Nolana's Potato Soup

Not all my daughters love soup. It's funny to think of and sometimes a bit confusing to remember just who likes what.  And it can be a little hard to please everyone. Thankfully tastes change as our girls have grown older and they appreciate some of their mom and dad's favorites finally.  

One of my husbands all time favorites is a just good old plain potato soup.  He is not a cheese lover at all, so a simple recipe is his favorite.  When you ask him what he liked that his mom Billie cooked, it was first her potato soup, then fried potatoes and her deer steak. 

So today as I asked Bethany just what she wanted before she headed back to her internship, it was potato soup that she requested for lunch.

It was really nice to have my mom come over and eat with us too.  Along with Bethany being home to top it off my mom asked for this recipe! So that really made my day twice as nice.  

For this recipe you can use red or traditional white potatoes, however today I opted for Idaho potatoes that had been pealed and cut in one inch cubes.  I sauteed a sweet white onion with garlic and about 3 stalks of celery to add flavor.  I usually add chicken broth, but since I couldn't find any in my pantry, I substituted with Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup. 

Ten minutes before the potato soup was served, I added 1 cup of heavy cream to thicken it up and add a milky texture.  Sometimes I don't add the heavy cream, but instead use a little milk to add to the overall flavor.

We the potato soup I served a slice of cornbread, but will sometimes bake biscuits or beer bread as side to go along with it.  This week I'll get my beer bread up on the site to share.  It is so simple and easy to make and the house smells amazing (not like beer)!

Click here for Nolana's Potato Soup  

This soup is easily reheated with a little added water or milk the next day.  If you like add grated cheese on top and bacon or fried ham bits as I did above right before serving.  You can also add 1/3 cup or more of Cheese Whiz or Velvetta Cheese the last five minutes if you like to add additional cheesy goodness.

I hope you enjoy this our potato soup recipe as much as we do.  It's a quick and easy meal to make that almost everyone loves.  It's great on a cold night or when you are feeling a little under the weather.  

Enjoy!

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen

Tater Tot Casserole

Great memories were made this weekend!  Our middle daughter Bethany received her Fighting Texas Aggie 2015 Senior Ring at Texas A&M on Friday and dunked her ring with sorority sisters on Saturday night!  Getting to be foremost with all our daughters in Aggieland was wonderful in it's own right, but the added fun of getting to be around her's and some of our best friends, their sweet parents and making all those memories together will be something we will always cherish! 

Texas A&M has been college home for two of our daughters.  The years of football games and tailgates, parents' weekends, and moving them in and out of their various homes have been some of our very favorite memories.  Our favorite restaurants are there like Wings and More, La Bodega, Lane's and Chimy's.  And we enjoy The Dixie Chicken for a game of pool, and a good Aggie tent sale to buy more shirts than we will ever wear! 

We love you sweet girls.  Thanks for wanting us to be a part of your college fun weekends, being the role models you are for our little Audrey and for enriching our lives more than you will ever know! 

                                                     ********************************

Tonight, as we arrived late home from Aggieland I contemplated one more meal out!  Our favorite family restaurant was calling my name as #1 I was tired and didn't feel like cooking, and #2 anytime we've been gone a while my favorite food to eat is always from there.  Feeling lazy and realizing our house guest Kyle had gone fishing on our place and Scott was busily working in our garden, I knew they'd be hungry as would our youngest daughter...so thank God for the defrost button on my microwave and some frozen tater tots!  This meal was on the table in under an hour and will be great as leftovers tomorrow night when I don't feel like cooking again!

I've made this meal for years and can't believe I haven't shared it before now.  I've used ground pork  as well as beef and think ground turkey meat would be equally as good.  However, tonight I used ground beef and to be precise it was CHB, Certified Hereford Beef right off our place!  Kyle enjoyed it, as did the rest of us and I convinced him how easy it was to make!

The Ranch Kitchen's Tater Tot Casserole

2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained
1 onion, chopped fine
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 cups grated cheddar cheese or 8 slices American Cheese slices
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning or Allspice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, garlic salt to taste for top of casserole

Brown ground beef and chopped onion until all pink is gone and drain excess fat, if any.  Add to this both cans of soup and one can of water.  Stir well and add 1 teaspoon of Tony Chachere's Creole Cajun Seasoning and 1 teaspoon of garlic salt.

Pour this mixture in a casserole dish like a 9 x 13 Pyrex dish that has been sprayed or greased with Pam cooking spray or oil.  Sprinkle on cheese or place on 8 slices of American Cheese slices (that is what I used tonight as I was out of cheddar cheese).  Pour entire frozen package of tater tots in a layer on top of meat and cheese mixture.  Sprinkle tater tots with a small amount of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning and garlic salt.  Place in an oven that has been preheated to 425 degrees and cook uncovered for thirty minutes or until tater tots are slightly browned! 

If you have a meat and potatoes kind of man around your house this is a sure pleaser of a meal!  It's a main dish that the most beginner of cooks can make and the most experienced will enjoy for the sure ease of it!  Enjoy! 

Cooks Note:  You can use ground pork or turkey for this family favorite meal as well.

Alise @ The Ranch Kitchen!

The Ranch Kitchen's Green Chili and Cheese Hash Brown Casserole

Green Chili and Cheese Hash Brown Casserole

 

 

Instant hash browns are now one of my new favorite food to stock in my pantry!  No peeling potatoes or thawing them out from the freezer.  Just pour, add hot water, allow potatoes to moisten and cook on your skillet or add to your casserole. Potatoes just got even easier!

 

New Years Eve we had the pleasure of having my middle daughter's sweet college friends at our home and ranch.  We spent the better part of the two days while they were in eating and having a great visit!  I realize all to well that we need to cherish these times, because before long our house won't be the destination they chose.  We felt safe having them at our house and not on the roads/  We especially enjoyed watching our favorite team the Texas Aggies pull out a last minute win in their bowl game against Duke!  It was a nail bitter for sure!

 

For that nights meal, to go along with the brisket we had smoked on our pit, I served these potatoes.  We all really enjoyed them and especially the kids.  It made enough that I served them again reheated in my oven with our annual New Years day lunch of pork ribs, black-eyed peas, my Granny's wilted cabbage, black-eyed pea relish and cornbread. Check out my recipe tab at the top of this page for all these recipes except for the black-eyed peas that will be posted soon.

 

 

Green Chili and Cheese Hash Brown Casserole

 

8  - 10 cups of dehydrated hash browns prepared according to package directions

water for hash browns (see hash brown directions)

 

For mixture:

1 - 4 ounce, large can of diced green chili's

1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 - 16 ounce can of Pet Evaporated Milk

1 cup water

2 cups cheddar cheese ( I used the cheddar cheese crumbles in the package and shredded would work just as well)

1 stick margarine

2 teaspoons Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

1 tablespoon of garlic salt

 

***I did not add chopped green or white/yellow onions to this, but it would be a great addition

 

Prepare hash brown according to package directions.  Make sure you drain well.  In a large bowl, place the hash browns and add both soups, evaporated milk, 1 cup water, cheese and seasonings.  Mix well as you add each ingredient.  Spoon hash brown mixture into a large 9 x 13 baking dish.  Place 1 tablespoon squares of margarine across the entire top of the hash brown casserole.  Sprinkle with additional Tony Chachere's for seasoning and color before placing in the oven.

 

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until mixture is bubbling throughout and cheese is melted. 

 

This is an easy, great dish to take to potlucks, work, or just serve at home.  I made this for a huge crowd and don't see why if you didn't want to cook this entire portion in one night you couldn't place half of it in a freezer container and cook at a later date. 

 

Let me know what you think!

 

Alise @ The Ranch Kitchen

 

 



The Ranch Kitchen's Chicken and Tortilla Dumplings





I've always heard of recipes that called for tortillas to make chicken and dumplings. Being in a hurry the other night, I googled a couple of recipes and created my own version of this dish, simplifying it here and there.  Scott, my husband and youngest daughter Audrey loved it and enjoyed the dish even more the second night. 

I used two frozen chicken breast that I cooked in about a quart of water with sliced onions, salt and pepper.  My new resolution is to always keep frozen chicken breast in my freezer for quick meals just like this one. 

You might think it would take forever for the chicken breast to cook.  But on a rolling boil they cooked in under thirty minutes and after allowing the chicken to cool on a plate, I was able to cut up it in to bite sized pieces.  I added the chicken back to the broth they cooked in, added 1 can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup, 1/2 can of evaporated milk and 16 flour tortillas, cut in to 1 inch by 2 inch rectangles.  I allowed my broth mixture to come back to a low boil (that's not a high fire boil, but a gentle boil).

I then added to the pot 1/4 cup of cornstarch to the remaining 1/2 can of evaporated milk stirring vigorously to combine them and then to the pot.  I turned down the heat even more until the mixture slightly bubbled as I did not want to curdle my milk (that is...cook my milk on to high a heat and scorch or burn it).  I decided to add the evaporated milk due to the fact that my school's cafeterias chicken and dumplings taste like they have milk in them to get that creamy consistency I love. 

Most recipes I found did not call for anything other than chicken broth.  I made my own chicken broth by cooking my chicken in water and made it even better with the cream of chicken soup.  I love my Campbell's Soups.  I always try to keep on hand in my pantry their Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup, Cream of Celery, French Onion, and Cream of Mushroom.  I've come to really love their Cream of Broccoli and Beef Broth to also help in my quick sauces and recipes/casseroles.

The chicken and dumplings cooked for another twenty minutes on low and I added a little more garlic salt and pepper to taste.  Season to your liking.

Along with this we had fresh Pillsbury Crescent Rolls to sop up the broth. 

So now in my repertoire of dishes, will go this my The Ranch Kitchen's Chicken and Tortilla Dumplings.  And I'm already planning a jumbo batch in my large roaster for a winter cow show or two.  That will be for a later post!


The Ranch Kitchen's Chicken and Tortilla Dumplings

2 chicken breast cooked and cut or shredded
1 onion, sliced in 1 inch cubes (optional)
16 flour tortillas strips (cut in to 1 inch by 3 inch strips)
8 cups water
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
garlic salt or salt, and pepper to taste (season to you taste)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1- 16 ounce can evaporated milk

Cook chicken in water with onions and spices and bring to a boil for 30 minutes or until chicken is done all the way through.  Take out chicken and allow to cool.  Cut or shred chicken into bite size portions and return to pot it cooked in. Add cut up tortillas strips. Add Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup and 1/2 can of evaporated milk and continue to cook on a low to just where the mixture slightly bubbles.  Add 1/4 cup of cornstarch to the remaining half of evaporated milk and blend together before adding to the pot.  When this mixture is added it will thicken 'the soup' so that it is not as runny.  Taste chicken and tortilla dumplings mixture and add more salt or pepper to taste IF needed.  Continue to cook on low for 20 - 30 minutes until tortillas have puffed up slightly.

I served this in large bowls and we ate it with a spoon like soup.  It was so good that you didn't want to waste a drop.  Even my picky little 12 year old loved it and ate it again the second night.  Leftovers were better than the first night for sure!

I hope you'll give it a try. I used fresh tortilla's from a local Mercado, but any tortilla's will do. However, I would chose the fluffiest looking flour tortilla's you can find. 

Get cooking,

Alise @ The Ranch Kitchen 

 

Home at Last! The Ranch Kitchen's Chicken Divan!

HOME AT LAST!

HOME!  The last few weekends have been hectic to say the least!  Showing cattle is fun, but hard work on good old dad, mom, and especially the kids.  January used to be one dull month before cattle showing!  But now, there is now time to rest, especially on the last few weekends of the first month of the year!  Showing in the junior and open Hereford cattle shows at the Fort Worth Stock Show has become a tradition for our girls and ranch.  However, as of the last few years we could not do it without our ranch herdsmen Steve.  His help with our cattle and constant gentle guidance of our Audrey been a God send for us all.  Thank you Steve!

My husband this year completed two years as the Texas Hereford President during our National Hereford Show weekend.  It's an association we all hold dear to our hearts.  The people and ranches in their membership have become like family to us all and it was an honor for Scott to lead this historic association. He was blessed to have a great group of officers and executive committee members to assist him. I have just been so very proud of how he has really given everything he had to insure the associations success.

Today, I finished up most of the laundry and attempted to get my house back in order!  The meal I served on this Super Bowl Sunday is not necessarily a party food, but comfort food at it's finest.  It's filling and above all one of my favorite meals to make in the winter.  Along with the rice, a salad and the avocados I served with ranch dressing, dinner was ready in under an hour and fifteen minutes.  It's cheesy texture pleases even the pickiest kiddos and will fill up those men in your house.  Left overs are my favorite and I profess to even eating it cold...in my house eating something cold is the ultimate compliment!

The Ranch Kitchen's Chicken Divan

10 chicken tenders

10 broccoli spears. frozen or fresh

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

juice of 1/2 lime equalling about 3 tablespoons

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup mayonnaise (no light)

1 cups sour cream (no light)

Spray a 9 x 13 inch glass dish with Pam.  Place chicken tenders in dish.  Place broccoli spears on top of chicken tenders.  Mix soups, lime juice, mayonnaise, sour cream well.  Add grated cheese to this mixture and blend.  Pour this mixture on top of chicken topped with broccoli, making sure to cover all of the dish.  Cook on 400 for 1 hour or until the mixture begins to brown on top.

Serve with cooked long grain rice or Uncle Ben's. 

Alise

Chicken or Pork Chops and Rice

Today, I am on a deadline...but I work best that way.  I am the biggest procrastinator in the world!  In college whenever I had a big paper due, project, or presentation, I did everything but what I needed to do.  I cooked, cleaned (I hate to clean house), and I became 'Suzy Homemaker'.  Finally at 10:30 at night, when everyone was asleep, I was at my best, exhausted, but in 'my zone'.  Whatever it takes - I always meet those deadlines!

 

So below is not the meal I prepared last night, but should have...I fixed an elaborate meal of roast beef and all the sides...remember I had a deadline to meet! Crazy but true! 

What I should have fixed was my easy - Pork Chops or Chicken and Rice!  So here's to what I should have done...and my 'ode' to soup in the can!

I owe a lot to soup and soup mixes.  They are staples in my kitchen.  I can't imagine life without them.  I imagine my granny, making homemade based soups and stocks over a hot stove with five kids at her side.  Thank God for modern conveniences and soup in a can! 

For new cooks the recipe I am enclosing today is EASY.  Anyone can make this as it's that simple.  It's comfort food at it's best.  Along with my Italian Green Beans, a green salad, and French bread you'll have  a meal that everyone will love. 

 

 

 

Chicken or Pork Chops and Rice

Chicken breast or pork chops – 4 to 8 of each

1 can of cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup according to your taste (because some people just hate mushrooms!)

1 pkg. onion soup mix – dry mix

4 - 6 cans water

1 stick margarine or butter

2 cups rice – Uncle Ben’s brand white rice or 2 packages of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice with seasoning packet as in the picture above...if you use Wild Rice omit/take out the onion soup mix as you have seasoning packets in the Wild Rice.

salt and pepper to taste -optional

Directions:
* In a 9 x 13 inch glass dish sprayed with cooking oil, place water and soups. 
* Stir and break up soups with a whisk or fork. 
* Mix in rice evenly. 
* Place meat on top of the rice/soup mixture. 
* Dot with margarine and season with salt and pepper. 
* Cover with foil and cook on 375 degrees Farenheit for 1 and 1/2 hour or until meat or rice looks done (bottom of your dish will be slightly browned). The top of rice and meat will be slightly 'crusty'.  Do not cook too long or it will dry out the rice.  Adjust cooking time depending on your oven.

Serve with my The Ranch Kitchen's Italian Green Beans, rolls and my Winter Salad all found on this site under Recipes and Side Dishes.  This is one of my dad Al's favorite recipes!

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen