Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes

Do anyone else have leftover Easter ham? This is so easy and good.

6-8 slices of ham cut into cubes
8-10 potatoes thinly sliced (I don't even peel them but you can)
2 onions thinly sliced
1 c. grated cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Put half of potatoes, ham and onion in crockpot. Add half of cheese and soup. Add remaining ham, potatoes and onions. Top with remaining cheese and soup. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. (High 4-5 hours).

Chicken Pot Pie

A little bit of work, but well worth the effort! I double this recipe and it makes 4 potpies in an 8" square foil pan that freeze very well!

Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 sticks butter (unsalted)
4-10 Tbsp ice water -- add water by the Tbsp until it is pie crust consistency (The amount fluctuates depending on the temp and consistency of your butter.)

Filling
2 1/2 cups cooked cubed chicken (or turkey)
2 cups fresh/frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 large carrots sliced
2 med/large potatoes peeled, cubed and parboiled

White Sauce
6 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp flour
2 cup half-half
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Instructions:
Roll out 2/3 of pie dough and place in the bottom of two 8" square foil pans. (Save 1/3 for the tops of the pies.) Make white sauce in sauce pan by melting butter and stirring in flour with a whisk until smooth and bubbly. Whisk in half-half, chicken broth, salt & pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens. Stir hot sauce into a large bowl with the remaining filling ingredients. Pour filling ingredients into pie crust. Roll out remaining pie crust and place on top of filling. Flute edges to seal. Make three small slits in the top of the crust and lightly brush with milk. Bake for 50-60 minutes at 375 degrees.

These freeze REALLY well. However, they must be THAWED before baking. I will usually pull mine out a day ahead of time and put in the fridge. . . . Enjoy!

Roasted Chicken with Red Potatoes and Asparagus

Dont be shocked Mandy-- I am actually going to post something!

Andrew and I love this meal and it is super easy, healthy, (and no dairy ).

• Cooking spray
• 3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into 2 inch cubes
• 2 lb red potatoes, chopped into 2 inch cubes (4-5 medium size)
  
• 1 1/2 cups chopped Roma tomatoes (2-3)
  
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (dried is fine too)
  
• 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• Ground pepper to taste

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 400°F and spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Add chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, asparagus, basil, garlic and olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary. Add pepper if desired. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, turning occasionally until tender. Serve.

Roasted Corn Chowder

1 T olive oil
1 T butter
8 ears corn, shucked and kernels removed from cobb (or 4 cups frozen corn)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 jalapenos, finely diced (remove the ribs and seeds if you don't want it too spicy)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water
1/2 to 1 cup cream or half-n-half
2 T cumin
2 t salt
1 t pepper

To roast the corn, heat the oven to 400. Place kernels on an oiled sheet pan (you only need about 1T to keep it from sticking). Roast corn for 17-20 minutes, until it just begins to brown and the sugars are released.

In a large stock pot, heat oil and melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, jalapenos, pepper and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, until onion is translucent and veggies begin to soften. Add potatoes, corn, water and seasonings. Boil uncovered until potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Add cream or half-n-half and heat through. For thicker soup, you can add about 1 T cornstarch mixed with 2 T cold water (mix water and cornstarch until smooth and add to soup). Check seasoning.

*This is a recipe that I created in an attempt to use up a bunch of veggies from my CSA shares. If you find something wrong, or make your own changes, please let me know. Personally, I wanted a little more kick. I'll either add additional jalapeno (or include some seeds) or add 1/4 to 1/2 t cayenne pepper.

**For Mandy, you can do this soup non-dairy as well. Just leave out the dairy and substitute vegetable stock or chicken stock for the water.

Colcannon

This is an Irish dish I found in one of my vegetarian cookbooks. It is quite tasty. I served it with brats, but it would be good with any sausage.

1 lb. cabbage, quartered and sliced
4 lb potatoes, peeled and quartered
8 oz leeks
2 cups evaporated milk
2 t salt
1 t pepper
1/4 t nutmeg
4 T butter (I only used about 2T)

Put cabbage in 3 quart saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until very tender, about 45 minutes. Put potatoes in 4 quart saucepan, cover with water. bring to a boil and cook until very tender. (You will be mashing them) Meanwhile, cut the white parts of the leeks in half lengthwise and slice thinly. Put leeks in 2 quart saucepan and add evaporated milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Boil for 10 minutes, until leeks are tender. Heat oven to 350 and butter a 3 quart baking dish. Drain potatoes and mash. Add the leeks and milk, stir with a spoon. Drain cabbage and fold into potatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Put mixture in a baking dish. Dot with bits of butter. (This can be made to this point and refrigerated for several days) Bake 1 hour until heated through and golden on top. Serve hot.

Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup

3 cans of cheese Soup
1 Box of chicken Stock
2 Baked Potatoes
12 slices of bacon cooked until crispy (or bacon bits)
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 teaspoons of Mrs Dash
Sour Cream
Shredded Longhorn Sharp Cheddar Cheese to top


Take 3 cans of cheese soup (I spiced it up and used 1 can of Pepper Jack cheese soup) and add a box of chicken stock. Simmer and stir on the stove. Bake 2 potatoes and cut them into chunks (like potato salad size) and add them to the soup. Cook some bacon or use bacon bits, about 6 slices worth, crumble and add to soup. I also used 6 more slices crumbled up to top the soup when serving. Add salt and pepper to taste plus about 2 teaspoons of Mrs. Dash. Served with a dollop of sour cream, cheese, and bacon pieces. Yummo! I think you could probably make a creamy version of this soup by using Potato pearls instead of real potatoes, with that and the bacon bits, it could be a food storage type meal.

Pesto Smashed Potatoes

1 ½ pounds small red-skinned potatoes
Salt, to taste
½ c. chicken broth
½ c. store bought pesto

Cut larger potatoes in half and leave small potatoes whole.
Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water’ bring water to a boil.
Add salt and cook until potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Drain potatoes and return them to hot pot. Add chicken broth and smash the potatoes up.
Add pesto and smash to desired consistency. Serve hot.

Rachael Ray
Yield: 2 servings

Cottage Fried Potatoes

This is a side I make quite often it is a great alternative to mashed potatoes all the time!
And super easy and quick to make. If you like onions you'll like this!

3 TB marge or butter
3 medium potatoes thinly sliced ( the thinner the faster it cooks)\
1 small onion sliced and seperated into rings
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup parmeasean cheese
1/8 tsp pepper

Melt butter in skillet, layer potatoes into skillet sprinkle with garlic p0wder, alt and pepper cook covered till potatoes are tender and browned. about 8 minutes. Flip over potatoes, brown the other side, add onion rings and cover for another 5 minutes. Uncover and add paremesan cheese. Cook til potatoes and onions are tender and browned.

Ranch Bacon Potatoes

Mandy- Here's another side dish! Its really yummy! Don't feel bad, I rarely make side dishes to go with my entree. I feel like superwoman if I manage to do both!

8 red potatoes sliced or cut into chunks
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 onion chopped
1 c grated cheddar cheese ( or more, lots of cheese is always better!)
2 Tb sour cream
2 Tb ranch dressing
3/4 cup mayo
salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until tender. Fry bacon and break into pieces. In dish combine sour cream, mayo, ranch, onion and cheese. Stir in potatoes and bacon pieces. Top with more grated cheese. Cook in oven at 350 for 15- 20 minutes, to heat through.

Oven-Roasted Spicy Potatoes

A classic Rachael Ray, good and easy!
Yields: 6 servings

5 pounds red potatoes
A palmful garlic powder
A palmful of onion powder
A palmful of dried parsley
A palmful of dried rosemary
A palmful of dried thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), to coat the potatoes
Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Cut potatoes in one inch cubes and place them on a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Add all of the spices to a small bowl and mix to create a seasoning mixture (keep the leftovers in a well-sealed container for a later use).

Coat the potatoes with EVOO then sprinkle with the spice mixture. Toss the potatoes so the EVOO and spices are distributed evenly. Roast for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Sweet Potato Mashed

I got this recipe from my Runner's World magazine. Who know a running magazine could have such delicious recipes. This is fantastic!

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into one-inch pieces
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (or 1 tsp dried ginger)
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
salt and pepper

Place sweet potatoes in a large sauce pot and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a gentle boil over high heat and cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until tender. Combine milk, ginger and nutmeg in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat. Drain the potatoes, return to the pan, add the milk mixture and beat with a potato masher or handheld mixer until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 5 servings (or two for really hungry athletes if this is your "main course")
Calories: 200 Fat: less than 1g Protein: 2g Carbs: 45g

Early Morning Oven Roasted Potatoes

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, cut into wedges
4 T butter
2 t fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450. In a hot skillet, melt butter. Stir in the rosemary, salt and pepper. Coat the potatoes evenly with butter and spread in a single layer on a baking pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Toss potatoes occasionally to ensure even browning on all sides.