Garden Potatoes

We are getting a ton of garden new potatoes! An easy way to preserve potatoes is to blanch them. Clean them real well and then peel them if you don't like the peel. I love the peel on new potatoes, plus when they are small they are the pits to peel! Then dice them the size you would want them for stew or casseroles. Have boiling pots of water on the stove while you are prepping the potatoes. After they are cut up the size you want them then throw them in a pot full of boiling water for 5 minutes. (this takes several pots of boiling water going at the same time)The time starts when you throw them in the water, not after it starts to boil again.  Then drain the pot and rinse potatoes under cold water and drain very well. I lay out kitchen towels on the counter and put the potatoes on these to just drain a bit more and let them completely cool. Then take quart size freezer bags and fill them full, getting any air out. Place in the freezer in a single layer until frozen, then you can stack them after fully frozen.
It is so awesome during the winter to go to the freezer and pull out garden fresh potatoes for my stew or casseroles! Garden potatoes just have a different taste than store bought, YUMMY! And freezing is SO much quicker and easier than canning. I like this method because the potato holds its texture and does not get mushy like you would think freezing them would do. You do however need to be AWARE that when you add these already blanched potatoes to a recipe that they are partially cooked already and will cut your cooking time down, otherwise they may get mushy. Like if you were making mashed potatoes with them, it will not take the full amount of time to boil them, it takes like 10minutes and they are ready to mash!         ENJOY!

Linked to Totally Tasty Tuesdays

 

Here I roasted the potatoes in the oven with Freddy's burger/fry seasoning

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

This week is fair week in our town.  We started it off by winning free tickets to the Diamond Rio concert! They are an awesome country group with so many hits and they put on a wonderful show.  It is so awesome to see a band that has been together for 20 years and still play a show like it was their first show.  They seemed very genuine and happy to be in our small town. Then last night our 5 year old daughter wanted to go Mutton Busting before the rodeo.  She has never done this before, but as we explained what she would be doing, she was thrilled to try it.  For those of you who don't know what Mutton Busting is, you put your innocent, helpless child on the top of a sheep in a pen and then they let the sheep out and it takes off running with your child on its back and the child who hangs on the longest wins the prize.  This idea thrilled my daughter, this is like the perfect thing for her.  She does this with her dog all the time so she knew she had this one.  We paid the 10 bucks and signed the paper saying we wouldn't press charges on them if she got hurt and put her in a long line of anxious kids. Then it was her turn and the one she was to ride was an awnry one and it was already bucking when it came down to me her before she got on it.  My daughter saw the chaos and the bucking and the cowboys put her helmet on and placed her on the awnry sheep and then the gate never opened......she chickened out!  I really do know she would have done it if it weren't for the sheep bucking and going crazy before she was placed on it.  My husband and I were kinda let down that we just lost 10 bucks and had no show of her riding the sheep, because we knew she would give that thing a ride!  But, I also look at it as a blessing, I think God was protecting her from getting really hurt because that sheep had already bucked a kid off.  We then went to a great rodeo and I got my yearly funnel cake, oh I love those things!  Tonight will be carnival rides and if I am lucky, another funnel cake!
This dish is wonderful and easy. It calls for chili powder, but I didn't add that, I just kept mine sweet with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and the brown sugar. I bought chicken tenderloins instead of the chicken breasts, so I didn't have to cut the chicken. I got this wonderful recipe from the cute blog, Full Bellies, Happy Kids.  She has some yummy recipes on that blog!  I think next time I make this dish that I will combine my bacon wrapped green beans with this recipe.  Put the chicken then green beans and wrap bacon around the both and then use the green bean sauce to pour over the top, I think the combo would be perfect.

Brooke waiting in line for the Mutton Bustin!

 Brooke at the carnival-Braedon went to the Tractor Pull with grandpa

Cookie Salad

This is a fun recipe that I adapted from the cute blog, Chef In Training.  I already make a fruit salad similar to this, but this recipe has the addition of cookies! YUM!
Cookie Salad
2pkgs instant vanilla pudding(I only used one and it was fine)
2C buttermilk, I used 2% and it was great
2(11oz)cans mandarin oranges, drained
1(20oz)can pineapple tidbits, drained(I used crushed pineapple,drained)
1 tub cool whip (light)
I also added a can of drained fruit cocktail
1package fudge striped cookies

Mix buttermilk and puddings together. Fold in cool whip. Add drained fruit. Crush up cookies, not too small. Mix all together and refrigerate for several hours. Really, any fruit combo would work for this. Adding fresh cherries and strawberries would be good.

There just wasn't a good way to take a picture of the finished product!

Crockpot Beef Tips

I have been on a mission lately to clean out my three freezers, um yeah, I said three! One freezer is mainly for the half beef we get each year, so that helps me justify having three. But, still food finds its way to the back and when I finally find it, it is attached to a hunk of ice! So, with prices of fuel and basically everything else going up, I've got to be even more frugal than I already am.  Our half beef order for this coming year is due anytime so I had to rearrange frozen foods and this put me on a mission...again....to use up stuff that has been sitting in the deep cold way too long.  I had a couple packages of stew beef and since it has been over 100 and high humidity off and on for weeks on end I am not about to make a big pot of stew with it! But, I will however get my wonderful crockpot out and make this yummy recipe for beef tips. It is so easy to throw together and you can serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles. It has a wonderful gravy.
Crockpot Beef Tips
2packages, or around 2pounds, beef stew
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1pkg onion soup mix
1 soup can full of water
Throw everything in crockpot and stir well. Cook on low 8 hours, or high 4-5 hours, or until beef is cooked through. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles along with the gravy it makes.



OK, this picture makes this look disgusting, but it is a hard meal to photograph, you'll just have to trust me that its way better than it looks!



Crockpot Kielbasa Supper

This is a fast and convenient crockpot supper that won't heat up your kitchen. I used potatoes from our garden and prepackaged coleslaw.
Crockpot Kielbasa Supper
2pounds fully cooked kielbasa sausage, cut into chunks
(I use one package fully cooked turkey sausage)
1package shredded coleslaw mix
1can chicken broth
3 medium potatoes, cut into cubes
or about 6-8 new potatoes, halved
Salt and pepper
Throw everything in a crockpot, it will look like a lot of cabbage, but it will cook down.  Mix well and cook on low around 8 hours. I start my crockpot after lunch on low and it is done by supper, so each crockpot cooks differently.

Macaroni Salad

I love macaroni salads, they are so fun to play around with and add different things each time.  It usually depends on what I have in my fridge at the time as to what all I add in when I make it.  To me summer time equals salads, any kind!
Macaroni Salad
3C uncooked elbow or rotini pasta
6-8 eggs, cooked, chopped
3/4-1C real mayo
1/2C sweet pickle relish, or dill pickle relish
1/2C onion, I like half white, half green onion
1tsp black pepper
salt to taste
Add ins, optional:1/2C finely chopped celery, 1/2C green peas, cubed ham
Cook pasta and rinse and drain with cold water. Mix pasta, mayo, relish, onion, pepper, salt, and any add-ins together. Then add in chopped eggs and stir gently. Refrigerate for atleast a few hours, overnight is better. Stir well before serving.

Tomato Spinach Pasta Salad

I wait to make this pasta dish when my garden is just right. It is hard because the spinach is about over as the temps rise, but the tomatoes are just starting.  This is wonderful and very adjustable to your own add ins.
Tomato Spinach Pasta Salad
3C uncooked rainbow rotini
3C chopped fresh spinach
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1(8oz)bottle ranch salad dressing
1C(I use one small can)sliced black olives
2C shredded cheddar cheese, sometimes I use cubed cheese
3T milk
3/4C sliced green onion, I use less
Cook pasta.  In medium bowl, combine ranch and milk and stir well.  Drain pasta; rinse with cold water to cool. In large bowl, combine cooked pasta, spinach, olives, onions, tomatoes and cheese.  Pour dressing mixture over salad and mix well.  Refrigerate until serving.
I add fresh ground pepper and I also think it needs crunch, so I use almost a whole bottle of McCormicks Salad toppings.