Need some new recipes?...

Here are some new recipes I'm adding to my index page! They are all simple and easy recipes. Take these recipes and make them for your family, add your own twist if you'd like, and let me know how they turn out! Leave a comment at the end of this post if you've tried and have problems, or want to rave to me about how good they are!

King Ranch Chicken Soup
Just like the casserole, but as a soup...and boy is it yummy, and its SIMPLE! Great for the winter. It has a little kick that can be adjusted too! It's a true Texas soup. This is my version of the recipe, and I had actually never heard of this before. I tried it this past weekend at a gas station in La Grange, TX. It had chunky vegetables {it was a manly soup} which I detested, but I made my own version this morning. I used Rotel, but I put it in my food processor and made the chunks smaller. I also added the juice for the kick, but you can drain it if you want yours to be more mild.

You can use a whole chicken shredded or just chicken breasts. I used just chicken breasts because that was all I had. But it would be good if you started it as a whole chicken in the broth, or even a store-bought rotisserie chicken shredded and added. There are many options with this soup. You could also add some cilantro to this and that would be fantastic...dang it, I don't have any. :(   It serves 4, so I always freeze whatever is leftover for another day!

King Ranch Chicken Soup

Serves: 4     Prep Time: 10 minutes      Cook Time: 1-2 hours

Ingredients:
3 medium sized chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 white or yellow onion minced
1 quart (32oz) of chicken broth or stock
4 cups of water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can (10oz) Rotel with juice
1 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese

Directions:

Add cubed chicken, onion, chicken stock and 2 cups of water to a good sized pot. Boil chicken until cooked, for about 30 minutes. (If using already cooked chicken you can add all the ingredients at once and cook for 30 minutes-1 hour. Leave out 2 cups of water.)

Add cream of mushroom & chicken soup & Rotel with juice. Simmer for 30 minutes-1 hour.

Dish soup into bowls, top with shredded monterrey jack cheese. Serve with tortilla chips.


Bacon & Onion Roasted Red Potatoes

I made these last night along with our Chicken Fried Backstrap meal. Brian took a picture of them when they were in the oven, but the pictures don't do them justice. I'll have to teach him my mad photography skills...haha..

Bacon & Onion Roasted Red Potatoes

5 large red potatoes, or 10-12 small reds, cut in 1 inch cubes
5 slices of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 stick butter, cut into slices
1/2 red onion, cut into slices
1 tbsp (2 cloves) garlic minced
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to Spray a 9x9 non-stick pan, glass or metal.

Add all ingredients to the pan, mix and stick in the oven for about 30-45 minutes.


Homemade Caramel Sauce
I found this recipe from Tip Junkie in a blog post, but found the directions and labels for them at Michelle Underwood Designs. I boiled for 2 hours and it gave me this. I didn't add the vanilla because I just wanted caramel. I'm actually using these as CHRISTmas gifts this year, and I plan on using her labels as well. I've eaten about 1/4 of this can already with a spoon.

Homemade Caramel Sauce
from Michelle Underwood

Get a can of sweetened condensed milk. Take the label off, put into a pot and cover with water. Boil for 3 hours. Yes, 3 hours. I have done just one can as well as up to 5 cans and it works just fine. You can boil for 2 hours if you want the caramel to pour out. 3 hours will get you caramel good for dipping, and 4 hours will get you caramel that's darker and more like a spread. Make sure to keep the cans covered with water the WHOLE time. Otherwise the cans can explode. That would be messy! I set a timer for every 15 minutes..that way I don't forget to check the water level. lol.


After you've boiled the cans, you can just set them on a cooling rack and let them cool down for at least 30 minutes. Careful, they are hot. DO NOT try to open them now. The caramel will run out and you will probably get burned.

If left unopened the cans can be stored in the pantry for months. Once you open the cans you must store in an airtight container in the fridge. The caramel will last up to 4 weeks in the fridge. When you open your can of caramel you can add a tsp of vanilla for taste.
Can't wait to see how your recipes turned out! Let me know!

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God Bless,