Panera’s Creamy Potato Soup

6 cups chicken broth
6 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into chunks, room temperature
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional, but makes it really good)

Combine broth, potatoes and spices. Boil on medium heat until potatoes are tender. Smash a few of the potatoes to release their starch for thickening. If you like it smooth smash more, if you like it chunky just smash a little of it. You can decide the texture of it. Reduce to low heat. Add cream cheese. Heat, stirring frequently, until cheese melts. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle a little bacon over each bowl of soup

This soup is the BEST!! Enjoy!!

Snickerdoodle Blondies

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup cinnamon chips
2 tablespoons white sugar (for topping)
2 teaspoons cinnamon (for topping)

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and set aside.
In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.
Stir in the flour mixture until well blended, then mix in cinnamon chips if using. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Mixture will be thick and resemble cookie dough. (I used my hands to press it down and smooth the top).
Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.
I did not have any cinnamon chips so I left those out, my kids LOVE these..which is great because they are NOT part of my diet!

The ArtsyGirl Connection: Strawberry Sweethearts....{Valentine Shakes}

This looks too good to not try, I think my kids will LOVE it!! Me well, as much as I would like some...I MUST stick to this Diet :(

The ArtsyGirl Connection: Strawberry Sweethearts....{Valentine Shakes}: Good evening friends stopping in this lovely SNOWY day. Hope everyone is staying warm and fuzzy in doors, as in my case :)). This awesome ...

Cherry Crunch

I am a big Cherry Pie Fan, and even though I love to cook and bake...I have never mastered baking a pie. So this is second best, it was very tasty. We served warm over vanilla ice cream...yummo!

Buttermilk Baked Chicken

Chicken is ALWAYS a safe bet for me, as far as getting the kids to eat! So I decided to give this one a try, turned out great!

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil, for baking sheet
8 slices white bread
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 pounds chicken parts (preferably legs, thighs, and wings), rinsed and patted dry

Directions:Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Generously rub a baking sheet with oil.
In a food processor, pulse bread until it turns into coarse crumbs.

In a large bowl, stir together buttermilk, hot-pepper sauce, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
In a separate bowl, mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan, thyme, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Place chicken in the buttermilk mixture, turning to coat evenly. Working with one piece at a time, remove chicken from liquid, letting excess drip back into bowl; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat evenly. Place coated chicken pieces on prepared baking sheet.
Bake until chicken is golden brown, about 35 minutes.Note: Leave enough space between the chicken pieces so that they crisp evenly all the way around! Enjoy

Six Sisters' Stuff: Fruity Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip Recipe

I have been really trying hard to eat healthy, and this Dip is soooo Yummy it is a MUST Try!!

Six Sisters' Stuff: Fruity Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip Recipe: Ever since I was little, I cannot eat a plain banana. I don't know . . . there is just something about them that I don't love. I'm weird l...

KRISPY TREATS

If you have kids, you Rice Krispie treats are a BIG hit. I have came across a couple that I had to try. Both have scored big points with my kiddos!! So give them a try, I am sure you will enjoy!!

Cake Batter Rice Krispies:
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. butter
1 (10 oz.) bag of mini-marshmallows
1/4 cup yellow cake mix (the dry cake mix, not prepared into a batter!)
6 cups crispy rice cereal
1 (1.75 oz.) container of sprinkles


Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until they begin to melt, adding in (dry) cake mix one spoonful at a time so its combined. Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a baking dish (any size will do) and top with remaining sprinkles. Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting. I find spraying a knife with nonstick spray helps to cut them.

S'MORE KRISPY TREATS
1/4 cup butter
1 (10 oz) bag regular marshmallows
1 box of Golden Graham cereal
1-2 cups Chocolate Chip s
Magic Shell (optional)

In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows and keep stirring until the marshmallows completely melt and you get a marshmallow sauce. Remove from heat.
Add Golden Grahams and stir until they are all well coated. You can chose to crush some up before adding them if you want some smaller pieces. Next stir in chocolate chips.
Grease a 9x13 pan and press S'mores down.

Chicken Taco Casserole

2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1 1/2 cups Sour Cream
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
2 cups cooked and cubed Chicken
6 Tortillas
1 1/2 cup shredded Cheese

Heat soup, sour cream, and seasoning in saucepan.
Stir in cooked and cubed chicken.
Tear half the tortillas in pieces and layer in a 9 x 13″ baking dish
Spoon half the chicken mixture over totillas add another layer of tortillas then the remainder of the chicken mixture. Top with cheese
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and enjoy. Quick and easy!

OVEN HOT DOGS

Oven Hot Dogs
8 hot dogs
8 hot dog buns
1 can of chili
1/2 an onion, diced
cheddar cheese
mayonnaise
mustard
sweet relish
Line inside of hot dog buns with mayonnaise and sweet relish. Evenly add mustard. Fill with hot dogs and squish into a 13×9″ baking pan.
Top hot dogs with chili, cheese, and diced onion. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350F for 45 minutes.
Carefully remove from the pan with a spatula

It has been awhile since I have been blogging. Life has been busy, but I am going to try to get back into it!! I love to cook and love to share what my family enjoys!

With that said..who does not like Hot Dogs. So when I came across this recipe it was a must try...