pumpkins and potatoes

Today we took a trip to the Arboretum with friends to visit their pumpkins. Then later this evening we went to the local church pumpkin patch with the Colvins, which has turned into quite the fun tradition. We also enjoyed a nice bowl of potato soup before we left tonight, and thought I'd share a few pics and the recipe.

Hearty Potato Soup
1/4 c. Butter
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, grated
1 10-oz. Can chicken broth (you can add more to thin out)
2 10-oz. Cans cream of potato soup

2 potatoes, mashed
2 c. Shredded cheddar cheese (medium or sharp)
1 c. Sour cream
Salt & pepper to taste
Milk (optional - to thin out)

Melt the butter in a 3 quart sauce pan or Dutch oven. Add the green onions and carrots, and sauté until tender. Add the chicken broth and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Throw in your baked potatoes and mash to desired consistency. Then stir in the potato soup, cheddar cheese, and sour cream. Cook low over heat until the cheese melts, stirring to mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Add milk if needed for the desired consistency. Serves six.

Happy Fall!

Hits and Misses ::edited::

I've fallen in with the cool crowd and joined Pinterest. Is it still cool if EVERYONE is doing it? (I digress.)

If you haven't joined this site you should. It is a visual bookmark for all the cool stuff you find on the web. Looking to redesign your house? Start a "dream home" board. Love to sew? Start a "craft and sewing" board...

Well, one of my pin boards is food. And with a few recent shindigs, I tried out a recipe or two. One a hit. One a miss.

Big, Fat Hit #1: Chicken Enchilada Pasta
Yummy!!!
It was fairly easy to make, though it did call for quite a few ingredients. I made this for a friend who recently had a baby (Hi, Emily!), and still had some left for our family too! You can also decide on your designated spice level depending on what sauces you use and if you want to throw anything else in the mix.
I will definitely make again.

Big, Fat Hit #2: Sopapilla Cheesecake
I saw this on pinterest here, but the recipe I actually made was from my good buddy, Karen. This is a great recipe for a friendly gathering, nothing too fancy, nice, gooey and warm. A few things though: gotta watch out that the butter doesn't just pool on top. And, I mixed half the sugar and cinnamon with the butter to pour on top, then sprinkled the remaining over that. I feel that helped give it a little crunch on top.
Here's Karen's recipe:
Sopapilla Cheesecake...

2 cans crescent rolls

2 pkgs. cream cheese

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 stick butter

Layer the first can of crescent rolls out flat in a 9x13 greased baking pan. Mix together softened cream cheese, 1 c. sugar, and vanilla. Spread over crescent rolls and then add the next can of rolls as the second layer. Melt the butter and mix with 1/2 c. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Drizzle over top. 

Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Enjoy!

Big. Sad Flop: Lemoncello Cake
Won't link up, due to dissapointment.
If you come across it, just say no. Now, barring I did not use the liquor they mentioned, the cake just turned out sad and heavy. I had such high hopes, but it got squashed.

Lesson: you just got to try! I look forward to more experiments and hopefully more success stories too! Sign up, start pinning and let me know if you come across something great!