Plain Potato Soup

I LOVE POTATOES! Just thought everybody should know. It's my favorite food and the one I would choose to eat for the rest of my life if somebody made me choose. Unlikely, but still. Here's a fabulous recipe for potato soup now that fall will be upon us soon. It's way simple and way yummy!

Plain Potato Soup

Ingredients:
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
water to cover
2 (12 fluid ounce) cans evaporated milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Place the potatoes in a large pot over high heat. Add water to cover, about 1 inch over the potatoes. Boil for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.Do not drain.
2. Reduce heat to low and pour in the evaporated milk and the butter. Mash the potatoes in the pot with a potato masher. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Here are the results:

Cream Cheese Penguins

Already planning your Christmas Party? Me neither. BUT I do have a cute idea when that time comes around.... Cream Cheese Penguins! They are adorable. Kids love them and adults think they're cute too.

Cream Cheese Penguins

Ingredients:
18 jumbo black olives, pitted
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,softened (I used flavored cream cheese)
18 small black olives
1 carrot

Directions:
1. Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive. Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive.(If you use a plastic sandwhich bag with one corner cut off, this is much easier) Slice the carrot into eighteen 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Save the cut out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak. If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak.
2. Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.

Here are my results:

The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner

On BYU TV, sometimes I see The Food Nanny. She helps people sit down and plan their dinners ahead of time. She's so bubbly and fun to watch. I met her at Swiss Days and she was just as energetic in person. She has a book: The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner.I've already tried her Crunchy Parmesan Baked Chicken and it was 5 stars amazing! I've cooked a few things out of her book and here are the results:

Mac & Cheese Kids Crave

First time I made homemade mac & cheese and we both loved it.

Northern-Style Corn Bread with Liz's Honey Butter

Husband said this was the best corn bread he's ever tasted. We also loved the honey butter.

French Baguettes

These were way easy by the way! And they were pretty good. I didn't have a baguette pan but they turned out chewy anyways.

The Dark Divine

The description of The Dark Divine as found on amazon.com
"Grace Divine, a pastor's daughter, doesn't think she lives up to the name that her father tells her means "heavenly help." Her brother, Jude, a church volunteer whose faith seems unshakable, has always seemed to be the more "graceful" Divine. When his friend Daniel returns to town after a long and mysterious absence, Jude recognizes Grace's attraction to him but urges her to stay away with unusual vehemence. Against his advice, Grace begins a relationship with Daniel, whose reluctance to discuss his disappearance piques her curiosity. As she attempts to uncover the mystery of Daniel's past, Jude discourages her investigations with oblique references to an ancient evil and a transforming curse. The novel builds to a dramatic climax involving the surprise revelation of a Divine family secret and a violent confrontation that suggests a possible sequel. Despain's first novel mixes romance and the supernatural and offers true love as the ultimate defense against lycanthropes. This long novel is a slow starter, but as Grace discovers unexpected local connections to the mystery of Daniel's absence, the pace picks up and the suspense builds. Although not a novel of Christian fiction, the book's thematic investment in faith and sacrifice distinguishes it from traditional supernatural romances."

MY REVIEW: I really did enjoy this book. I thought it was another Twilight Ripoff, but it totally wasn't. This one actually had a plot and was very well written. It had me thinking and guessing up until the last chapter. I really liked this book and was glad I read it.

Vegetarian Lime Orzo

Once again, I came upon this recipe by necessity. I had orzo I needed to use and have never cooked it before. This dish turned out spectacular. If I had a LARGE non-stick skillet, I surely would have used it in this recipe, since the orzo tended to stick. It just so happens to be vegetarian, but you can use chicken broth like I did if you aren't so strict in the vegetarian area.

Vegetarian Lime Orzo

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups orzo pasta
1 zucchini, peeled and shredded
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 (16 ounce) can stewed tomatoes,undrained
1 (14 ounce) can vegetable broth
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and orzo pasta; cook and stir until pasta turns a light, golden color, about 5 minutes. Stir in zucchini and carrots; cook until vegetables soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, vegetable broth, Italian seasoning, and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium. Cover, and simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir in the green onions, parsley, lime zest, and lime juice. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Here are the results: