Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I know that since it has been getting gradually cooler outside, it is definitely getting time to start cooking up stews and soups. Once fall and the holidays start rolling around it seems like soups and stews are the easiest and warmest ways to make sure that we can overcome illnesses and stay warm during the cooler months. Today, I will be sharing with you a recipe that I just tried a few nights ago and I must say, it is definitely the BEST potato soup I have ever had!
Ingredients needed: 

• two pounds of potatoes, peeled and cubed
• two and half cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• four cups of milk
• six cups of chicken broth
• one package of bacon
• one cup of onion, peeled and diced
• two-thirds of a cup of butter
• three-quarters of a cup of all-purpose flour
• eight ounces of sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• diced ham and green onions (optional)

Steps:

1. In a skillet, brown your bacon until crispy.
2. Meanwhile, after the bacon is about done, in a dutch oven, begin to bring your chicken broth to a boil.
3. Once the bacon is done, drain on a plate with some napkins and set aside. 
4. Then in the bacon drippings, begin to cook your onions on medium heat until translucent.
5. Then, add your onions to the broth and also add your potatoes. 
6. Meanwhile, in the same skillet, melt your butter on medium-low heat. Then whisk in your flour and cook for about a minute. Then whisk in two cups of milk until thickened, then add to the broth.
7. Once you have added the flour mixture to the broth, add two more cups of milk and cook until the potatoes are tender.
8. Then slowly stir in the sour cream, cheese, crumbled bacon, salt, and pepper.
9. Cook until thoroughly warmed and serve with a favorite pairing.

Chicken Dorito Casserole

Tonight I tried this new recipe in hopes of finding another dish that both my boyfriend and I would fall in love with. But after making this recipe and trying it, that is an understatement. It is absolutely DELICIOUS! This recipe is gooey, cheesy, and very festive! Here are the ingredients that you will need to accomodate this dish:

• bag of Doritos Nacho Cheese
• half a cup of sour cream
• half a cup of milk
• a cup and a half of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• one can of Rotel 
• one can of cream of chicken soup
• two cups of shredded chicken, already cooked

Now that you have the ingredients, here are the steps to this delectable process: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a bowl, combine the sour cream, milk, cheese, Rotel, soup, and chicken.
3. Once all of the ingredients, besides the Doritos are in the bowl, mix it all together.
4. In a two-quart casserole dish, spoon half of the mixture over. 
5. Once you have done this, layer the Doritos, whole, over the mixture.
6. Then create another layer of the mixture on top of the Doritos.
7. Finally, crumble up Doritos in your hand and sprinkle on top of the casserole.
8. Once you have covered the top with Doritos and sprinkled some cheese on the top, bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.

This dish is absolutely wonderful! I promise you will not be let down. This dish was quick and easy to make and it was extremely tasty! Share it with your friends and let everyone experience the tastiness!

Baked Pork Chops with Noodles and Brown Gravy

This week we will be making a dish that is a little more complicated, but definitely not too complicated for you. It is definitely a healthy dish for those of you that like to eat healthy. Here are the ingredients that you are going to need to make this dish:

• Pork Chops, boneless or bone-in
• Two packs of brown gravy mix
• One package of whole wheat wide egg noodles
• Butt Rub seasoning
• Garlic Salt
• Pepper, to taste

Once you have acquired all of these ingredients, here are the steps that you need to take to complete this dish: 

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Season your pork chops with the pepper, garlic salt, and butt rub.

3. While pork chops are cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil and then add noodles. 

 4. After your noodles are done and you have drained them, it is time to start the gravy.
5. In order to do the gravy, mix 2 cups of water with the two packets of brown gravy and bring to a boil. Stir frequently while the gravy is cooking. Once it has been brought to a boil, then decrease the heat and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.

 6. By now, your pork chops should be done. Cut each one open in the middle and make sure that there is NO PINK. If this is the case, then remove from the oven.

Your dish is now finished! You just have to place the noodles on the plate, then lay the pork chop on top and drizzle with gravy to complete! I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do!

Eating Out Versus Eating At Home

     College students completely understand the want to go out to eat and have a good time with friends. Well, just because that is what we want, that does not necessarily mean that it is the best choice. According to the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, if people decide to eat food from a restaurant at home, it is slightly healthier than if they eat fast food if they are not at home.
   
     Many people my age, basically college students or young people with jobs, do not usually have a lot of time to cook, so they eat fast food a lot. Now, I know that most of you are probably thinking, "wouldn't it be cheaper to cook than to eat out?" Truth is, yes, it is cheaper, but it is also extremely inconvenient. I go to Troy University, which means that I am less than 5 minutes away from all of our fast food restaurants. Even though, fast food is absolutely terrible for us, it is extremely convenient for us.
   
     Like I said earlier, according to a study, it is healthier to eat a restaurant's food at home rather than eating fast food. But regardless, it is more expensive to eat out and it is also more unhealthy to eat out than to cook and at at home.

     When you constantly eat out, like all of us college students, you begin to quickly carry the "freshman 15" except it is more like the "college 40". Obesity begins to put a toll on your body and then you realize that it is time to start planning a wedding or get fit again for your new job.

     In conclusion, even though it is more convenient for people to eat out all of the time, it is destroying our bodies and helping America's obesity rate increase drastically. So instead of eating out like we all do, we need to begin to find time to cook more often. Even if it is a simple, quick and easy meal, we should stop eating out and start thinking about what it is going to do to our bodies in the long run.

Momma's Spaghetti

Everyone knows of a dish that their mom makes that is like no other. You can have that dish anywhere and it will not taste anything like how your momma makes it. The one dish that my momma makes that is like no other is her spaghetti. Spaghetti is a dish that anyone can make, but just about everyone's spaghetti tastes different. Everyone has their secret way of making spaghetti. My mom's spaghetti is a little sweeter than everyone else's. Here are the ingredients that you need to make my momma's wonderful spaghetti:

• Two cans of Four Cheese Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce
• One pound of ground turkey
• One package of angel hair noodles
• 1/4 cup of sugar

Now that you have the ingredients, here are the steps that you need to take to make a special and very different recipe of spaghetti.

1. Brown the ground turkey over medium heat in a skillet.
2. Meanwhile, put a pot of water on medium heat to boil.
3. Once the water begins to boil, break the pasta in half and add to the boiling water.
4. At the same time, keep an eye on the browning ground turkey meat and the cooking pasta.
5. Once the ground turkey is done, drain the oil off with a strainer and put back on the stove on medium heat.
6. Once you have completed this task, add the two cans of spaghetti sauce and continuously stir until it is completely heated.
7. Meanwhile, once the pasta is done, strain the water off and then add back to the boiler.
8. Once the sauce is heated, add the sugar and continuously stir for 5 minutes over medium heat.
9. Once all of this is done, serve and enjoy.

Spaghetti is such a an easy dish and it is extremely tasty! It is wonderful for any occasion, whether it be a small dinner or a great big get together! It is also wonderful with a side salad, some garlic bread, and maybe even some broccoli or green beans if you wanted to add something to the entree to dress it up. A great thing about spaghetti is that even the worst cook can easily pull this dish off!