet.

Once the potatoes are soft, use a hand blender to puree the soup mixture until thick and smooth. Return the pot to heat and mix in the heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add in half of the chopped corned beef.

Top with the remaining corned beef, cheddar cheese, chives, and crispy leeks, to serve.