Quick and Easy Potato Soup

Soups On!

Served with Grilled Cheese

Top Soup with Cheese, Bacon and Green Onions

Ingredients:

• 3 Cans of Chicken Broth
  
• 1 Package frozen Ore Ida Potatoes O'Brien
  
• 1 Envelope Country Gravy Mix
  
• Salt and Pepper to taste
  

yields about 6 one cup servings

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in large stock pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  

I mashed the potatoes to give a thicker broth. Next time I make this, I think I will add 2 envelopes of country gravy mix

Your Weekly Meal Planner,

May 11th-May 17th

Here is my menu plan for this week:

I have added links to the actual recipes where noted, just click on it and it will direct you to the recipe!

I will also be adding photos of the completed dish too--so check back often!

  MONDAY

• Apple Cider Pork--recipe 
• Mashed Potatoes
• Roasted Vegetables--recipe 
• Applesauce

TUESDAY

• Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta-recipe
• Broccoli
• Rolls
• Vanilla Cupcakes--recipe

WEDNESDAY

• French Dip Sandwiches-recipe
  
• Potato Chips
• Carrots, Celery and Ranch Dip
• Black Forest Dump Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream-recipe

                       

THURSDAY 

• Italian Chicken Braid-recipe
  
• Green Salad
• Fresh Fruit

                   

FRIDAY

•  Out to Eat!
  

SATURDAY

• Taco Salad-recipe
  
• Fresh Pineapple
• Peanut Butter Dream Bars-recipe

SUNDAY

• Red Beans and Rice--I use Tony Chachere's
• Corn Bread
• Green Salad

Your Weekly Meal Planner,

  

Olive Cheese Bread-From The Pioneer Woman

1 regular can whole black (ripe) olives 

1 6-oz jar pimiento-stuffed olives 

2 green onions 

¾ pound Monterey Jack cheese 

½ cup real mayonnaise 

1 stick butter, softened 

1 loaf French bread  

Roughly chop black and green olives. Slice green onions and give them a rough chop. Combine green onions and olives with the softened butter, ½ cup mayonnaise, and grated Monterey jack cheese. Mix thoroughly. Slice French bread in half lengthwise, then spread mixture evenly over the halves. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes, or until thoroughly melted and starting to turn light brown and bubbly. Cut into diagonal slices and serve with salad, with soup, with spaghetti, or as a yummy appetizer. 

Make-ahead tips: You can make the cheese mixture up to two days ahead of time and store in the fridge. Or, you can spread the mixture on the bread and freeze the bread, unbaked, for several months.  

This Olive Cheese Bread is so good and it freezes well too. See this site for more Pioneer Woman recipes.

Your Weekly Meal Planner,

Peanut Butter Dream Bars

I made these the other day from the show Cook Yourself Thin and they definitely have merit! Very easy to make and they taste somewhat like a Reese Peanut Butter Cup but without the guilt!

Serves 8

Calories per serving: 157

1/2 cup low-calorie thin chocolate wafers, finely ground in a food processor

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup creamy reduced-fat peanut butter

1 1/2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips, melted

1. Line a 9-x-4-inch loaf pan with wax paper or baking parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. 

2. Combine the ground wafers, oats, sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the butter until everything is evenly moistened. Stir in 1 tablespoon peanut butter until mixture forms large clumps. Transfer mixture to lined loaf pan and press into an even layer. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, remaining 3 tablespoons peanut butter and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and beat on medium speed until pale and nearly doubled in volume, about 7 minutes. Transfer to the loaf pan and spread in an even layer over cookie crust. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. 

4. Spread the chocolate in a thin, even layer over the chilled peanut butter layer. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes. When ready to serve, lift bars out of the pan using the wax paper overhang. Cut crosswise into 8 bars and serve cold. 

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Italian Chicken Braid

This is a Pampered Chef Recipe--Thanks Diane for the great recipe and for being a wonderful Pampered Chef!

Pillsbury Recipe Creations Crescent Dough

Rolled onto cookie sheet

prepared chicken mixture

chicken mixture place in center of dough

slits cut to make braid

completed braid

sesame seeds added

I forgot to take a picture of the chicken braid after it baked, but it will look deliciously golden brown--yum, yum!

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breast--cooked (I boil mine) and shred or cut in small cubes
  
• 1 Zucchini-chopped
  
• 1 Roma Tomato-chopped
  
• 1/2 can Artichoke hearts-chopped
  
• 1/4 cup Light Mayonnaise
  
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
  
• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
  
• Salt/Pepper to taste
  
• 1 package crescent rolls- I use this type 
  
• 1 egg-beaten
  
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. 

Combine all ingredients except crescents, egg and sesame seed in bowl. Mix well and set aside.

Unroll  crescent roll, do not separate. Arrange longest sides of dough across the width of 12x15" greased rectangle pan(cookie sheet with edges).  On long side of pan cut dough into strips 1 and 1/2" apart, 3" deep. Spread filling mixture evenly over middle of dough. To braid, lift strips of dough across mixture to meet in center, twisting each strip one turn. Continue alternating strips to form the braid. Tuck ends under to seal at end of braid. 

Brush egg over dough. Sprinkle with sesame seed. Bake 25-28 minutes or until deep golden brown. You can set oven to broil for the last 5 minutes to get the crust really browned.

Your Weekly Meal Planner,

Black Forest Dump Cake

Ingredients:

2-16 ounces cherry pie filling--I use sugar free

1 package chocolate cake mix, dry
1 1/2 sticks butter, sliced in thin cubes

Dump cherry pie filling in 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle cake mix over cherries. Place butter cubes in single layer over cake mix. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 45min-1hour.

You can also dump all the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!! 

Serving Size: 12.

Your Weekly Meal Planner,

Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 chicken breasts or you can make this vegetarian  and omit the chicken--but then it wouldn't be called  Creamy CHICKEN Pesto Pasta now would it!(food for thought--did you like that pun?)
•  Fresh mushrooms
•  Sun dried tomatoes
• 1/2 onion chopped and garlic(optional)
• 8 oz pasta-I use shells, but you could use penne, rotini or bowtie
•  Knorr creamy pesto sauce mix

Directions

So easy you can take out whatever you want except for the sauce and pasta.

1. First cook your chicken either fry it or boil it and cut in cubes. Set aside

2. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms. 

3. Make sauce as directed on packet. Put it all together and let simmer while you cook pasta.

4. Add sun dried tomatoes to sauce mixture then top over pasta.

Your Weekly Meal Planner,