Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This took about 20 minutes total to make and it was fantastic. That includes cooking time for bacon and potatoes.

Ingredients:

2 large baked potatoes cut into cubes (I microwaved them)
4 slices of bacon cut into 1/4" pieces
2 T butter
2 T Flour
2 c. milk
1/2 c. shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:
Shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions

Directions:

Fry the bacon until crispy, drain. In a sauce pan, melt butter and whisk in flour to make a roux. Slowly add milk and whisk until it thickens and is creamy. Add cheese and melt. Add diced potatoes. (you can peel them if you wish. I don't, because that's where all the fiber is). Salt and pepper to taste and serve with toppings.

Easy Smoked Sausage Skillet

This is an easy, throw together, one skillet meal on a week night.

Ingredients:

1/2 package of smoked sausage (diced)*
1/2 c. green pepper (chopped)
1/2 onion (chopped)
1 1/4c chicken broth
1 c. brown rice (or couscous, or quinoa)
1/8 t. cayenne pepper (more or less to suite you)
1/2 t smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown sausage pieces in a skillet, then add green pepper and onion. Saute until onion is translucent, add garlic and cook a few seconds longer. Add broth, rice (or grains) and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low until grains are cooked (look on package for cooking times). Salt and pepper to taste.


*Note on sausage-

I use Aldi's brand. Besides being inexpensive it is also slightly smaller (13 oz vs. 16 oz) than most brands. Eating less meat is a good thing and this is an easy way to cut down a bit. Also, I love Aldi's. Love, love, love it. They have some of the best produce in town, many of their products equal the quality and taste of name brands (I've experimented), and I used to work for a company that made their pancake syrup. They had the toughest standards we had to deal with. AND I love the fact that I can go there and get an entire cart load of groceries for $60.00!

Sunday Afternoon Black Bean and Ham-hock Soup

This recipe calls for Rub-a-Dub Grub Hunter spice mix. I get it at http://shilohsbistro.com/ and really, I'm not sure exactly what's in it, but it is fabulous. If you can't get it, use equal portions of coriander, cumin, and ground black pepper, but it's really not quite the same.

Ingredients:

2 ham-hocks (you can use 2 c. diced ham)
4 c. Water
2 15oz  cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 bay leaves
1 t Rub-a-Dub Grub Hunter spice (see above)
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, sliced
salt to taste

Directions:

In a heavy deep pan, place ham-hock in water. Boil for 20 min. Add beans, bay leaves, spices, tomatoes, green pepper, garlic and carrots. Simmer on low heat until ham-hock is tender and meat is falling off the bone (about 2 hours). Salt to taste and serve with sour cream on top.