Twice Baked Meat Lovers Potato Pizza!

This ones a mouth full, not only to say but they are hard to put down.  Be prepared to spend some time in the kitchen because this recipe is a bit time consuming but it's worth it.  Enjoy!

Twice Baked Meat Lovers Potato Pizza!

10 russet potatoes
1/2 lb. chorizo or Italian sausage
1 c. finely chopped honey ham
1 c. finely chopped pepperoni
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. butter
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
2 c. mozzarella
2-3 c. pizza sauce
10 slices provolone

Preheat oven to 350.  Wash potatoes and poke holes in them with a fork.  Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour or until potato skins start to crinkle.  Meanwhile, ground and brown sausage until completely cooked.  Once the potatoes are finished, let cook for 5-10 minutes.  Cut them in half and scoop out potato into a large bowl.  Place skins back onto the baking sheet.  Melt butter and garlic pour over potatoes.  Then add whipping cream and sour cream.  Beat on low speed until well incorporated.  Mix in sausage, ham, pepperoni and mozzarella.  Fill up the potato skins with potato mixture.  Top off with pizza sauce.  Cut provolone slices in half and place them on top of sauce.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese in completely mielted.

Beer Cheese Soup

I took a bit of a vacation from blogging but now I'm back!  It is currently snowing and starting to stick.  That means it's soup tonight. I made beer cheese soup tonight and then gathered some more ingredients to thicken it up a bit. But I'll give you the base of the soup.

Beer Cheese Soup 

2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 c. sharp cheddar
12 oz. beer (I used Sam Adams Winter Lager)
3 c. chicken broth
paprika, salt and pepper for taste.

optional:
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground sausage
1 c. spinach, finely chopped
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

Bring 2 c. heavy whipping cream to a boil in a large pot.  Stir in cheddar until completely melted.  Add broth and beer. Stir in paprika, salt and pepper for taste.  Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes.  Now if you would like to add a little more, saute'onions and garlic with the sausage until  meat is fully cooked.  Add mixture to cheese soup, as well as spinach and tomatoes.

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

I'm going back to my roots on this one.  I loved soups growing up and my family always made homemade soups and grilled sandwiches during the cold weather season.  Let me tell you, it's 45 degrees here and dang it, I want my comfort food.  Yummy cheddar broccoli soup, paired with a tuna melt.  Enjoy!

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

2 Tbs olive oil
1 bunch on broccoli, cooked and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. heavy cream
2 1/2 c. cheddar cheese
3 c. vegetable or chicken broth
dash of pepper, sea salt and paprika for taste.

In a saute pan, saute olive oil broccoli, onion and garlic for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.  Meanwhile, in a large pot bring the heavy cream to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and add cheddar cheese.  Stir until completely melted.  Add in broccoli mixture, broth, and seasonings.  Cover and continue to simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Caramel Apple Cake

Caramel Apple Cake

1 c. sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. apple cider
1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350 and spread a 10 inch round cake pan with non-stick spray. Using an electric mixer combined sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Next beat in vanilla.  Once that is combined add baking soda, cinnamon and flour, until well incorporated.  On lowest speed beat in cider and milk.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.

Caramel Frosting

1 c. butter, softened
4 c. powder sugar
9 oz. caramel, melted

Cream butter with an electric mixer.  Add powder sugar one cup at a time until well incorporated.  Add cooled caramel and beat until well blended.  Last, add creamer.  Once the cake has cooled, spread frosting over top.  I added some melted chocolate and chopped peanuts for added yumminess.


I had to make 3 cakes this past weekend.  These are the other two.

Monte Cristo PB&J Sandwiches

When ever I would go to my grandmothers house for lunch, I would salivate.  She made the most simple meals but they always tasted so darn good.  One of my personal favorites was the grilled PB&J.  I now make them all the time for my family and friends.  (Got to carry on the tradition, you know!)  Anyway, I have know idea where it came from but I was think, why not make the traditional PB&J that I love so much and go all Monte Cristo style on it.  Enjoy!

Monte Cristo PB&J Sandwiches

Bread, I used cinnamon raisin bread (Yummy!)
Peanut Butter
Strawberry Jelly
1 1/2 c flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 1/3 c water
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
vegetable oil
powder sugar

makes about 6

Heat up vegetable oil in a deep frying pan to 350.  Prepare the batter.   In a large bowl mix flour and baking powder.  In a separate bowl mix water, egg, and vanilla.  Add egg mixture to flour.  Stir until thick and gooey. Prepare PB&J sandwiches as you would any other.  Place sandwiches into batter and coat evenly.  Fry the sandwiches in heated oil until golden brown on both sides.  Let access oil drain on a paper towel and then dust with powder sugar.  Serve immediately.  We enjoyed our sandwiches with breakfast sausages. The perfect combo.

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup..Brussels Sprout Bruschetta and Cheesy Garlic Bread

I am all for comfort food and for me fall is all about comfort.  I went to our local farmers market this past weekend and while there we also stopped in to the indoor market.  Anyway, while I was there I came upon a soup that was Pumpkin and Sweet Potatoes.  I thought to myself, Delicious!  Of course, then I thought, I can make that.  So seems how today is a good day for comfort food I decided to try my hand at a new type of soup.  This is what I came up with. 

P.S.  You can't have soup without bread! So I decided to make a brussels sprout bruschetta and cheesy garlic bread, (that ones for my daughter. :) 

Enjoy!

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup

2 Tbs. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c. chopped onion

2 Tbs. brown sugar

2 c. pumpkin puree

2 c. sweet potato puree

6 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp.  cinnamon

1/4  tsp. nutmeg

pinch of sea salt for taste

In a large pot saute' oil, garlic, onion and brown sugar for a couple minutes or until sugar has dissolved.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.  Puree the soup a couple of cups at a time and then continue to simmer for another 30 minutes.  Serve right away or move soup to a crock pot to keep warm until ready to eat.  I garnished mine with bacon and mozzarella.  

Brussel Sprout Bruschetta

12 oz. cooked brussel sprouts, finely chopped

1 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped

1/3 c. onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

french bread, thinly sliced

mozzarella, optional

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Spray each side of bread with cooking spray.  Lay then out on a cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until crispy.  In a frying pan, saute' brussels, bacon, garlic, and onion for about 8 minutes.  Evenly distribute the brussels mixture over the bread and top off with cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

I've used the brussels sprout recipe before only I made egg rolls out of them.  I thought they would be good as a bruschetta too....I was right. ;)

Cheesy Garlic Bread

1/3 c. butter

3 cloves garlic, crushed

mozzarella 

french bread

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Spray each side of bread with cooking spray.  Lay then out on a cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until crispy.  In a small sauce pan melt butter with garlic.  Brush garlic sauce over bread, top off with cheese and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Pumpkin Breakfast Bars

Pumpkin Breakfast Bars

2 c oats

1 c wheat flour

1/2 c wheat germ

1/2 c brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c canola oil

2 egg whites

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 c peanut butter

3/4 c honey

1 c fresh pumpkin

1 c dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.  In a large bowl stir together oats, flour, wheat germ, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Next, add in the canola oil, egg whites, and vanilla.  Stir until completely incorporated.  Then, add peanut butter, honey and pumpkin, stir until well blended.  Finally, sir in the cranberries.   Now, spread the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 24-28 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.  Let the  bars cool completely before cutting them into slices and removing from the pan.