(L)Oven Monday – Comforting Soup

December 26, 2016December 25, 2016 RefreshHer9 Comments

Hapy Monday and the Day after Christmas! I trust you had a wonderful time of celebration! I’ll share about mine on Friday when we hit the highlights!

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Often after all the rich holiday foods, a simple meal of a comforting, homemade soup is just the thing to have for supper. One reason I love this soup is because it’s so incredibly good, but it’s also really simple.

The recipe is for Baked Potato Soup, and it’s from Cooking Light, but I’ve tweaked it a bit. Baking the potatoes makes it easy to assemble, and I also think it makes the soup so much better than boiled potatoes chunks. This also means there’s no peeling or cutting necessary! Just wrap the potaotes in foil, pop them in the oven, and in an hour you’ll be ready to make supper. The baked potatoes make fine shreds of potatoes that give the soup a creaminess that is irresistable and comforting!

I had some holiday ham left over, so instead of topping it with bacon, the chunks of ham added the perfect flavor. So, you add what you have, bacon OR ham, and I think you’ll be delighted with the results!

Baked Potato Soup

4 Baked potatoes
2 Cups milk
1-2 Cups Chicken Stock
3 – 4 T. flour
Salt & Pepper
Sour Cream
Bacon or ham
Cheddar Cheese

Let Baked potatoes cool slightly, then scoop out the potato flesh from the skins and place in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat milk in a saucepan and slowly add flour, whisking in to combine. Cook until slightly thickened. Add Chicken stock, stir to combine. Add potatoes into mixture. Cook until thickened. If using ham, add it at this point. Cook until heated through.
Remove pan from the heat. Stir in 1/2 Cup Sour cream.

Ladle soup into bowls. Top with bacon, (if you didn’t use the ham) and shredded Cheddar Cheese.

My husband declared that this was the “best Potato soup ever!” Try it and tell me if you agree!

Enjoy!

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baking · Bread · breakfast · Cooking · dessert · Gifts

(L)Oven Monday – The Best Food Gifts from Your Kitchen

December 5, 2016November 29, 2022 RefreshHer2 Comments

As I make my preparations for a more “simple” Christmas this year, I’m reminded that giving gifts from what you love is the best kind of gift to share. If I do what I love – I bake and the receiver knows that it was prepared especially for them with lots of (L)oven from my oven!

I have many recipes on my blog that I have given away, and I’m going to compile a short list of some of my favorites for you today. These are simple to make and are LOVED by those that receive them. Let’s get shopping/baking…

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake – – This is a fancier form of Monkey Bread. It’s made from canned biscuits, cream cheese and cinnamon and sugar. It’s pretty, it’s easy to make and is so good it became a Christmas tradition for our breakfast!
Cranberry Crumble – Another great coffee cake that anyone would LOVE to receive!
French Bread Loaves – A good old crusty bread tied up in a linen kitchen towel is as lovely as it is delicious!
Homemade Granola – Gifted in a jar with a pretty ribbon, this granola is perfect for any breakfast lover!
Cream Cheese Coffee Cakes – These are more like Danishes and who doesn’t love a Cream Cheese Danish???? This recipe makes four, so it really makes great use of your time in the kitchen!
Deep Dish Hershey Brownies – This is my family’s favorite brownie recipe and I’ve made them for years. Any chocolate lover will be delighted to receive a plate of these!
Microwave Caramel Popcorn – This is the easiest caramel popcorn! It makes a nice pile of popcorn for the snacker on your list!

You can also go here for a list of some fabulous cookies to bake up and place in cellophane bags or pretty Christmas tins.

Food is a wonderful gift of love from your oven to the recipient. Get baking and finish your gift list!

Which of these recipes will you make and give away?

With love from my country kitchen,

breakfast · Cooking · Lunch · Uncategorized

(L)ovin’ Monday

November 28, 2016November 27, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

Every Monday I’m showing you what’s been in my Oven that I’m lovin’! Ready?

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This was Thanksgiving Dinner at my mom’s last Thursday at 1:00. Don’t you wish every day’s lunch looked like this…

Ha, well, maybe not that much food, but tell me, is it just me, or do others find lunch a difficulty? I’m usually well into a busy day and just need a quick bite to eat, but I find it hard to stop my day and fix something that’s tasty and quick.

As a matter of fact, even breakfast poses problems. I’m not ready to eat when I first get up, and by the time I’m ready for a bite, it’s too late to want to get into any big cooking ordeal to accomplish what I need to give me energy for the rest of the morning!

Recently I prepared these Make-Ahead Omelets and froze them. I made tiny ones for the shower I hosted. I took the leftovers and froze them in a plastic container, putting sheets of waxed paper in between the rows of omelets.

Then I popped a frozen muffin into the microwave and it made the perfect breakfast! In a matter of about 4 minutes everything was hot and ready to eat. That’s better than instant oatmeal – and a lot tastier!

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Then another help came for lunch. I had made Sloppy Joe’s for our meal after Sunday night church, and had plenty left over. Wrapping them individually in waxed paper, I warmed them at about 80% power for about 45 seconds.

It dawned on me then – why don’t I make up something like this at the beginning of each week and have it prepared in the fridge? Lunch could be less than a minute away each day! If you take your lunch to work, it would be so easy to have it packed and ready in the morning before you head out the door.

I’ve come up with a few ideas of things that would be made ahead and ready. Here’s my starter list:

Breakfast:

Omelets

Waffles

Baked Oatmeal

Lunch:

Sloppy Joes

Broccoli Soup

Salad in a jar – Like this one (I haven’t made this particular recipe, but I made one similar and they are great do-ahead salads!)

Chicken Salad – Ready for sandwiches, or to eat alone.

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I hope this encourages you to prepare ahead for your busy mornings and lunchtimes. When you’re heading into Christmas, why not take away a little stress by having some nutritious breakfasts and lunches all ready to serve?

What quick tips do you have for breakfast and lunch?

With love from my country kitchen,

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Cooking · Home making · summertime · Uncategorized

Tempting Your Family with Summer Fruits

June 17, 2016June 16, 2016 RefreshHer1 Comment

There is a saying my girls remember well that I used in our home A LOT. When they would want dessert, I would say,

“Why don’t you have some nice fruit?!”

They would look at me as if to say,

“Really? That’s not dessert!”

It may not be a chocolate chip cookie, but summer fruits are sweet and full of flavor! I love summertime for lots of reasons, but all the fresh fruits is one of them! I love cutting up a variety and having it in a bowl for quick snacks or dessert! Having a big bowl all ready washed, cut up and ready to eat is far more appealing than the watermelon that has to be sliced every time you want to indulge.

Another ~~trick~~ secret to getting your family to eat more fruits like peaches or grapes is to have some washed and sitting out on the counter. Put it in a pretty tray or bowl and set it on the counter. They’ll snack on it more readily if it’s within easy reach.

The pineapple will be sliced for a rice dish I’m making, then I’ll add the rest to my bowl of cut up fruit! For now it’s serving as a garnish!

This week our Aldi’s had mango’s for forty-nine cents! That’s a good deal! Mango’s are so sweet and make a great addition to a taco (if you haven’t tried that as a topping, you really should!) or a fruit salad. To get the most out of the fruit, here’s the easiest way to peel and chop them:

You slice down on each side beside the long stone in the middle. Then score each half with a knife. Pop the skin inside out, then slice off the squares of fruit! It’s super easy this way!

I have a bowl of fruit in the fridge right now with watermelon, peaches, honeydew, strawberries, blackberries and mango. My favorite? Probably the melons – or the blackberries, or maybe the mango… Excuse me while I go have some nice fruit!

What’s your favorite summer fruit? How do you serve it?

Stay refreshed by slicing up some summer fruits!

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Cooking · Home decor

Favorite Things

January 22, 2016January 21, 2016 RefreshHer6 Comments

Julie Andrew likes raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens – I like home decor and utensils that make life easier! Today I thought I’d share two things that I purchased quite some time ago, that have become some of my favorite things!

The first is my artificial Boxwood Wreath.

I love it because it can be hung at any season. After Christmas it seems hard to know what to hang on the front door – it’s too early for Valentine’s decor or spring-y wreaths, so what to do? The boxwood is perfect. I embellished mine with a chevron bow and our monogram for my winter door.

I’ve also used this wreath inside and it looks great, adding just a little touch of green and life in the house.

I found this one at Tuesday Mornings a couple years ago and I paid $20 for it, which is a great price. Even if you have to pay more, it’s really a super investment!

Another favorite item that’s a kitchen tool is the Pampered Chef Micro Cooker. It is obviously used in the microwave, and it’s great at warming and cooking things! I melt butter in mine when I’m baking and the lid keeps it from splattering all over the microwave. It’s also great for heating up soups or leftovers.

But one really great use for this cooker is browning hamburger.

Put the hamburger in the cooker and break it up with a spoon. Cook for a minute. Stir and break up the meat. Keep doing this at one minute intervals until the meat is cooked. It only takes about 5 minutes for a pound of hamburger! Then you simply pour the fat off through the strainer/lid!

I love to use this method to brown meat and have it in the freezer to use for future meals like tacos, pizza toppings or quesadillas.

I hope you’ve been inspired to purchase a boxwood wreath or a Pampered chef cooker! I don’t think you’ll be sorry!

What item have you purchased that has become a favorite thing?

Stay refreshed,