Loaded Baked Potato Soup for the Crock Pot

This my friends, is comfort food at it's very finest! It is rich, creamy, cheesey and oh so tasty! This is not in any way, shape or form healthy... you've been warned :) I found this recipe online at numerous websites and adjusted it to suit my tastes.

8 medium potatoes, peeled half way and diced in 1/2 inch pieces

1 small onion chopped

4 stalks of celery sliced

3 tsps chopped garlic

1/4 cup butter

sprinkle of salt

sprinkle of pepper

sprinkle of parsley

1 quart of chicken broth

1 cup of half and half (I used the fat free kind)

1 cup sour cream

8 slices of bacon, browned and crumbled

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded

3 TBSP chives

more cheese and croutons to garnish

Start by sauteing your onion and celery for a few minutes in some butter to soften it a bit.
This is what I mean by half peeled potatoes. Most potato soups call for peeled potatoes but I prefer to retain some of the nutrients.

Into your crock pot goes the broth, potatoes, onion, celery, garlic, butter, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook this for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

Half an hour before it's done, add your chives, cream, cheese and sour cream.During this last half hour, fry up your bacon (I attempted turkey bacon.... ick). I chose to stir my bacon in but you could use it, along with some extra cheese and croutons to garnish. Enjoy!

Zesty Butternut Squash

This is a super delicious, filling, nutritious dish and a favorite in our house!


1 medium butternut squash
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup cheddar cheese



You need to seed, dice and skin your squash.

Steam for about 15 minutes or until nice and soft. Add the salsa.

In a small greased casserole dish put half of the sqaush mixture in and then top with half of the cheese. Add the rest of the squash mixture and top with the remaining cheese. Bake, covered, for about 20 minutes at 350. Enjoy!

White Enchiladas

This recipe is my fabulous step mom's and was a favorite growing up! It's a twist on the traditional enchilada. While it can be time consuming, you can save time by simply layering the ingredients like a lasagna rather then rolling it all individually. I am not going to give an amount of ingredients because it can vary gretaly depending on the number and size of pans you want to make. I have not tried it but I imagine these would freeze pretty well.

corn tortillas
chicken
cream of celery soup
milk
shredded cheese (Iused cheddar here but any mix of cheddar, pepperjack, or monterey would go over well)
canned, diced chilis
chopped olives
sour cream to garnish


Start by "frying" your tortillas. You do NOT want them crispy, simply soft. Do one side, then the other with a max of 15 seconds cooking time.

Lay the tortillas out on papertowels to drain the excess oil and cool down, trut me, you don't want to handle hot tortillas!

Shred your chicken! Boiling and shredding is the method I normally use. This however, was half of a roasted chicken.

You will want to add milk to your cream of celery soup to make it the consistency of ranch dressing (or something similar).

Now, dip your tortillas (both sides) in the soup, fill with your toppings and roll and place ina greased pan. When you're finished, top with extra soup and cheese and any left over filling stuff and bake for about 45 minutes at 350.