Clam Crabmeat Cream Cheese Soup

This is one of my favorite recipes on the internet

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/10/cream-cheese-chicken-and-vegetable-soup.html

Every time I have cooked it tho, we have always thought it would be perfect for clam chowder. So this is how I converted it for clams and crabmeat. 

You know how I am with my recipes so try and follow along.

2 15oz cans of clams

2tbls butter

I small onion

3 or 4 small red potatoes unpeeled and diced

1 cup milk

4 tbls flour 

3 cups clam juice (which I just found out you can actually purchase at Walmart) 

1 small can lump crab meat 

1 package Philly Cream Cheese softened

Melt butter and sautée your onions till they are starting to turn clear. I added my clams and crabmeat just before the onions were ready and dropped in a half a teaspoon of minced garlic ( that's just an option) I will never be bitten by a vampire, I love garlic too much ;0)

Pour in the clam juice and potatoes and let slow boil for about twelve or thirteen minutes

Whisk your flour into the milk until mixed well and then whisk slowly into your soup. Whisk the whole time while pouring really slow and you shouldn't have any lumps. 

When the soup starts to thicken I turn it off then add cubed cream cheese 

Stir it all until it is creamy smooth. 

Salt and pepper to taste.

It actually came out wicked good! The cream cheese makes it so much more creamier.

I was thinking this would be perfect to go in those huge bread bowls you can get at Wally World. Yeah, I think we will try it that way next time. 

Let me know if you try it.

And you really should try the chicken vegetable soup, it is AWESOME! 

Leah's Lazy BBQ Chicken

Just wanted to give you a quickie ;9)
This is a fast dinner that makes BBQ chicken and gravy for your potatoes all at one time.

Take your chicken straight from the freezer and drop it in a pot.
Pour about half a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce over it. Pour about a half a coffee cup of water over the top.
Cook on medium for about 45 minutes.
Until your chicken thaws all the way, you need to check on it every ten minutes or so. The BBQ sauce will burn if you don't.
Once it's cooked down you have BBQ chicken and gravy.
I always make potatoes with this and we pour the sauce over them.
Wicked good!

Recipe: Porkchop and Potato Casserole

Ok my girls, here's another fast, easy and delicious meal.

You're gonna need
Pork chops (however many you need for your family)
Potatoes ( good rule of thumb for how many? I peel one potato for each person except PB who gets two)
Cheese ( velveeta is my fave, but if I'm out, sliced cheese is just as good. Probably would be good with shredded to , sooo, whatever cheese you have hanging out in the fridge.
Onion (1 unless you don't expect to be near anyone for a day or two) or more if you're trying to run somebody off ;0)
In a glass pan layer
A couple of tablespoons of butter
Seasoned porkchops
Potatoes cut in the round
A few more spoons of butter
Onion sliced in rings
Season to taste
I do garlic salt, lots of garlic salt and since we are both eating it, we can kiss without the other person gagging ;9)
Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for about an hour and a half. Check in about an hour by testing your potatoes with a fork. When they are done it's ready!
When times up pull it out and drain off all that water and grease. I know it's nasty, that's why your pouring it off. It does make for some juicy pork chops.
Completely cover with cheese and pop back in the oven until melted and a little brown. I turn my oven off to finish the cheese, but that's up to you.
That's it! Like I said fast easy and delicious!

Broccoli Soup: one for the girls

This request was put in before we went on vacation, why that crazy kid thought I had time to sit down and add something to the blog BEFORE vacation, I don't know.
But we love her anyway, and here is her recipe.

One bag frozen broccoli, (once again, if you can't make it to the garden)
One can evaporated milk
Butter
Milk (...were you thinking to ask me how much?)

Take a stick of butter and your bag of frozen broccoli and slow cook it in a heavy medium sized pot until the broccoli is soft. (here is personal preference, I like my broccoli almost mushy, so that you get smaller pieces in the soup)

Add the can of evaporated milk, and at least one can of whole (2%, low fat, whatever) milk.
I add enough whole milk to fill my pot up the rest of the way.
The whole point is, you need at least as much whole milk as evaporated, or your gonna end up running to the rest room all night long. (just a little side note) ;0)

Heat to just before boiling, stirring constantly or your milk will clabber (yes that's a real word, and you know what I mean ;0)

Thicken with a mixture of hot water and flour to desired consistency.
Some people don't even thicken theirs and eat it like it is, I like mine in between Golden Corral and T&A truck stop consistency.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Another side note, if you do happen to like the Golden Corral version, add shredded cheddar cheese after it is ready.

And if you are making this for my grandbrats, don't forget the grilled cheese sammiches to dip in there!

Tomato Gravy-for my girls

One of the brats has gotten together with one of the other brats and requested that I post my recipe for tomato gravy on the blog.
I guess that is better than writing it down and 'someone' losing it. (you know who you are)
It's all very simple and when I tell you your gonna go "ah hell that's so simple"

I warn you I can only make this in large amounts but it shouldn't be hard to adjust for a smaller meal once you have the hang of it.


Tomato Gravy
1 can of whole peeled tomatoes (if your not lucky enough to pull up at mom's house with your little basket in tow to pick your own;0)
1 package of bacon
1 large onion
Milk ( don't ask how much, you'll see if you keep reading )

Dice your onion and sauté it with your bacon until the onions are almost clear. Or until you have enough grease floating around in the pot to flavor up the tomato gravy really good.

Pour the can of tomatoes into the pot with the bacon and onions and cook on medium till the tomatoes have cooked down a bit. Stirring occasionally
Hint: the longer and slower they cook the better they will taste. I have been known to slow cook my tomatoes for four or five hours, or cook the whole meal in about an hour.

Add milk, I don't measure so all I can tell you is I add milk until it turns a little orange. Fresh tomatoes will be lighter with the milk than canned.

Simmer just a little while longer to get the milk flavor settled in.
Hint: if you want your gravy thicker, thicken with flour and water. We like ours somewhere between soup and gravy.

Serve over home made(yeah I went there) biscuits or rice.

That's it! Simple simple and I better get some great big "I tried this and it was great! Mom!"