Baked Potato Soup

This makes a lot of soup so be prepared for lots of leftovers!

Ingredients:
5 large baking potatoes

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

7 cups milk

1 bunch green onion, chopped

1/2 lb bacon, fried crisp & crumbled

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup sour cream

salt & pepper to taste

Bake potatoes until tender

Cool, peel, & chop into small pieces

In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat

Whisk in flour to make a roux

Slowly whisk in milk

Increase heat to medium & bring to almost boiling

Add potatoes, green onions, & bacon

Stir in cheese & sour cream

Heat through until cheese has melted & soup is warm

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 tsps pumpkin pie spice

2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz) 100% pure pumpkin

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

1 unbaked 9" pie shell

Mix sugar, salt, & pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl

Beat eggs in a large bowl

Stir in pumpkin & sugar-spice mixture

Gradually stir in evaporated milk

Pour into pie shell

Bake in preheated 425° for 15 mins

Reduce temperature to 350°; bake 40-50 mins or until knife inserted near center comes out clean

Cool on wire rack for 2 hours

Serve immediately or refrigerate

Carmel Apple Dessert

This was a hit at the office Halloween party. It's very good, I don't like Snickers but I like this dessert!

Ingredients:
1 large (16 oz.) container Cool Whip - NOT reduced fat
6 granny smith apples, diced
1 small package of vanilla instant pudding
6 regular size SNICKERS® candy bars, frozen

Mix together the Cool Whip, vanilla instant pudding, and apples
Smash the SNICKERS® bars and add to the salad
Best if you allow to stand for a little while before serving

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 Tbsps lime juice
2 Tbsps chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; toss well to coat

Tex-Mex Calzones

Serve with black bean salad

Ingredients:
8 oz ground turkey breast
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup fat-free fire-roasted salsa verde
1 (11-oz) can refrigerated thin-crust pizza dough*
3/4 cup (3 oz) preshredded Mexican blend cheese
Cooking spray
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream

Preheat oven to 425°
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat

Add ground turkey to pan; cook 3 minutes, stirring to crumble

Add onion and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring mixture occasionally

Remove turkey mixture from heat; stir in salsa
Unroll dough; divide into 4 equal portions

Roll each portion into a 6 x 4–inch rectangle

Working with one rectangle at a time, spoon about 1/2 cup turkey mixture on one side of dough

Top with 3 Tbsps cheese; fold dough over turkey mixture, and press edges together with a fork to seal

Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray

Repeat procedure with remaining dough and turkey mixture

Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until browned

Serve with sour cream

*Make sure dough is cold enough - I made the mistake of letting the dough sit on the counter while making up the meat mixture. The dough was very sticky & difficult to work with.

Photo courtesy of: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1880021

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

This salad has a little bit of a kick to it. It's great with tortilla chips & is a filling meal that is super quick & easy to make. Courtesy of Cooking Light.

Ingredients
Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 Tbsp minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
4 tsps fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Salad:
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)*
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 3/4-oz) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well
To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl
Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat
Serve immediately

*I used Foster Farms Southwest Chicken Breast Strips because I didn't want to buy or roast a chicken.



Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

Jack-Corn Muffins

Ingredients:
1 (8.5 oz) corn muffing mix

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers

1/2 cup corn kernels

1/3 cup 1% milk

1 large egg

Combine all ingredients

Divide batter evenly among 8 muffin cups coated with cooking spray

Bake at 400º for 16 mins or until browned