Here is a festive variation of potato soup...

		Festive Homestyle Chowder 2 T butter 1 c sliced celery (about three stalks) 1 med onion 2 T flour 1/4 tsp ground thyme 1/8 tsp white pepper 5 c milk 1/2 c cream or half n half (optional) 3-4 lg potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2" cubes 4-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 8-oz pkg Louis Kemp Crab Delights- flakes or chunks Melt butter in Soup pot on low.  Stir in celery and onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in flour, thyme,and pepper. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Add potatoes. Bring to a boil; simmer15 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Add bacon and crab Delights. Heat 3-5 minutes more. Serve warm. Note: This one tastes better if you let it cool a few minutes, to allow the flavors to meld together. Latest version: Softened onion and celery in butter with pepper and dash of salt. Then added clam broth ( sometimes I use chicken broth) water, thyme,summer savory, white pepper. Then add potatoes and cook til done.  Add half and half, milk, crab and bacon, cook just long enough to warm. Forgot to use flour but didn't miss it

Nothing like warm potato soup on a cool fall day...

Cream of Potato Soup 1 small onion, peeled and minced 1 stalk of celery, chopped 1 T butter 2 c diced peeled potatoes 1 c chicken broth (preferably homemade or low sodium) 1 c water 1/2 tsp salt 1 c milk 1 c light cream 1/8 tsp white pepper 1/8 tsp black pepper 1 T minced parsley, chives or dill Stir- fry onion and celery in butter in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat 5 minutes until limp (do not brown); add potatoes, broth, water and salt; cover and simmer 10-15 minutes until potatos are nearly tender. Add milk, cream, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 3-5 minutes until potatoes are done. Sprinkle with parsley (or other herbs) and serve. Note: Mash some of the potatoes with a potato masher after they have cooked to get a creamier texture. Tips: Do not let the butter and veges brown. You can substitute half n half for the milk and cream, or use more milk and less cream to lower the fat content.

A favorite summertime brunch recipe

			Bruschetta tomatoes, thinly sliced balsalmic vinegar olive oil garlic (or garlic powder) oregano basil fresh or dried black pepper provolone or mozzarella Italian bread sliced and lightly toasted Marinate tomatoes in vinegar and herbs about 20 minutes. Place on toasted Italian bread top with cheese. Heat in oven or broil (watch closely) until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

My favorite Guac recipe

Guacamole Ole

3 ripe avocados, peeled, seeded
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tomato, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ C minced sweet onion
2 jalapeno chilies, minced
1/3 C Cilantro leaves, chopped
juice from one lime
salt
black pepper

Cut avocado in large chunks and mash coarsely in large bowl with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and blend gently - leaving some small chunks is fine. Taste and adjust seasoning with more pepper sauce, salt and pepper if desired.

More uses for summer's bounty

Homemade Salsa

Tomatoes, chopped
Sweet onion, chopped
Jalapeno, minced
Garlic, minced
Cilantro, chopped
lime juice
Salt
Black Pepper
corn optional
black beans optional


Mix and serve. Can be eaten right away but better if allowed to sit and let flavors meld together.

Another good autumn recipe

Bartsy's Sweet Potato Puff

2-3 large sweet potatoes
4 T butter
1/4-1/2 c brown sugar
sprinkle nutmeg
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 beaten eggs
1 tsp Baking powder


Boil sweet potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes.

Peel, mash, mix in all ingredients. Bake for about 20 minutes or so, until "puffed".

Note: Its a good idea to allow time for the sweet potatoes to cool before you peel them, it can be very challenging to peel them without touching them...but if you can't wait : cut the ends off and cut the skin from one end to the other then use something to protect your hand and you can slip the whole potato out into the bowl.

An easy way to eat more vegetables

Roasted (or grilled) Vegetables
Slice or cut any of the following into bite size chunks, slices or wedges:

Sweet Potatoes (slices work well)
Potatoes
Squash
Zucchini
Eggplant
Asparagus (leave whole)
Bell peppers
Onion slices
mushroom

Coat with Olive Oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper; sprinkle with herbs ( Rosemary very good , try thyme, etc Roast 20-30 minutes depending on temp and size of vegetable pieces.

Try any veges you like!

A fall favorite...

Kims Butternut squash

1 butternut squash
1 c sugar
1/4-1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4-1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4-1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c butter
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
pecan halves

Peel, cut in chunks and boil squash 25 minutes. Mash, add sugar, spices, and butter, egg, vanilla. Beat 1 minute. Pour in lightly greased baking dish. Top with pecans in decorative manner. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

An easy but tasty carrot recipe

Susan's Savory Carrots

4 carrots
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 slices of bacon, shopped and browned
1T brown sugar
1T dill

Combine and simmer for about 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Amazingly good broccoli dish

EJ's Broccoli, Squash and Carrot Medley

1 c Broccoli, cut in bite size pieces
1 Yellow squash, sliced
2 Carrots, thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp Butter (optional)
2 T water
Black Pepper
1/2 c Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Layer carrots, squash, broccoli and garlic in skillet. Add water and butter if desired, cover and saute until tender. Top with cheddar cheese.

Notes:

Be careful not to overcook the broccoli and especially do not brown.

I put the carrots on the bottom since they take a little longer to cook.

You may need more or less water.

This one is very good even without the butter.

Summer squash is almost gone

Mom's Squash Medley

1 Zucchini, sliced
1 Yellow Squash, sliced
1/4 Green bell pepper, cut in 1 "x 1/2 slivers
1 Tomato, coarsely chopped
1 tsp Butter (optional) and /or a little water (if needed)
1/2 c Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Layer zucchini, yellow squash and bell pepper in skillet. Add butter if desired or water. After about 5 minutes add tomato.Cover with lid. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't brown. Saute on low heat until tender. You may need to remove lid near the end to allow liquid to evaporate or you may need to add more to prevent browning. Top with grated mozzarella, replace lid and remove from heat. Allow a couple minutes for the cheese to melt.

Note:

Depending on the freshness/moisture in the squash and tomato you may not need much if any water.
This is also good with fresh basil added.
Provolone works very well instead of mozzarella.

Sauteed Green Beans With Bacon and Mushrooms

Here is my new favorite green bean recipe.

This recipe is based on a recipe I found on Simply Recipes. The original recipe called for pancetta and shallots. Since I didn't have those ingredients on hand I substituted bacon and sweet onion and discovered that the addition of mushrooms makes it even better.

Sauteed Green Beans With Bacon and Mushrooms

2 slices of bacon, chopped
1 lb Green beans
1 sweet onion
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp of butter, optional
black pepper to taste


Brown the chopped bacon in frying pan. Saute the onions, mushrooms and black pepper until browned. Add green beans and butter if desired. Cook until green beans are as tender as you like.

Notes:

You can't have too much onion it adds a lot of flavor.

You can parboil the green beans if you don't like them too crisp.

I usually use white button mushrooms. I used a small can of mushrooms once and it was still quite tasty.

The butter is optional, but adds a nice silkiness and another layer of flavor to the dish.

Veggies, veggies and veggies

Here is one of my latest discoveries for healthy vegetable recipes...

Calabacitas



I first got the idea from one of my favorite new healthy cooking sites "Eating Well". Then I researched various recipes and made my version...




1 T Olive oil
1 whole sweet onion
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 cup corn
1/4c Roasted red pepper, chopped or cubanelle
1 can diced tomatoes ( 15 0z) including liquid
1 can green chilies, or fire-roasted green chilies
1/4 c Cilantro or more if desired
1/2 tsp Oregano
Black Pepper to taste


First saute the onions, garlic, squashes, corn and black pepper over low to medium heat in olive oil to soften, ~ 5 minutes ( do not brown).

Add remaining ingredients saute a couple minutes until everything is heated and some liquid has evaporated.

Serve...


Notes:

You can slice or dice the veggies. I think the slices might look prettier...

I used frozen corn but fresh would probably be even better (canned would be fine too, just drain).

I used Hunts Oregano, basil flavor diced tomatoes which were yummy. Some recipes said to omit the liquid but I included it. Also can use fresh tomatoes. I recently made this with fresh tomatoes and it was great.

I highly recommend Trader Joe's fire roasted green chilies, they gave it a nice amount of spice. Made this again with regular green chilis and a roasted cubanelle pepper. It was very good, after reheated the cubanelle pepper became spicier...


The next morning I made a breakfast burrito using the leftovers and egg with cheese wrapped in a tortilla.

The leftovers were great by themselves too...