My family's favorite soup, the sounds of aahhh's and ooohh's coming from around the table, make me smile.

If you're making it for a big crowd you'll have to double or even triple the recipe....I added about two cups of water at the end, and then a little bit more flour to thicken it up, otherwise it wouldn't have been nowhere near enough for us four. We love our soup and hubby usually takes leftovers to work.




3 large russet potatoes, cleaned, skins pierced 3-4 times with a fork
2 slices of good bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces
1 1/2 T unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c flour
2 c chicken broth or stock
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
2 t seasoning salt
1/2 c cooked ham, chopped (optional)
4 green onions, chopped

Microwave the potatoes until cooked through (every microwave is different, ours took about 14 minutes). Set the potatoes aside to cool.


Meanwhile, in a large soup pot cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon to a paper towel to drain.


Add butter & onion. Cook until the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic & cook until just fragrant. Add the flour & stir for 1 minute, do not allow the roux to brown. Slowly add the evaporated milk & broth while stirring. Scoop the pulp from one of the potatoes & mash it a bit. Add it to the soup. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Add the seasoning salt. Dice the remaining two potatoes, skin & all (you can also dice the empty skin from the first potato). Add the diced potatoes, ham & bacon to the soup. Heat through. Serve with onions

We are a family of Chili lovers so I'm always trying out different recipes and since I think Chili is one of those foods that tastes best when it's been cooking for long long hours, there's nothing like Crockpot Chili.

This is a new recipe I tried out and it was really good.





1-1/2 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast, cubed (I used ground beef for mine)
3 onions, sliced
2 c. water
28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
6-oz. can tomato paste
2 stalks, celery
1 green pepper, cut into strips
16-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
16-oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
pepper, garlic powder, parsley, chili powder and hot pepper sauce to taste
14-3/4 oz. can corn, drained

Place beef, onions and water in slow cooker. Add tomatoes and tomato paste; stir well. Add celery, green pepper and beans. Stir in seasonings to taste; top with corn. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, or on high setting for 5 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
Makes 6 servings.



Place meat, onions and water into the crockpot. Like I said, I went with what I had on hand and used ground beef.

Add the celery and tomatoes


Next go in the beans, don't forget to drain and rinse them

Next add the spices, I left out the hot sauce though otherwise the kids wouldn't eat it.

Set it on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours. Seriously the smell of chili cooking is enough to make you drool.


We always sprinkle shredded cheese on ours. YUMMY!

Growing up one of my favorite soups was Sopa de Agrioes or Watercress Soup. It's so delicious and filling and again I have wonderful memories of my greatgrandmother preparing it in the kitchen, she would let me help her and I thought that was the best thing on earth......I must have started showing interest in cooking at around 5 or 6 years old.

There was nothing on earth I would rather be doing than sitting at her feet, in the middle of the kitchen floor, with my play pots and pans, throwing pepper and oil into them, I remember sometimes she would say "Olha, toma uma batata"...."here, here's a potato for you"...I would get SO excited that I actually had a potato to add to my pot LOL

Anyway, she taught me my love for food and I love her for it.




2 potatoes
1 big onion, or 2 small ones
1 or 2 leeks
A bunch of Watercress
Salt
Olive oil


Bring a pot of water with the salt, to a boil....in the meantime wash, peel and cut into small pieces the onions, potatoes and leeks.

As soon as the water is boiling, add the onions, potatoes and leeks and let them cook well. When they're cooked and are at the stage where they're almost falling apart, you drizzle with olive oil and then using a hand blender, blend everything well.

In the meantime, wash the watercress, separate the little leaves. Let the soup come to a boil and then add in the watercress letting them simmer over low heat.

Hint: You can substitute the watercress for spinach or any other green, I just prefer the watercress.

This is the chili I made yesterday, it's pretty good, the kids and hubby really enjoyed it.

I got it from one of my new Crockpot cookbooks, enjoy!!!


1 pound 90% lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cans (16 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 diced onions
4 teaspoons sliced black olives

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add beef and onion, cook until beef is browned and onion tender. Drain fat. Place beef mixture, chili powder, tomatoes, beans and salsa in slow cooker; stir.

Cover; cook on LOW 5 to 6 hours or until flavors are blended and chili is bubbly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cheese, onions and olives.


NOTE: I changed a few things in mine, I used ground pork instead of beef and I also used 1 can of diced tomatoes and one can of diced tomatoes & green chilies. It's really good :)