Potato and Onion Chowder

I love this time of year. Fall is by far my favorite season. I love the feel and smell of the cool crisp air. I love all the holiday baking. And I love coming inside after playing out in the cold, to the smell and warmth of a hearty soup. This recipe is from one of my aunts. It is definitely a favorite around here. Larry always has me double the recipe whenever I make it. He also says that, for some reason, the Rhodes dinner rolls go best with this soup.



Potato and Onion Chowder

1 c. diced onions
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
2 c. cubed raw potatoes (I usually use red, and probably a little more than 2 c.)
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. light cream
1 tsp. chopped parsley (I just use dry, and however much I feel like)


Saute onions and celery in butter until transparent, but not browned. Add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently until potatoes are tender, about 20 min. Add milk, light cream, and parsley. Heat thoroughly.

This actually makes a thin soup. We just use some cornstarch to thicken it up. Just mix cornstarch in cold water. Bring the soup back to a boil, and the cornstarch mixture until it starts thickening, then bring back to a low heat.

Fruit Pizza

FRUIT PIZZA

I had a ton a fruit that needed to be used, and this was sounding really yummy! And it was! It was a huge hit with everyone that tasted it. I just used my regular sugar cookie recipe, with just a few changes in the baking process. Instead of cutting into cookies, I just pressed a good amount(depending on how thick you want it) into my pizza pan. Then, of course, the baking time will need to be longer since it is one giant cookie! I didn't really pay attention to how long it took, maybe 20 min. or more. Just watch it closely. Let it cool completely before frosting.

(Sorry the pictures aren't the greatest. I need to find some better lighting for these things!)

Sugar Cookies:

1 c. butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 c. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Dough doesn't need to be refrigerated. Roll to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes. Cookies don't really brown so just watch them close. Remove from pan to cooling racks and cool completely before frosting.

*By the way, these cookies are amazing with a cream cheese frosting. So good, its hard to stop at just one....or five in my case.

This is the spread I used for the pizza. It is different than a regular cream cheese frosting. I just found it on allrecipes.com. There are a few versions on there, but this is the one I used. It was really good!

Cream Cheese Spread:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. white sugar

2t. vanilla

With electric mixer, beat cream cheese vanilla and sugar until light and creamy. Spread evenly over cooled crust. Top with desired fruit. I used strawberries, raspberries, peaches, and bananas. I think kiwis would have also been good.

Holiday Bows

Here are a few of the Holiday bow styles.

Halloween:

Christmas: