Winter Warmers: Melanie's Potato Soup

2013-12-11 18.11.34 (800x600)I have a love affair with potatoes. And cheese. And anything that I can put in a crock pot and not have to deal with all day. This recipe is one I found a while back and have made multiple times over the years – it usually gets fixed at least once each winter. Actually, I might have to make it this weekend…

You will need:

  • about 4 lbs of potatoes (I prefer golden potatoes, but russets also work well)
  • 1 onion, finely chopped (about 1 to 1.5 cups)
  • 5 ¼ cups chicken broth (42 oz)
  • about 1 tbsp garlic
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 2 ½ tsp salt
  • 1 ¼ tsp ground pepper
  • 1 cup whipping cream or half and half
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh […]
By |2017-06-23T08:30:34-04:00December 12th, 2013|Categories: AAR afterhours blog, Cooking|Tags: , , |4 Comments
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Winter Warmers: Lea's Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplingsMy dear mother-in-law, now 83 years old, is simply the best cook I have ever known. Cooking wonderful food for others remains one of her greatest joys in life and she continues to cook or bake for hours upon hours each week. Although she can compete with the chefs that rule today’s Food Channel, her upbringing in the hills of southeastern Oklahoma means she’s an expert with old Southern favorites as well. Our family has enjoyed many a cold winter day savoring her Chicken and Dumplings. This recipe is from her cookbook she penned for family and friends more than twenty-five years ago.

Chicken and Dumplings

Boil one fat chicken or use chicken pieces. […]

By |2017-06-23T08:30:34-04:00December 5th, 2013|Categories: AAR afterhours blog, Cooking|Tags: , |3 Comments
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Winter Warmers: Mary's Ham Bone Soup

With the holidays upon us, in addition to turkeys on every table many of us will be cooking large hams to feed our loved ones. After you have eaten as many ham sandwiches from the leftovers as humanly possible, please do not throw out that bone!! The ham bone makes an excellent soup (especially if you leave some meat on the bone).

Ham Bone Soup

  • 1 ham bone with meat still clinging to bone (you can also include some leftover ham slices)
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 3-4 stalks of celery chopped
  • 4 large carrots diced
  • 2-3 potatoes cubed
  • 1 can of tomatoes diced (fresh tomatoes can be used as well)
  • 1 can of tomato sauce
  • 2 TBSP of ketchup
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • ½ to 1 tsp of garlic salt
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in large double boiler or in your crock pot. Add enough water to cover the bone. Cook until vegetables are soft. Serve with cornbread.

– Mary AAR

By |2017-06-23T08:30:34-04:00November 28th, 2013|Categories: AAR afterhours blog, Cooking|Tags: , , |4 Comments
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Winter Warmers: Caz's Steak and Kidney Pudding

steakandkidneypuddin_93128_16x9I thought I’d treat you all to the recipe for a classic British favourite. When I asked my esteemed colleagues here at AAR – the majority of whom reside “across the pond” – I was told that steamed puddings aren’t a big thing over there. Well, if that’s the case, then you guys over there are really missing out on the ultimate comfort food which is really tasty and very easy to prepare.

There are different ways of preparing this dish, but here’s the basic one that I usually use.

This recipe will feed four people.

For the filling:

  • 400g Steak and Kidney. If you don’t like kidney, don’t worry. I have to make it without it now, as one of my daughters dislikes it, so I just use 400g of diced beef. Because the pudding is cooked very slowly, you don’t have to […]
By |2017-06-23T08:30:35-04:00November 7th, 2013|Categories: AAR afterhours blog, Cooking|Tags: , , |2 Comments
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