Recipe Posts

My husband and I talked about this blog about a year ago and we jokingly said that it’s really a lifesaving cookbook disguised to the outside world as a blog. Let me explain…its a well known fact that my husband does not cook. I don’t mean this in a negative way whatsoever, there are so many things he excels at but cooking is (to put it mildly) just not his forte. When I’m not home to cook dinner he reverts back to his bachelor days and ends up eating a meal that’s about as nutritious as the packaging it comes in. Despite my best efforts, he is just not overly interested in learning to cook. I have said, on many occasions, that I seriously worry him and my daughter would starve if something were to ever happen to me. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m definitely not a doom and gloom type of person at all. But I am notoriously uncoordinated and accident prone so it’s really not out of the realm of possibility that I would somehow end up with a broken arm or two or something else that would prohibit me from cooking for an extended period of time. Did you hear that? Just me…knocking on wood…really hard!

Thankfully my daughter seems to be at least off-and-on interested in cooking and has picked up already on the regular spices I tend to use and what certain ingredients taste like. Hoping that she ends up at least attempting to make many of our family’s favorite dishes eventually. To be fair, I don’t make it easy on them to learn because I have, without a doubt, turned into my mother (and grandmothers) over the years. Meaning, I don’t ever measure anything or follow recipes. My husband is quick to use this as an excuse as to why he won’t try making any of my recipes because they won’t taste the same as when I do it. That’s been, by far, one of my biggest struggles with this blog so far. Actually paying attention to what (and how much) I’m adding and what the steps are has been incredibly challenging. I’m hopeful that between the two of them and this blog with step by step directions they may be able to prepare at least a few things I regularly make if the need were ever to arise.

If that makes sense but you’re reading this wondering why on earth I’d be talking about needing to know how to make this particular olden days recipe, I must confess this was a staple in our house growing up and is now an all-time favorite dish of my daughter. Whenever I beg for ideas on additions to the week’s meal plans, I can guarantee she will request tator tot casserole. Yes, my daughter who is borderline a vegetarian with her love of vegetables and fruit and her instant distrust of any dish with meat in it. She. Loves. This. Dish! And, in her mind, the only acceptable side to this dish is a big helping of steamed peas. Have I mentioned how unique my daughter is?? And, yes, I also know this recipe is again based on the dreaded “cream of _____ soup” base and that’s frowned upon in today’s health conscious society. I get that, I know I could substitute it and make a homemade version. But…my inner child (and my real life child) both prefer it the original way. My very wise cousin once said that this ingredient is basically a hug for your insides and she’s 100% accurate. It tastes like childhood and home and family and everything good in life.

To my loving husband and sweet child, this post is for you. To everyone else reading this, please give this homestyle casserole dish a try and it may just become as big of a hit in your house as it is in mine!

A thin layer of cheese is sure to make this dish even more appealing to kids and adults alike!

Holy moly, I don’t know about you but this ratio and haphazard placement is just all wrong to me!

OCD, meet casserole. Casserole, meet my OCD!!! Judge me all you want, you know this is pretty AND will get you a bite of tator tot with every bite of hamburger 😉

Mmmmmm! Can you virtually smell this?!?

If this title doesn’t scream ‘COMFORT FOOD’ at you then I don’t know what will. I grew up enjoying this dish regularly during the cold winter months and have kept the tradition alive with my own little family. There’s just something innately comforting about a dish that warms you from the inside out. It’s fork-tender and hearty with a delicious home cooked taste. One of the best parts of this dish is how incredible it makes your kitchen smell while it’s baking! So get your pork chops and your taste buds ready, I’m about to walk you through making this traditional comfort food dish!

Step one, pick your pork. Make sure it’s not a thin cut pork chop or your baking times will need to be adjusted. I would recommend an original cut pork chop. To go bone-in or boneless? Either way works just fine so no need to panic on this question. Personally, I like the boneless option mostly for laziness’ sake but totally up to you! Now, onto the cream of something soup…so many choices!?! Don’t worry, this recipe is versatile so you can honestly choose your favorite. The original recipe calls for cream of chicken soup which sounds odd since it’s based on pork but I promise it’s incredible! Have no fear if you’re out of that, you can easily substitute with cream of mushroom or celery or even make your own homemade substitution if you’re wanting to improve the health factor here. Honestly, I have yet to try that last option but I do know from other people that it supposedly works. For me, this recipe is about ease and taste, not healthiness, so I make it the old fashioned way 😉

What, oh what, will pair with this rockstar entree as a side dish? These come out of the oven fall-apart-tender and covered in a delicious (note: I did not say healthy…but I will reiterate, delicious) gravy. So I would recommend serving this dish with either some creamy mashed potatoes or fluffy rice so you can serve the extra gravy on top of the side dish as well. Most any type of vegetable will work well with this. We grew up eating it mostly with steamed corn because my parents grew sweet corn during the summer and we always had extra that mom would freeze for another day. There’s just something about having fresh sweet corn during winter that makes it taste even better! Nowadays I let my daughter have dealer’s choice on most of our veggies so we have enjoyed this dish with peas, green beans, edamame, broccoli/cauliflower/carrots, etc. She’s a huge fan of vegetables in case you can’t tell 😉 Since this is clearly not a diet-friendly dish, you might as well add in some buttery dinner rolls or bread to soak up the last bits of flavor from your plate 😉

However you tweak this and whatever you decide to serve it with, I hope you make this dish and find is as comforting and delicious as we do! Enjoy!!!

I’m fairly sure all of you reading this have likely searched for a solid potato soup recipe at least a couple times in your lives. Most of you have also made a delicious version of this successfully. But, if you’re anything like me, you didn’t write down how you made it. Have no fear, my friends, I’m here to save the day with having a fried and true recipe in writing for all of us!

What is it about a hearty potato soup that is instantly comforting? Even the thought of making it gets me excited for a cozy evening at home in our nice warm house while it’s chilly outside. This recipe has been a staple in our family for as long as I can remember. In fact, back in my childhood days of growing up in our small town and close-knit community, this recipe was submitted under my name to our church’s cookbook. Who could’ve guessed that I would end up sharing this recipe outside our church and with anyone in the whole World Wide Web willing to read this post? All I knew at that time was that I was proud to see my name in the cookbook and eternally thankful it was connected to such a favorite recipe.

This recipe is based on a basic roux. I honestly didn’t know that many, many people have no clue what that is until I moved away from home to college. The concept of cooking for yourself in college generally equates to microwaving ramen noodles or turning on the oven to bake a frozen pizza. I had no idea how uncommon it was to whip up a quick roux for a cheese sauce or cream based soup until I interacted with college friends. Even now as an adult with equally adult friends, it’s honestly shocking to me how rarely people make home cooked meals let alone know the basics of cooking (like making a roux). For that reason, I intend to do an entire post soon devoted to concocting and perfecting roux based sauces and dishes. For the purpose of this recipe, suffice it to say that a roux is butter and flour and milk combined in strategic proportions and cooking method to make a deliciously simple thickener. In the case of this soup, it is used to give it a creamy and slightly thicker consistency. Hence the name….hearty potato soup (aka creamy and comforting and filling).

Please feel free to take this basic recipe and design it more to your tastes by cutting out and adding in different vegetables or a protein or some cheese. If you use the basis of this, you are sure to end up with a simply satisfying soup meal that will be a hit with even your pickiest eaters! Personally, I add a little garlic powder and Italian seasoning for an added oomph of flavor. I’ve also added broccoli and cauliflower for added health benefits. When I have some great cheese on hand I’ve also been known to toss some in at the end of the roux step and melt it in. No matter how you slice and dice it, this recipe is a simple and satisfying soup sure to warm and comfort you. Enjoy 🙂