Loaded potato soup

This is from my favorite heber food place. the train place(dairy keen) cookbook. So GOOD Levi inhaled it.
The measurements were large so I just made up my own for my little family. Soup is very forgiving so do however much you want or need. You could lighten it up but the half and half make it so creamy and delectable.

Potatoes, diced mine were tiny so I used 5
1 onion, diced
1/2 lb bacon, diced
Flour
1/2 cup or so of chicken stock
2 c half and half
1 c milk I needed more liquid to loosen it up
White pepper
Salt
Cheddar cheese
Sour cream

Dice your potatoes
and either boil separately or in your soup. I boiled mine while the bacon was cooking and i was dicing everything else up.
Cook your bacon and save some grease. Cook onions in grease until translucent. Stir in a sprinkle of flour to make a roux. It should look like wet sand.
Add in broth to deglaze the pan. Stir in half and half and potatoes. Let thick (and potatoes cook if needed)
Season. It will probably need a good amount of salt cause of all the potatoes.
Serve with bacon bits, cheese and sour cream.

Ham and Egg Crepes

We actually had these for dinner one night, not breakfast. They are so so yummy and simple, so I thought that I would share. 

from Everyday Food

•1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 9 thin slices ham
• 9 eggs
• chopped fresh parsley

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, milk, four eggs and the melted butter in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds. Let rest for 15 minutes.

2. Heat a 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and lightly coat with butter. Add 1/3 cup batter and swirl to completely cover skillet. Cook until underside of crepe is very lightly starting to brown, about 2 minutes.

3. Loosen edge of crepe with spatula and then either using large spatula or your fingers, lift it up and flip it over. Cook another minutes and then slide out of skillet onto wax paper. Repeat until all crepes are done. You should have about 9 when you are done.

4. Preheat oven to 350. Place crepes on a rimmed baking sheet (you can fit 3-4 per sheet). Place ham slice in center of crepe and carefully crack egg onto ham. Fold edges of crepe toward center, using the egg white as a kind of glue. Season with salt and pepper and bake until egg white is set, about 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve at once.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Adapted from Food Network
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 packed cups grated zucchini (don’t peel it)
1 cup chocolate chips


Preheat oven at 350 F. Spray two 9×5 inch pans with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Add the oil and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients along with the zucchini and chocolate chips. Stir just until combined, and divide between the loaf pans.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the tops are cracked and springy to the touch. Makes 2 cakes.

Cajun grilled chicken and Pasta

http://www.plainchicken.com/2012/01/grilled-cajun-ranch-chicken-pasta.html?m=1

Wowsa!!! We loved this meal! I made up the Cajun mix that she links to, and left my chick to marinate for several hours.
I halved the recipe and it was plenty for our family.
I didn't have any garlic, so I left it out. I really don't think it needed it. I also added the parm after the sauce had simmered a bit. My one complaint was that the sauce didn't thicken as I wish it had.

Chicken cordon blue pasta

So delicious!!

10-12 oz. penne or ziti pasta
2 cups heavy cream
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
1/2 tsp. onion powder more or less to taste
1/2 tsp. garlic salt more or less to taste
1 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese separated
2 chicken breasts cooked and cut into strips
3/4 cup bacon cooked and chopped
3/4 cup diced ham
bread crumbs

Cook pasta according to its package's directions. Drain. I always add a little olive oil after I drain it and stir in around so the pasta noodles don't stick together or the pot.
Heat cream cheese on stove over medium low heat until melted. Stir in heavy cream. Stir until completely combined. Add onion powder and garlic salt until it tastes how you would like it to. Stir 1 cup of cheese until smooth consistency.
In a 9x13, layer noodles, chicken, bacon and ham. Pour sauce over top. Sprinkle top with 1/2 cup cheese and bread crumbs.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Foolproof Oven-Baked Brown Rice

Perfected by America’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 1/3 cups water
2 teaspoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spread rice in an 8-inch square baking dish.
2.  Bring water and butter or oil to a boil, either in a saucepan or in the microwave.  Keep an eye on it and take it off heat immediately after it starts boiling.  Immediately stir in salt and pour water over rice in baking dish.  Cover baking dish tightly with 2 layers of foil, or heavy-duty foil.  Transfer baking dish to oven and bake rice until tender, about 1 hour.
3.  Remove baking dish from oven and uncover.  Fluff rice with fork, then cover dish with kitchen towel and let rice stand for 5 minutes.  uncover and let rice stand 5 minutes longer.  Serve immediately.

Bonnie's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c good butter
1 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
 2 eggs
1 TB vanilla (half if using Mexican)
1 1/2 -1 3/4 c oat flour (oats blended)
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 c. ap flour
2 pkgs Guitard milk chocolate chips

 Bake 350 F 12 mins.