Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ok, it's Fall y'all!  And what does Mom CRAVE when it gets cold....(No..not everything!) SOUP! This is one of the BEST if not THE best baked potato soup recipes I've found.  And even more exciting??  I played with it and found a way to make it just a tad bit healthier!  To my credit...the fam loved it more than my other super fattening almost as delicious soup. This is going to be my new go-to from here on out!

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 slices cooked bacon*, diced (heck, you know I used the entire package!)
• 5 cups good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 pounds potatoes, diced (you don't even need to peel them!)
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 1 stick butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (12-ounce) can 2% evaporated milk
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
• optional toppings: thinly-sliced green onions or chives, extra shredded cheese, extra bacon, sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add bacon, 5 cups chicken stock, potatoes and onion to the bowl of a large slow cooker, and stir to combine.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until the potatoes are completely tender and cooked through.
2. Once the soup has slow cooked and is about ready to serve, cook the butter in a small saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat until it has melted.  Whisk in the flour until it is completely combined, and then cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.  Gradually add in the evaporated milk while whisking it together with the flour mixture, and continue whisking until the mixture is completely smooth.  Let the mixture continue cooking until it reaches a simmer, stirring occasionally, and then it should get really thick.
3. Immediately pour the milk mixture into the slow cooker with the potatoes, and stir until combined.  Add in the cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), salt and pepper, and stir until combined.  If you would like the soup to be even thicker, you can use a potato masher or a large spoon to mash about half of the potatoes (while the soup is still in the slow cooker) to thicken the soup up.  If you would like the soup to be thinner, add in an extra 1-2 cups of warmed chicken or vegetable stock.  Stir to combine, then taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
4. Serve warm, garnished with desired toppings.  Or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  (This recipe will not freeze well.)

Greek Chicken Kabobs

Okay...sharing these straight from my new BFF's...all six of the sisters from Six Sisters stuff.  (Now that was a mouthful to say).  Seriously some of the best gals you'll ever meet and some of the best food you'll ever eat!  These kabobs are the bomb and they were gone in minutes so I'm leaving them riiiiiight here so I can find them quick!  And it's great with Tzatziki Sauce!!! MMmmm!

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 8-oz plain yogurt
• 1 cup greek vinaigrette dressing
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 red onion, cut into 1" pieces
• 2 green bell peppers, cut into 1" pieces

Instructions

1. In a large ziploc bag, place chicken, yogurt, greek dressing, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and oregano. Zip and mix with your hands. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
2. If you are using wooden skewers, soak them water for up to 30 minutes before grilling to prevent them from burning.
3. After meat has marinated, slide alternating pieces of meat, onion, and green pepper onto skewers. Heat grill to medium-high heat and grill for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.

Tzatziki

Also seen on Six Sisters' Stuff

Ingredients

32 ounces plain yogurt 
2 cucumber ( regular, peeled and seeded ) 
3 clove(s) garlic ( crushed ) 
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 
1 teaspoon Lemon juice 
1/2 teaspoon dill weed ( dried ) 
to taste salt 
to taste black pepper 
to taste Olive oil 

Directions

Strain yogurt using a cheesecloth over a bowl (if you don’t have that, a strainer lined with a coffee filter will work) fora couple of hours (I let mine strain for about 6 hours) or overnight to get out as much moisture as possible (I know that this step sounds funny, but I promise that if you don't do it, your sauce will be runny and not as delicious).
Shred or grate the cucumbers and blot them with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel to get rid of as much moisture as possible.
Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep in the fridge until serving (let the flavors come together for about 30 minutes before serving).
If you want, drizzle a little olive oil over the top before serving.
Read more at http://myrecipemagic.com/recipe/recipedetail/tzatziki#wUFr68HVzcrf43MQ.99

One-Pot Cajun Pasta

This is definitely one of our new fam faves!  Easy breezy delicious...and best of all you only need to mess up one pan!  Fast and delicious!  Spice up your life and give it a try!


Ingredients:
- Olive Oil (2 Tbsp.)
- 2 Diced Chicken Breasts
- Andouille or Smoked Sausage (8 oz, sliced)
- Garlic (3 cloves, minced)
- Yellow Onion (1/2, sliced)
- Red Pepper (1, sliced)
- Green Pepper (1, sliced)
- Mushrooms (2 cups)
- 16 oz box of the pasta of your choice (we used linguine)
- Chicken broth (5 cups)
- Heavy Cream (1/2 cup)
- Shredded Parmesan (1 cup)
- Cajun Seasoning (1 Tbsp.)
(You can use a store-bought Cajun spice mix or make your own! We used equal parts cayenne pepper, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.)

Directions:
Pour olive oil into the pot. Add diced chicken breast to the pot, cover with cajun seasoning, and stir until the chicken is evenly seasoned. Then, add sliced sausage and stir. Cook the meat on medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Once the meat is cooked, add in the garlic, onion, peppers, and mushrooms, and stir. Continue stirring for 3-5 minutes as the veggies cook down.

Add the dry pasta to the pot (if using long, thin noodles, break in half), then pour in the chicken broth. Stir until everything is well-mixed. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, keep covered bring the heat down to a simmer for 10 minutes (stirring every two minutes). If there still extra chicken broth, you can discard it, cook longer until the liquid evaporates, or add a little cornstarch to thicken the liquid.

Lastly, add heavy cream and parmesan and stir until your pasta is well blended. Garnish with green onions, more parmesan, a sprinkle of cajun seasoning (if you want some extra spice), and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!