Slow Cooker Potato Soup

I love a thick and creamy potato soup.  But, I also hate the idea of eating loads of cream and butter which normally coincide with the texture of a good potato soup.  So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and create a potato soup that was creamy and flavorful, but healthy too.  The soup had to be chunky and have some texture to it.  I also needed a recipe that could be cooked while I was at work.

A little bit of tweaking set me on the road to my idea of potato soup perfection.  Flavorful and filling, this soup is heavy on the veggies and not the butter.  It’s great alone or topped with cheddar cheese.  While I made it in a crock pot, it could easily be made on the stove as well.

Tell me, how do you like your potato soup?

Candied Yams

After the Thanksgiving sweet potato rush, are you ready for some more? This is the recipe for my mom’s Candied Yams or Sweet Potatoes. The dish reminds me of the Holiday Season. We traditionally have it at Thanksgiving, but, to me, it’s the perfect fall or winter dish, not just for the holidays. The orange and spice sauce compliment the yams and the dish is just sweet enough to still be considered a vegetable side and not a dessert.

CANDIED YAMS (or Sweet Potatoes)

Serves 4-6

 Ingredients

3 large  Yams or Sweet Potatoes
1/3 cup  Brown Sugar, packed
1 cup  Orange Juice
½ Tbsp Orange Peel
1 tsp  Pumpkin Pie Spice (OR 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp cloves)
1/3 cup Sherry
2 Tbsp  Butter

Directions

1.  Boil unpeeled yams or potatoes in water for 30 minutes or until almost tender.  Transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking and loosen the skins. Peel and cut into serving size pieces.

2.  Place yams or potatoes in shallow 1 ½ quart baking dish rubbed with butter.

3.  Combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring; simmer 3 minutes.  Pour over potatoes.

4.  Bake in preheated 350° F oven 1 hour, basting often to glaze well; (approximately every 15 minutes).

*To make ahead bake for 45 minutes and then let cool. Store in the refrigerator. When needed bake 20-30 minutes at 350° F, basting often, until sauce is bubbly and yams are soft and heated through.*

Turkey Stuffing

It seems that stuffing is one of those holiday foods that everyone has a pretty strong opinion about.  Bread cubes, crackers, or rice?  Mushy or dry?  Meat or no?  Fruit or nuts?  To stuff or to bake?

I for one am partial to the stuffing of my childhood, a bread or cracker base with at least turkey stock, if not minced meat, no nuts, and don’t think about putting fruit in it. Stuffing should be savory, not sweet.  I really like the idea of stuffing the bird, just for the simple fact that a stuffed bird seems to complete the Thanksgiving picture for me.  But, I like the stuff so much, I’ll take it oven-baked too.

This is my mom’s stuffing, the stuffing that brings back fond childhood memories.  I had the chance to make it this past weekend and only made a few changes because of what I had on hand.  This stuffing would be great with or without the chopped meat, and it is very easy to adjust for different tastes as you see fit.  Cook it in the turkey or in the oven, that’s up to you!

What side do you take in the great stuffing debate?

Apple-Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

Nothing coaxes sleepy bodies out of bed on a crisp fall Saturday morning like the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls.  Add the aroma of spiced apples to the mix, and you’ve got a beckoning that even the appeal of warm covers can’t fight.

This month’s Fresh From the Oven Challenge was from Claire of Things We Make.  Claire challenged the bakers to make cinnamon rolls from a Kringle recipe she adapted.  I made her dough with only a slight adjustment to the yeast, because I wanted the rolls to rise overnight.  The dough took less flour than called for, but still turned out silky smooth.

I do love classic cinnamon rolls, but I currently have haul of Cortland apples that are begging to be baked with, and I thought: Apples + cinnamon?  We might have a winner here.  So, instead of the traditional butter and cinnamon, I filled my rolls full of spiced apples and pecans.

I made the rolls just up to the point of putting them in the oven the night before and stashed them in the fridge for the final rise.  They were nice and puffy the next morning, and that’s about where my good luck ended.  I put them in the oven at 350°F and checked them after 20 minutes.  To my surprise, they felt quite firm and were getting brown on the tops: they looked done.

  Don’t they?  I  took them out of the oven, iced them, (thankfully took some pictures) and pulled them apart, just to find a goopy mess of dough inside.  What to do?  I popped them back into the oven for another 20 minutes at 350°F and then another 40 minutes at 400°F before they were finally done enough to eat.

Maybe they were too big, maybe they hadn’t had the chance to come to room temp before baking; I’ll need to make these again to figure out what went wrong.  In the mean time, do any of you have tips on how to tell when cinnamon rolls are done?

Despite the extended baking time, the rolls tasted great.  The apples turned to a nearly apple pie consistency, enveloped in a soft, eggy sweet-dough.   Once I get the cooking time mastered, this may be my go to cinnamon roll recipe.

Slow Cooker: Sweet and Spicy Chili

This chili was the product of a couple of farmer’s market impulse buys: a peck of sweet peppers and a ¼ peck of jalapenos.  We pulled this recipe together a few weeks ago, just as the weather was starting to turn, and as a result, the coming colder weather didn’t seem so bad.  How can you complain in chili season after all?

Sweet peppers and cider vinegar bring just a touch of sweetness to this vegetable-rich dish.   The ground beef was a last minute addition; this chili would be quite good as a vegetarian option as well.

Warning, this chili can have a bit of a kick from the jalapenos, so adjust according to your preferences.

Sweet Pepper Jalapeño Chili

Ingredients

1 c dried kidney beans
½ large onion, diced
1 large sweet pepper, diced (around 1 c)
½ c carrots, diced
½ c corn
1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes (with liquid)
1 (oz) can tomato paste
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp jalapenos, minced
3 ½ c water
2 bay leaves
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt
1 lb lean ground beef
Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, crackers, or other toppings as desired

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a 3.5 quart crock-pot.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
2. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and crackers.

This could be made just as easily on the stove in a soup pot: simmer for an hour or two until the beans are tender, meat is cooked, and the flavors have had time to mingle.  (I would suggest pre-soaking, if not pre-cooking, the beans if you are looking for a faster cooking time on the stove top.)

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I’m sending this crock pot recipe to My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats‘ Holiday Recipe Exchange. This week’s exchange is sponsored by West Bend. Check out the links and come join the fun!

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I’m also sending this recipe to SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset.  Come join the fun!