[Freezer] Twice Baked Potatoes

I made these a couple weeks ago and they were good.  Really good.  I concocted this recipe from the general idea of twice baked potatoes and a few different "freezer friendly" mashed potato recipes.  It seems that using milk when you make mashed potatoes for the freezer, is part of what makes them thaw weird.  Go figure.  So, while this recipe isn't exactly artery friendly, it's really yummy.  I didn't use any light sour cream or light cream cheese so I'm not sure how those substitutions would hold up in the freezer.  Maybe I'll experiment later.

[Freezer] Twice Baked Potatoes

2 1/2 lbs of baking potatoes (I chose smaller potatoes as I intended them to serve as a side dish)

2 Tbs shortening

Salt

4 oz softened cream cheese

1 Tbs Butter

2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4-3/4 cups Sour Cream

1.  Wash your potatoes and rub shortening on the skins.  Then sprinkle with salt.  This step adds a lot of flavor to the potatoes.

2.  Bake potatoes on a baking sheet (I cooked mine at 425 for an hour) until fork tender.

3.  Let potatoes cool until you can handle them.  Cut them in half and scoop out the meat of the potato into a mixing bowl.

4.  Add cream cheese, cheddar cheese and butter and mash thoroughly.  Add sour cream until your potatoes are the consistency of a thick mashed potato, or cookie dough.  Amount of sour cream will vary depending on how much potato filling you have.

5.  Fill your potatoes.  

6.  [Freezing] If you're freezing them, let them cool at this point and put the baking sheet in the freezer until they're set.  Then wrap in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn and place in zip top bag to freeze.  

7.  [Baking] Place thawed (or just prepared) Twice Baked Potatoes on a baking sheet.  Add a bit of cheese to the top for looks and bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and potatoes are completely heated.  Baking time will vary by size of potatoes.   You can also add bacon bits before baking or chopped steamed broccoli or chili after baking.  

Cooking for One: These are a great dish to stash in the freezer if you're cooking for a small family or just one or two people - each can be pulled and thawed separately and easily baked in a toaster oven with a "bake" setting.

Applesauce, Pepper Jelly & Tomato Sauce - oh MY!

Friday on my way home I hit the produce stand and gathered apples, peppers and the other sundry fruits and vegetables I needed for the fridge. While I got dinner ready, GTot and HandyMan picked tomatoes from the garden.

After supper, HandyMan and I got to work.  The order of business: Applesauce, Pepper Jelly (Hot & Mild), and Tomato Sauce.

I have a great KitchenAid attachment that makes the applesauce a breeze.  GTot was allowed up on the counter to watch the tomatoes squish thorough and thought it was the coolest thing!  "Mommy!! My applesauce!"

Then it was on to the Pepper Jelly.  I used this recipe as it is written for the hot jelly and replaced 5 jalapenos with a 5th bell pepper for the mild jelly.  The mild has very little bite and is fabulous with cream cheese.  I had some for breakfast this morning on fresh bread.  YUM!  I'm too chicken to try the hot stuff.  I'll bust it out when my Dad comes to visit next month.

Finally, we cooked up some tomato sauce.  GTot helping again to get the stems off the tomatoes.  I'm a hack-job of a canner.  I'm making it up as I go along and I really hope that this great stuff I've put into jars actually stays good and we can enjoy it in the months to come.  One of my 'experiments' was the tomato sauce.  I added balsamic vinegar and basil to it while it was cooking.  I'm thinking it should be fine.  The batch I made and had for dinner earlier this week was great, so now I'm just hoping that the canned version will be just as good!

The stash above came from 2 1/2 hours of work in the kitchen.  Not too shabby.

This post is linked up at An Oregon Cottage's Tuesday Garden Party.

Pretty, Pretty Jars

This year is the first year that I've done any measurable amount of canning.  I think it's in my blood.  Both of my grandmothers canned extensively.  Grandma Jean's jams and jelly were family legends and favorites around the holidays.  Grandma Foy made sweet pickles that were amazing - sadly the recipe has gone MIA in the family archives.  My mom did some canning when I was a kid and we had a garden.  I've done a couple batches of jam in the past, and applesauce.  Handyman handled the dill pickled green beans.  It all added up to about a dozen jars in the pantry for the winter.

This year, my freezer is a smaller and I'm feeling the impact as I've had a pretty successful garden year so far and the pumpkins and winter squash are promising to need their space in the freezer.  I've rearranged some storage in my house and made room for home-canned goods.

I think I may unleashed a monster.   On Wednesday, it was a 2 pints of garlic pickled green beans, strawberry jam, blueberry jam and lemon blueberry jam.  The jam was to shift the berries from the freezer to the pantry - and turned out oh-so-yummy!  Thursday it was this week's stash of tomatoes.   I keep finding more fun recipes of fun things to make and can.

Is it work? Yes.  Will it be worth it in February when my family is eating produce that I know came from my yard, or locally in season?  Absolutely!

Welcome to Freezing Soups

If you're visiting from my guest post over at the Cheapskate Cook, welcome!  I'm glad you stopped by.  In addition to all the information in my guest post about what types of soups freeze well, below I've linked up some of my favorite soup and stew recipes that are tried and true for the freezer.  Enjoy!

Corned Beef & Cabbage Stew

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Cream Soup

[Green] Baked Potato Soup

Three Bean Chili

Freezer Friday: Marinara & White Bean Chili

This week I restocked my freezer with marinara.  I think it's different every time I make it depending on what I have for veggies that need to be used.  I started with my HV Marinara and twisted it a little by adding carrots too since I had some in the freezer that needed to be thrown out hidden somewhere.  I ended up with about nine quarts of marinara all portioned out for future meals-all for less than $6.  More reasons why I love making my on marinara!

I also put together this Chicken and White Bean Chili that was great!  We at half the batch this week and the rest went to the freezer for later.  I used broth and chicken from a Chicken Cooking Day and beans from a day of cooking and freezing beans.  This recipe came together very quickly and was quite yummy!  Today I'm making a stock pot of Beef and Veggie soup which will make quick meals this weekend and in the coming months.

White Bean & Chicken Chili

6 cup White beans, cooked and divided

6 cup Chicken Broth

2 medium Onions

4 cups cooked Chicken, chopped
1 can of  RoTel diced tomatoes (or regular diced tomatoes & chilies)

1 tsp Chili powder
1 Tbs Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper

Directions:

1.  Puree three cups of the white beans.

2.  Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot or your slow cooker.  Since all ingredients are cooked, you can just heat it through low and slow to combine all the ingredients.  If cooking on the stove, be sure to stir regularly as the pureed beans tend to sink can burn to the bottom of the pan.

This post is linked up at Life As Mom's Frugal Friday.

Cream of Veggie Soup

As I eluded last week, the destination of many potatoes in my home is soup.  While I have yet to bust into the garden potatoes, I made a great Cream of Veggie Soup yesterday that made great use of about five pounds of potatoes, and carrots and broccoli. It will freeze and reheat great.

Most folks will probably need to cut this recipe in half as I used my huge pot to make it and it will be serving as dinner for a crowd this week.  It made about two gallons. I used the inspiration and method from my [Green] Potato Soup and added a bit more color. When everything was cooked, I blended it up with my immersion blender and it was great with saltines. I'm planning on pairing it with a Ham and Cheese Breadstick experiment. We'll see how that turns out! (and don't mind the photo - it for some reason the photo is really yellow)

Cream of Veggie Soup

1/2 pound of Bacon
5 pounds of Red Potatos

3 medium Onions

5 large Carrots, raw (about 4 cups chopped)

8 cups Vegetable Broth
6 cups chopped Broccoli
6 cups Milk

6 cups Water

1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

1 Teaspoon Pepper

Directions

1. Boil your potatoes and carrots  in a large stock pot until fork tender.

2. Drain potatoes and carrots and put them in a different bowl.

3. Cook your bacon and onions in your stock pot.  When bacon is done, add broth and bring to a boil.

5. Add milk, salt, pepper, water and to the pot. Add potatoes and broccoli and bring to a boil.

6.  Once the broccoli is cooked, Puree this mixture with an immersion blender.  (For a chunkier soup: Hold out the potatoes and carrots and add after pureeing the broccoli into the base.  Then use a potato masher to break them apart.)

This post is linked up to An Oregon Cottage's Tuesday Garden Party.

Making Apple Sauce

I'm not getting much from my garden right now to store away, but I have been able to take advantage of great deals from the produce market to put fresh items away for winter.  Yesterday was applesauce day in my kitchen.  I can get a half bushel bag of "seconds" apples from my local produce stand for $5.  Add about an hour of work and I have 12 pints of fresh made, no sugar added, super yummy apple sauce.

Mostly because I have a cool attachment for my MamaMixer that separates the apple from the peel and core.  I chop the apples, boil them for about 7 minutes and send them through.  Out one side comes the apple debris and out the bottom comes the apple sauce!  It's a fabulous invention that does all the work for me!



Linked at Works for Me Wednesday and An Oregon Cottage's Tuesday Garden Party.

Easy Caprese

When fresh tomatoes and basil are in season, there is nothing better than a Caprese Salad. I had hoped to have fresh mozzarella to use for this years first Caprese, but instead, I used the  ricotta and it was just as heavenly! Here's the “recipe”.

Easy Caprese Salad

1 plate of Tomato Slices

Fresh Mozzarella slices to match the slices (or dollops of ricotta!)

20 + fresh Basil leaves

3 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbs Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Layer the tomatoes on the bottom, top with cheese and basil. Drizzle the stacks with the oil and vinegar. Follow with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

This post is linked at GoodCheapEats - What's on Your Plate and It's A Blog Party: Delicious Dishes

Easy Fried Rice

Updated August 19, 2010:  If you're joining me from Life As Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap, welcome!  My broccoli didn't give enough this year to freeze, but all the little bits ended up in yummy fried rice, along with all the other garden bits that weren't quite enough to freeze up!

I love Chinese food, but it is one of the few ethnic foods that is very hard to get right at home-although there are some kits on the grocery shelves to make it a bit better.  This summer we've come to enjoy fried rice.  I make as big of a batch of rice as I can in my kettle and freeze portions to pull out and use for this recipe later.

It's a quick one pan meal (if you have a wok or a really big skillet) that is a great way to re-purpose bits of other meals that are hanging around.  You can modify the vegetables and seasonings to fit what is coming in from your garden or your personal tastes.  (I'd have a nifty picture -but we were too busy getting dinner on the table - next time!)

Fried Rice

3 cups Cooked Rice

2 Eggs

2 cups Shredded Carrots

2 cups chopped Vegetables (this batch is Broccoli and green beans)

2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

2 Tablespoons Grated Ginger

1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

1/3 cup Soy Sauce

1/2 pound lean Pork or Chicken (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet.  Add ginger and garlic and sautee for about two minutes.  Add soy sauce and cook until mixture is simmering.

2. Add meat to skillet and cook until meat is done all the way through.

2.  Add carrots and broccoli and cook until almost tender.

3.  Push meat and veggies to the edge of the pan and crack the egg into the center of the pan and scramble it.  Once the egg is cooked mix it in with the meat and vegetables.

4.  Add rice, mix thoroughly and cover until rice is heated.  Serve alone or with your favorite egg rolls!

Roasted Potato Salad

I LOVE roasted potatoes. If you like roasted potatoes, you can quit and serve them as they come out of the oven. If you need a tasty summer side dish that is ready to serve from the fridge, take the next step and have a fantastic potato salad. My only regret is that I didn't have enough potatoes to double this and have it extras in the fridge this week (and that I forgot to take a picture)!

Roasted Potato Salad

8 cups chopped Red Potatoes (1/2 inch cubes work great)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Rosemary
1/2 cup finely chopped Onion
1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
1/3 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup Sour Cream

Directions:
1. Toss potatoes, olive oil and spices together until all are evenly distributed.
2. Spread potatoes on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 40-60 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Turn potatoes every 15 minutes to keep.
3. Once potatoes have thoroughly cooled, add shredded cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise and stir.
4. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with green onion and/or crumbled bacon.

Freezer Friday: Chicken Cooking Day

This week my big cooking project was Chicken.  It was my goal to have cooked chicken, broth and Chicken Pot Pie filling for the freezer.  After giving my Crock Pot and stock pot good workouts, my missions were accomplished!

I’ve been following Kate at Kitchen Stewardship and decided to follow her instructions for making broth.  I started Monday evening by putting 4 ½ pounds of chicken thigh pieces and 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the stock pot with 6 quarts of water and vinegar.  Let it sit then fired it up.  Let it boil until I wanted to go to bed –about 4 hours.  Then I poured the liquid into the crock pot and added the chicken thighs.  The chicken breasts wouldn’t fit so I shredded them up.  I set the crock-pot on low and went to bed.  At an un-namable hour of the morning when GBaby had me up, I turned the crock pot up to high for another 3 ½ hours.  I added the veggies to the crock for about 45 minutes until the carrots were tender.

After straining the broth, I had cooked carrots for GBaby (see February Kithen Goals), two bags of shredded chicken, in addition to 4 cups of shredded chicken I set aside for the Chicken Pot Pie Filling, and about 5 quarts of broth.



I left 1 quart of broth in the crock-pot for the Chicken Pot Pie fill and returned the rest to the stock pot where I let it boil a while longer to condense (so that it won’t take up as much room in my freezer!).  After it boiled down, I had three, 3-cup containers of rich looking broth.



I added water, chicken, carrots, celery, onion, potatoes and spices to the crock pot until it was full, covered it and walked away.  At dinner time I added one can of condensed soup to one- 2 quart portion of the filling and topped with the biscuit topping (which I subbed in part whole-wheat flour) and popped our dinner in the oven.



Meanwhile, two more portions of filling went to the freezer.  I think they will come in handy for a lunch I will be “catering” next month.



When all is said and done, I only had to wash the crock-pot once and the stock pot twice.  Fewer dishes make me happy!

Freezer Friday: Minestrone

This week I pulled a lot of things from the freezer (Cinnamon Rolls, Green Potato Soup, Mashed Potatoes and HV Marinara jump to mind)  The one thing that went to the freezer was Minestrone Soup.  I used this recipe and it was near perfect.  It just needs a little bit of salt.  I doubled the batch and one crock-pot full was sent to a lunch I 'catered'.  2-1/2 quarts went to the freezer and I've got more in the fridge that will be lunch today for  HandyMan and BIL-C to fill them up on their lunch break from constructing our new closet.  Add some fresh bread sticks and it will be a great fresh winter meal.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Stew

When I was making my January menu I wanted to try to use up some of the things that have found a semi-permanent home in my freezer because they’re things that I’m not particularly fond of.  One such thing was a 2 pound hunk of corned beef brisket.  I saw “beef brisket” and missed the “corned” part.  Straight up, I’ve never been a fan of corned beef, but I took this recipe for Caldo de Res (Mexican Beef Soup) as inspiration and concocted a stew that I have to admit I won’t mind seeing come back from the freezer for another meal.

Corned Beef & Cabbage Stew
Ingredients
3 c. chopped carrots
6 beef bullion cubes
8 c. water
3 c. frozen corn
2 chopped onion
2 pounds Corned Beef, trimmed, cubed, browned and drained
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon pepper
Salt to taste
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes

Directions
1.  Brown corned beef cubes in a large skillet over medium heat.
2.  Combine all ingredients in a large slow-cooker.


3.  Let cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until meat and vegetables are tender.  Serve with you favorite bread.



Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

The 2009 Turkey

Here it is, the Monday after Thanksgiving and refrigerators around the country are still packed to the gills with the leftovers from the turkey feast of last week.  We cooked a 14lb bird for 5 adults and 3 children age three and under. I got a little creative with the turkey and used this BBQ rub method I saw used for chicken.  I cut the cayenne  way down, and cooked the turkey in one of the bags.  The seasoning was great and made gravy and broth with the drippings which were a nice change from the normal turkey stock.

Once dinner was done we boiled down the carcass and made turkey stock.  Once the meat and stock were separated out, I had about a gallon of stock and about 10 cups of turkey meat.  I made the following soup with some of the stock and meat.

Turkey Butternut Squash Soup

10 cups Turkey Stock

6 cups chopped Turkey Meat

8 cups peeled, chopped Butternut Squash

3 cups chopped Onion

4 cups chopped Celery

2 cups Pearled Barley

Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook for 3-4 hours on high.

The turkey and the stock had all the flavors from the rub that carried through the soup, so it's hard to say how much of the seasonings in the rub you would need to add to standard stock.

______

I sent some leftovers home with my brother's family and we've made quick work of a lot of them in the chaos of this weekend.  I also made this Turkey Cranberry Encore Salad for dinner last night and it was great!  I left out the blue cheese since I'm not a fan, and used pecans instead of walnuts - YUM!

What did you make with your Thanksgiving leftovers?

Freezer Friday: Sugar Cookie Dough and Curry Potato Soup

This week there was not much activity in my kitchen.  We were out of town one day and I pulled meals from the freezer to avoid cooking.  I did get a chance to get a triple batch of sugar cookie dough into the freezer (click here for directions to freeze cookie dough).  When it comes time to bake the sugar cookies, instead of rolling them out, I take the cookie dough ball, dip it in colored sugar, smash it down with the bottom of a glass and bake.  When they're done - you have a super festive sweet!

The other thing that made it to the freezer this week was a Curry Potato Soup.  We've taken to "francophone" soups, as HandyMan calls them, that are pureed as they also double as great GBaby meals too!  I wish I had the exact recipe because it turned out great and the leftovers were even better as all the flavors mixed and mingled overnight in the fridge.   However, it was a cooking collaboration with HandyMan and I'm not quite sure what all ended up in the pot, so below is my best guess:

Curry Potato Soup

6 cups peeled, chopped and cooked Potatoes

3 Carrots, chopped

2 stalks Celery, chopped

1 cup pureed Yellow Squash

1/2 a large Onion

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

3 cups Milk

4 cups Water

1 Tablespoon Rosemary

1 teaspoon Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Allspice

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

1.  Sautee onions, carrots and celery in bottom of a stock pot with oil until onions are translucent.

2.  Add potatoes and water and bring to a boil. Once all vegetables are soft, add milk and bring to a boil again.

3.  Turn off heat and puree mixture until smooth.  Enjoy!

4.  Serve up & Enjoy!

Garlic Cheddar Smashed Potatoes

Updated 9-23-2010: If you've landed here from LifeAsMom's Ultimate Recipe Swap, welcome!  Fall is all about the comfort foods and there's nothing more comforting in my book than mashed potatoes.  I love to make these in a large quantity and freeze them in "side dish" portions.  They reheat beautifully!

I love mashed potatoes.  The only thing better than some creamy mashed potatoes, are garlic cheddar smashed potatoes.  I was so wrapped up in making these to top Shepherd's Pie with that I forgot to get a picture of the finished product - oops! Shepherd's Pie recipe to come tomorrow :-).  Don't be afraid to make a bunch of these as they freeze beautifully.

Garlic Cheddar Smashed Potatoes

5 quarts chopped and peeled Potatoes

½ cup Butter

1 Tbs minced Garlic

½ teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Salt

2 cups small Cheddar Cheese cubes

Directions

1. Cover potatoes in a 6-quart kettle and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft.


2. In a small sauce pan, sauté the garlic and butter.  Add milk, salt and pepper and combine thoroughly.


3. Once cooked, drain water off of potatoes and add liquid and spice mixture and mash with masher or mixer to desired consistency.


4. Fold in cheddar cubes and serve.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Freezer Friday: Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Cream Soup

It has been great this week to be back in the kitchen!  With three of my four fall craft fairs a thing of the past, I had some time to play in the kitchen.  We were recently gifted with two lovely butternut squashes from a friend’s garden.  They had graced the window sill in the kitchen for almost two weeks so it was time to do something with them.  I used this recipe for inspiration, and ended up with a slow cooker soup that we’ve also used as a sauce over pasta – it’s that thick and rich! You may want to add more liquid depending on your preference for thick cream soups.  I’ve also filed this under baby food because our 9 month old LOVED this stuff – she ate 3 bowls worth of soup mixed with rice cereal!  It is definitely GBaby approved!  I made this in a 5 quart slow cooker, so if yours is smaller you may need to adjust this recipe.

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Cream Soup/Sauce

Ingredients:

16 cups chopped Butternut Squash (2 large squashes)

6-8 cups Water (to thin soup to your preference after blending)

6 Vegetable Bullion Cubes

¾ teaspoon Nutmeg

1 teaspoon Marjoram

1 ½ teaspoons Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Salt (may want to taste before adding as bullion can make soup salty)

2-8oz packages Cream Cheese

Directions:

1. Peel, gut and chop butternut squash.


2. Combine all 6 cups of water and remaining ingredients except cream cheese into your slow cooker, turn it on low and leave it for 6-8 hours or until the squash is thoroughly cooked.  It can be cooked on high if you need to shorten the cooking time.


3. When preparing to eat, dollop cream cheese on top of the ingredients in the crock pot and leave them to soften.


4. Once cream cheese has warmed and is melting, blend soup with an immersion blender right in the slow cooker.  If you don’t have an immersion blender, blend cooled soup VERY CAREFULLY in a standard mixer.  Add more water to thin to suit your preference.


5. Enjoy with warm bread, or over pasta.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

This post is linked up at Life As Mom's Ultimate Thanksgiving Recipe Swap

[Green] Baked Potato Soup

Growing up I remember my mom’s potato soup on cold winter nights and since I’m a meat-and-potatoes girl at heart, potato soup often comes up on our menu once the temperature drops.  Originally I tweaked my mom’s recipe to turn it into at Baked Potato Soup.

This last time I made this soup is was particularly special because I used potatoes from our garden.  So yummy!  I added the [Green] before the recipe because when I made it this time around I added pureed zucchini to add a few more nutrients.  HandyMan said he could taste the zucchini a little, but I couldn’t. I may be becoming immune to the flavor of the zucchinis.  I did change the texture a bit but overall the finished product was pretty good.

The premise of the Baked Potato Soup is that you start with the soup as your base and pile on whatever you would want on a baked potato.  For us this has included steamed broccoli, grated cheddar cheese, bacon bits, chopped chives and even chili.  The list could go on as far as the reaches of your imagination.  By adding the broccoli (and the zucchini in the Green version) you add a bit of vegetables to this starchy comfort food and a bit more nutrition.

I cooked the entire package of bacon and put remaining bacon strips in the fridge to use for meals later in the week, like egg sandwiches or on top of salads.  The flavor for this recipe really comes from the bacon drippings left after you’ve cooked the meat.

[Green] Baked Potato Soup

2 lbs Potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and chopped.

1 onions, chopped

2 cups Milk

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

[2 cups Pureed Zucchini]

1/2 lb smoked Bacon

4 cups Water (less if using Zucchini)

Soup Toppings: Steamed broccoli, bacon bits, shredded cheese, chives, etc.

Directions

1. Boil your potatoes in a large stock pot until fork tender.



2. Drain potatoes and put potatoes in a different bowl.

3. Cook your bacon in your stock pot until it reaches your preferred crispiness. Remove bacon, but leave drippings in the pot.



4. Add onions and sauté until clear.



5. Add milk, salt, pepper, water and [zucchini puree if you so choose] to the pot. If you want a smoother soup base, puree this mixture with an immersion blender.



6. Once the base is as smooth as you would like it, add the potatoes back into the pot. The liquid base should cover the potatoes, if not; add more water until the potatoes are covered.

7. Allow to come to a boil. Once soup is hot all the way through, gently mash with a potato masher to break the potatoes into soup size pieces. Again – this is a matter of preference. To mash or not to mash is up to you.

8. Serve with your soup toppings and enjoy.



Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Updated 10/7/2010 - If you've landed here from LifeAsMom's Ultimate Recipe Swap - welcome!  I made this last fall about this time and it will be on my menu again as soon as we get around to digging up this year's potatoes.  I love that there's extra veggies hidden in this soup to make it a little healthier for me and  my family!

Freezer Friday: Potatoes, Zucchini & Cucumbers from the Garden

While I was out of town this week, the goodies from our garden continued to trickle into the kitchen.  I have more zucchini (anybody out there want to trade!) and cucumbers as well as some of our garden potatoes.  While none have made it to the freezer yet, I know the plans I have for them, says the chef!

The zucchini will be shredded or pureed and sent to the freezer for baking or smoothies.  The cucumbers are destined to be refrigerator pickles. (Close to the freezer, right?).  The potatoes are going to be transformed in to my mom's potato soup, which I've doctored into Baked Potato Soup.

I also made a great Harvest Rice dish this past week with acorn squash, italian sausage, apples, dried cranberries and pecans.  It was great and a portion of that went to the freezer too.  Both the soup and rice recipes are coming, once I get a free moment to type them up.

Grilling Corn

There is nothing like the flavors of fresh sweet corn and in many areas of the country the farmers markets and produce aisles are stocked with the freshest of this year’s sweet corn.  This year I’ve taken to grilling our sweet-corn in the husks.  It’s super easy and there’s no foil and boiling water involved!

First, take your sweet corn, in the husk and put it in a sink or bowl of cold water for ten minutes.  The idea is to soak the husk so that the extra moisture will help steam the corn and keep the husks from igniting on the grill.



Once saturated, peel back the husk and remove all the silk.  Add butter, if desired.



Close the husks back up, making sure that they fully cover the corn cob.  Take a strip of an outside husk and tie the husk shut.



Place corn, on the hot grill over medium low heat/coals for about 20 minutes, turning half way through.

Remove from grill, pull back the husk and serve as is, or remove husks to serve.