Creamy potato cheese soup

I love soups. The weather is perfect for a great hardy potato soup recipe.

Ingredients:
7 potatoes, peeled and diced into 2 inch cubes
½ vidalia onion, chopped fine
5 stalks of celery, chopped fine
1 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons of Mrs Dash, Onion & Herb
Kosher salt to taste
4 cups of 1% milk
3 cups of cheddar / jack cheese
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add the chopped onions and celery. Cook until the celery is tender.
Add the cut potatoes to the onion and celery mixture. Cover the potatoes with water and boil until the potatoes are very soft and falling apart. If needed use a potato masher to create smaller chunks. Add milk, cheese, parsley, Mrs Dash and salt. Stir to blend cheese and let simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Connoli, shells and filling recipe

This is the eleventh of twelve posts from my Family Heritage Christmas cookie recipes. Every Monday from now until December, I will share my full collection of Christmas cookie recipes. Then I will post some of my Grandmothers cookies that I have not made in years.
My Christmas cookie collection consists of twelve different kinds of cookies. These are all family favorites.
I have already posted about my Strufalas, Almond Crescents, no cook S’mores, Almond cups , Coconut Macaroons, Crisp sugar cookies, Chocolate Dipped Lady Fingers, and Oat Rageous Chocolate Chip Peanut butter, Neapolitan Cookies and Almond Rugalas Cookies.

Connoli shells

2 cups of flour
2 tbsp. shortening
1 tsp. salt
¾ cup of any white wine. I used Pinot Grigio
Oil for frying

Special metel tubes are used to make the Connoli shells.

Combine flour, shortening, and sugar, salt and wet gradually with the wine. Knead together with fingers until dough is formed. Form into a ball and cover with a cloth. Let stand for about one hour. Cut dough in half and roll into a thin sheet about ¼ inch thick or less. Cut the dough into four inch squares. Place a metal tube diagonally across each square from one point to another. Dab a small amount of water on each end that will be overlapping. Wrap dough around the tube and overlap each end. Meanwhile heat vegetable oil in a large deep pan for deep frying. Drop tubes into hot oil and fry gently on all sides until dough is a golden brown color.

Connoli Filling.

1-32 oz container of ricotta cheese
½ cup of confectioners sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
2 oz. of miniature semi sweet chocolate morsels
3 tbsp of orange rind
3 tbsp of lemon rind
1/8 cup of rum. I also added 1/8 cup of Kahlua

Drain the ricotta cheese in cheese cloth over night. It is best when all the liquid is out of the cheese.

Mix all ingredients together except for the miniature semi sweet chocolate morsels. Fill the shells generously with the cheese mixture. After filling the shells, dip the ends in the chocolate morsels arrange on a try and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.












Cheese Filling

Thanksgiving Traditions

See Kellys Korner for more Thanksgiving recipies and traditions.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.
I enjoy the planning and preparation, Cooking while watching the Thanksgiving parades, the house smelling like food all day, gathering of family and friends, and of course everyone eating and enjoying themselves. There were at least 4 courses, starting with the soup, antipasto, main course & desert.

When my mother had her Thanksgivings there were 6 courses. Her Thanksgiving started with 1st course, soup, either pasta fazoulie or escarole and beans. Course 2, antipasti course included, meat try, assortment of chunks of cheese with black and green olives on top, deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, Artichokes steamed with salt pepper & garlic, roasted red pepper salad, chic peas with mint, sweet & sour meatballs. Course 3, ravioli & broshole with homemade tomato sauce. Course 4, half baked ham, fresh carrots glazed in brown sugar, honey & clove spice, sweet potato bake. Course 5, the main course consisted of, turkey, mashed potatoes, fresh string beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce, brown gravy, and biscuits. Course 6, the desert course consisted of. Horn of plenty filled with a variety of fruit, large bowl of mixed nuts, apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, coconut custard pie, key lime pie, banana nut bread, Pumpkin loaf, pineapple & cherries, & mints.

My thanksgiving meal is not exactly the same every year. I love all the traditional foods that my mother cooked. I can’t bring myself to make everything she cooked. It was just too much food. I scaled my dinner down allot. I have decided to change out a few things every year so I am not eliminating the family favorites forever.

This is the desert table from Thanksgiving 2008.Fresh fruit, Fresh baked apple pie, chocolate cream pie, Homemade pecan pie, Honey spiced roasted nuts, Chunked pineapple topped with a Cherrie, harvest cookies with chocolate centers, mints and Apple cider.
This is a simple Italian Antapasta salad recipe.

1 can of x large black olives, drained and cut in half
1 can of artichokes, drained and cut in half
1 can of chic peas, drained.
1 cup of roasted red peppers, cut into strips.
1/2 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

Another favorite is my Roasted Red Pepper Cheese Cake recipe on Family Heritage Cookbook.

Simple Italian Antapasta salad

Thanksgiving course 1 and 2. Pasta fazoulie, deviled eggs, roasted red pepper cheese cake with crustinis, chic pea antapasta salad, & stuffed mushrooms.

I will be posting numerous Thanksgiving recipes over the next few weeks with a complete menu.

Isotoner slippers

Now that the weather is starting to cool off in Florida, my tile floor feels like I am walking on Ice. When my feet are cold, I am freezing. Yes!!! I am wimpy,wimpy,wimpy!!!!

I was shopping yesterday and I went to the slipper section when I saw these Isotoner holiday slippers. I tried them on and I thought my foot slipped into a velvet cotton ball and I was walking on a soft cushion. The inside has an Arch Contour and the front has a toe rest. They are so worm and comfortable. LOVE THEM!!!!

Stromboli

These Stromboli's can be served as an appetizer or a main course. Both could also be served with a side of tomato sauce.

Ingredients:
4-1 lb fresh or frozen dough
2- 6 oz. package of sliced pepperoni
1 lb. of 98% fat free ham, sliced 1/4 inch in length
2 large green bell peppers, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 egg scrambled
Your favorite Tomato Sauce for dipping

Directions:
Roll the dough to the size of 19 inches x 6 inches. That length will depend on if you like a thinner or thicker crust. If you like a thicker crust, roll the dough to 15 inches x 5 inches. I like a thin crust. That is what you see in the picture. I prefer to fill them with pepperoni, ham, green bell pepper and mozzarella cheese. You can fill them with anything you like. I do recommend that with any ingredients you may use, always include the Mozzarella cheese.

Scramble one egg and set aside. Once you have rolled out your dough, start layering all your ingredients down the center, starting with the pepperoni and ending with the Mozzarella. Now you can start to close the Stromboli by bringing both sides of the dough around and overlapping them. Then fold the two ends closed. If your dough will not stick together you can dip your fingers into the scrambled egg and run it along the seam.

Place the Stromboli on a greased or lined cookie sheet seam side down. Generously rub the scrambled egg all over the Stromboli’s.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or golden brown.

Serve with a side dish of tomato sauce for dipping. These ingredients will complete 4
Stromboli's.

Serving the Stromboli as a main course
Cut Stromboli in half and serve with a side of tomato sauce. Serves 8

Serving the Stromboli as an appetizer
Cut into 2 inch pieces and place on a serving tray with tomato sauce. Approximately 80 pieces.

Hints: When cutting the bell pepper into your 1/4 inch slices, slice the two ends off where it curves. The curves have a tendency to puncture through the dough.

Thanks Kim from "Pair Slices"and Heather from Oswalds Cuties for participating in "What would your children say"? Wednesday.