Heidelberg Soup - Potato Cheese Goodness

It's funny how sometimes a cookbook just appeals to you and it's the first one you seek when searching for inspiration.  Years ago, my mother-in-law gave me such a treasure for Christmas, "The Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook." It's one of those cookbooks with food you likely grew up eating and has a mixture of regional favorites from throughout the country.  Though my style of cooking tends to avoid processed foods more these days, I still reach for this when seeking comforting cuisine and crowd-pleasing potluck favorites.  It's a bit well-loved at this point, full of bookmarks and comments, but isn't that the fun of a favorite cookbook?

One recipe that always receives rave reviews and something I make each winter is Heidelberg Soup.  I'm not sure of how "authentic" this recipe is, but I have modified it to add more veggies and some porky goodness to suit our tastes.  I will say, there are few things more satisfying in winter than a steaming bowl of soup love with crusty bread and a salad. I love, love, love this recipe! Happy eating!

Heidelberg Soup

(Serves 6 - 8) Inspired by "The Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook"
5 medium potatoes, peeled and large diced
1 large onion, medium dice
5 cups water
1 - (16 oz) package steam-in-bag frozen vegetables (recommend carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower blend)
1 - (16 oz) package steam in-bag frozen broccoli florets
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup (if allergic to mushrooms use 2 cans cream of celery)
1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 can mushrooms, drained (optional)
4 slices bacon

To prepare bacon, place slices between 2 - 3 sheets of paper towels and microwave on high 1 - 3 minutes or until mostly rendered and slightly crisp. (Microwaving time will vary based on thickness of bacon and degree of crispness you like).  Chop bacon and set aside.

To prepare soup, add potatoes, onion, and water to soup pot or large Dutch oven and bring to a boil.  Boil until tender, about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, cook frozen vegetables according to package directions.  When potatoes are cooked, add vegetables (including mushrooms if adding) and soups.  Stir in Velveeta until melted and heat until bubbling.  Top servings with bacon and serve with crusty bread and salad.

Five Crowd-Pleasing Pinterest Favorites

I spend WAY too many hours on Pinterest these days, but it's for a good cause - FOOD!  I still love trying recipes from magazines and my cookbooks, but even my favorite cooking magazines are on Pinterest!

Over the past several months, I cooked a lot of the recipes I've pinned.  Since I've pinned over 300 (and counting!), I can't say I'm close to cooking all of them, but here are some that received RAVE reviews from family and friends when I made them.  If you're looking for crowd-pleasing items for a Superbowl party or a casual get-together, put these on your list.  Happy eating!


1. Sweet pork love.  This is my variation on a recipe from tastykitchen.com using bacon, cocktail wienies, butter, and brown sugar.  Anyone who loves pork products will go crazy for these.  Any guy gathering needs a batch (or two!)

2. Jalapeño-ranch dip.  There's this restaurant from Austin, TX called Chuy's.  On request, they will bring you a ranch-jalapeno dressing/dip for your tortilla chips.  Trust me - ASK FOR SOME!  It elevates ranch to new heights.  I found a dip recipe on Pinterest that's very similar from the site plainchicken.com, though I change it up by making it thicker (I use fat free Greek yogurt and reduce the mayo) and add extra cilantro.  Super yummy!

3. Sopapilla cheesecake bars.  Golly these are good!  You combine the taste of a sopapilla (those pillows of fried dough perfection topped with cinnamon and sugar) with a cheesecake filling.  The best part is how easy they are to make - crescent roll dough from a can, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, butter, and cinnamon/sugar.  Yoza!

4. Hawaiian roll ham sammiches.  Great guy food and a nice change from traditional sandwiches.  I made these over the holidays to high praise.

5. Ro-Tel chilaquiles  casserole.  This is a terrific brunch or breakfast dish for a crowd and almost everything is a pantry staple.  Ro-tel (tomatoes with chiles), canned chili, tortilla chips, chili beans, and cheese.  This is also really good for a hearty breakfast after a late night out.  Definitely recommend when doing heavy shopping as it will tide you over until lunch!

I hope you have fun with my current top 5 Pinterest favorites.  Let me know what your family thinks!

Sweet Pork Love

If you've ever attended a get-together with me, chances are you ate something involving pork.  I can't get enough of that swiny goodness nor can most of my friends.  I spent the holiday season cooking up a storm (didn't blog about it, but posted plenty of pics to Facebook) and much of it involved trying pork on pork.  One particular recipe, courtesy of Pinterest, was a recipe for cocktail wienies wrapped in bacon and baked in a butter/brown sugar mixture.

Take #1 resulted in a "soup" of pork fat, butter, and sugar that was a bit watery for my taste.  Judging by the empty casserole, it was still quite tasty!  I decided to modify the recipe by pre-cooking the bacon a bit and omitting the butter, figuring the pork fat would sufficiently blend with the sugar.  Success!  It glazed the pork nicely without creating a soup (shown below).  A little more work, but well worth it for a dish that everyone will consume with abandon.  The chorus of "oh my" and "oh mah gawd" that I heard told me the recipe was a winner.  There was almost a fight for the last few at the tamalada where it was served.  Thanks to Tasty Kitchen for the original idea.  Here's my version, perfect for your Superbowl fiesta.  Happy eating!

Oh mah gawd, these are good!

Sweet Pork Love

(Serves 2 - 10, depending on level of pork addiction)
1 package of bacon (1 lb) (regular, not thick cut and do NOT use turkey bacon)
1 package of cocktail wienies (1 lb)
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and place a cooling rack inside.  Cut each strip of bacon into three pieces and place the pieces onto the cooling rack (ok to overlap them).  Bake for 8-10 minutes in the oven until the fat starts to render.  Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.  Open the cocktail wienie package and reserve the juices. Wrap each cocktail wienie in a piece of bacon and place seam-side down in a 9x13 glass baking dish.  Sprinkle the porky love pieces with the brown sugar and press down gently.  Pour over the reserved wienie juice.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and baste the love with the sugar/pork juice mixture.  Increase oven temp to 400 degrees and bake 5 minutes more or until bacon has crisped a bit.

*If you want a spicier version, mix the brown sugar with cayenne pepper before adding to the bacon.

Burger Bonanza

Burger Please!

Everyone has a food vice.  Mine tend to be anything involving salt, fat, and sugar.  But if I must be more specific, salt = french fries or salt & vinegar potato chips, fat = cheese, and sugar = dark chocolate.  While this might inspire me to consider chocolate dipped potato chips from time-to-time, I generally keep my food obsessions separate and distinct.

Right now, the food I cannot stop thinking about is a hamburger.  I am DYING to try a juicy, medium rare burger at a good burger place (and that doesn't mean fast food).  I want to sit down and enjoy a rich, medium-rare burger char grilled or flat-top butter basted, with a toasty bun and cheese.  My mouth is salivating at this thought.  I would actually make my own burger, but didn't buy what I need at the store for the week, so I won't make one myself.  I just can't get this out of my head.  What to do?

In honor of my obsessive thinking, and perhaps anticipating my burger decisions when I satisfy the craving, here are some ideas for tasty burgery treats:

Heart-Attack-on-a-Plate:
American cheese
Onions sauteed in burger fat or butter
Beef patty
Bacon
Steak sauce

Westward Ho
American or cheddar cheese
Sauteed onions
Barbecue sauce
Sour pickles
Beef patty

Southwest and Spicy
Tabasco/Cholula sauce
Sliced ripe avocado
Swiss or pepper jack cheese
Salsa
Jalapenos

And because I'm feeling like having someone else actually cook these burgers for me, here are my favorite burger joints at which to eat:

Five Guys Burgers - they do burgers, they do fries, and that's about it, but they do them well!
http://www.fiveguys.com/home.aspx


Mooyah - quirky disposition plus burgers, fries, and shakes adds up to family-friendly deliciousness
http://www.mooyah.com/


Twisted Root - chef-designed burgers, homemade pickles, and saucy disposition make this a foodie fave
http://twistedrootburgerco.com/wordpress/


So, now that I've made you drool, I would love to hear about your "vices" and what killer burgers you love (and where).