what's for dinner: baked potato soup (crockpot!)

I'm in love with this baked potato soup.  It was really, really good.

I will warn you that this makes quite a bit of soup.  So if you're a two-person family like us, you might want to either cut down on the recipe or prepare yourself to have a lot of leftovers. 

I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Baked Potato Soup - Slow Cooker

from Mama Loves Food!

5 lbs. russet potatoes, washed but not peeled & cut into 1/2" cubes

1 lg. yellow onion, diced

10 cloves of garlic (whole, crushed, or minced - I used minced)

8 C. chicken stock (yes, all of it)

16 oz. cream cheese

1 Tbsp. seasoned salt or all-purpose seasoning

Bacon, cheddar cheese, or whatever else you use for a garnish

Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning, and chicken stock to your slower cooker.  Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.  Remove and puree the garlic cloves (if you used them whole) along with 1/2 to 1/3 of the soup and then reintroduce to the crockpot.  (Since I used minced, I skipped this step.)  Stir in cream cheese and melt.  Stir every 10-15 minutes until well blended.  Top with your garnishes.

sugary goodness: avalanche bars

I had every intention of sending these Avalanche Bars with CJ to work.  Needless to say, they didn't make it.  In my defense though, this didn't make the typical 9x13" pan, so I guess that makes it better?

Avalanche Bars

from Cookies & Cups

12 oz. white chocolate chips

1/4 C. creamy peanutbutter

3 C. Rice Krispies

1 1/2 C. mini marshmallows

1/4 C. mini chocolate chips

Microwave your white chocolate chips for 1 minute.  Stir and continue in 30 second intrevals until melted.

Combine your peanut butter with the melted chocolate and add your Rice Krispies.

Now, this is where I deviated from the recipe:

It calls for letting it cool 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.  Then you're supposed to add the marshmallows and mini chocolate chips.

That seemed like a lot of hassle, so I went ahead and just mixed everything together.  As a result, my avalanche bars didn't look quite as presentable as they did on the other blog, but I achieved the same result for less time.  Win.

what's for dinner: walking tacos

First, isn't this bowl awesome?  I'm pretty much in love with the handles.  And the color.  It can be yours if you visit The Container Store.  I'm pretty much in love with that store too.

Second, I realize what's in the bowl may not look the most appetizing, but it's good stuff.  It's The Pioneer Woman's version of walking tacos (she calls it Frito Chili Pie).  I'm pretty sure every high school concession stand sells these, but I'm pretty sure they don't go to as much trouble and it's not nearly as good.  This version is definitely worth the time.

Frito Chili Pie

The Pioneer Woman

2 lbs. ground chuck (I used regular beef)

3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

12-14 oz. tomato sauce

10 oz. Rotel

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. oregano

1 Tbsp. cumin

2 Tbsp. chili powder

14 oz. kidney beans, drained and rinsed

14 oz. pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 C. corn meal (I'm pretty sure I used corn starch...is that the same thing?)

1/2 C. warm water

Fritos

Cheddar cheese

Sour Cream

+ any other toppings you'd like

Brown your meat with the garlic cloves.  Add tomato sauce, Rotel, salt, oregano, cumin, and chili powder.  Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add drained and rinsed beans.  Combine and cover and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Add in your corn meal.  Combine and simmer for 10-15 more minutes.

Serve with Fritos, cheddar cheese, and sour cream.

Enjoy!