Easy Light Baked Potato Soup

 

Middle of a winter snow storm, baked potato soup was the request for dinner but I didn't have any of my go to ingredients like bacon.  So I tried making the soup anyway, minus the bacon, and minus the onion, and realized my baked potato soup didn't have any flavor.  (Insert lightbulb going off).. so I added a jar of Bertolli Light Alfredo Sauce, and my soup came together effortlessly.


Wow!  everyone liked my soup, and it's lower in fat than my loaded bake potato soup. This recipe is so quick and easy we may never eat the full fat version again.

This recipe makes a very thick soup, about 5 servings. Add a bit more milk if you want it thinner. 

Souper  Easy Baked Potato Soup
8 medium potatoes
3 cups skim milk
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 cup flour plus 2 Tablespoons
1 jar Bertolli Light Alfredo Sauce
Cheddar cheese for garnish
season to taste with:
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Optional: onion, bacon
Note: you can substitute instant potatoes for some of the flour to help thicken the soup.

Rinse the potatoes and poke with a fork or knife then cook in microwave until done.  I like to cook the potatoes in 2 batches, so about 8 minutes on high power to cook 4 potatoes.  Allow potatoes to cool, remove skins and rough chop into 3/4 inch pieces.

To a large saucepan add butter, flour and milk and stir with a spoon.  Add potatoes, alfredo sauce, and season to taste with garlic and black pepper.

On Medium high heat, stir until hot and thickened.  You must stir this soup constantly or the bottom will scorch.

The star of this recipe, Bertolli Light Alfredo Sauce

Our Eccentric Projects - Making Hats for Chemotherapy Patients and My New Sewing Addiction

My niece Michelle from Africa was visiting this summer and shared with us her love for knitting and crocheting.  She knits squares for a charity called Knit-a-Square where knit or crocheted squares are used to make blankets for abandoned babies, children, and AIDS orphans in Southern Africa. She got my Mom and Aunt "hooked" and they are all making loads and loads of squares.  It warms my heart knowing their blankets are helping to keep babies warm.  Yes, it gets cold in Africa.

Over Christmas break my neighbor Juanita shared with me some pictures of hats she is making for chemotherapy patients.  Her hats are being snapped up at Hope Boutique in Columbus, Ohio, because they are comfortable, colorful, soft and beautiful.

All of these women inspired me to get busy, so I dusted off my crochet needles, bought lots of yarn and jumped in making chemotherapy hats.

The Cancer Research Center in Lancaster, Ohio, where I dropped off my first batch of hats, had lots of crocheted hats but they desperately need headbands and sewn hats.

With my first check from this blog ($85) and a few extra bucks thrown in, I was able to purchase a sewing machine online at a reasonable price.  I am supposed to receive it tomorrow.  I hope it works, because I purchased a lot of material to sew hats and headbands.

Quick Update: I love my new sewing machine, and I have been sewing up quite a few hats. I'll have to write more later.  I gave my neighbor some hats for Hope Boutique and the report back was that every single hat was gone almost as soon as they were put out.  Wow!  Here is a picture of my favorite of the sewn hats so far, a pink camo hat that is super soft and comfy.

My fav hat so far, pink camo hat

I lost track of how many hats and headbands I've donated or given away, somewhere around 75. So, to supplement my new sewing addiction I've started selling hats in my Etsy store, AllThingsBlooming.


Here are my crocheted hats.  I am sharing my pattern for the easy flapper hat inspired by Downtown Abbey with you and a quick and easy headband (below).  The other hats were made from free patterns available online.

Downtown Abbey inspired Hats, pattern below

First batch of crochet hats dropped off at the Cancer Research Center in Lancaster, Ohio

Headbands

Child sized Polar bear hat pattern from Repeat Crafter Me

Downtown Abbey Inspired Flapper Hat Pattern with Bow

DC = Double Crochet
Gauge: 2" width = 6 stitches,  2" height = 3 rows
Crochet hook = I-9, 5.5

Notes: Increase rows 1-8 only.  First 10 rows main color, 3 rows accent color (stitch in back loop if you want a decorative line in your crochet, as shown above), Rows 15-16 1 row main color and 1 row single crochet main color to finish.

Row 1,  Magic ring, 11 DC, join, chain 2

Row 2,  2 DC each, join, chain 2 (22 DC)

Row 3,  2 DC, 1 DC, repeat, join, chain 2 (33 DC)

Row 4,  2 DC, 1 DC, 1 DC, repeat, join, chain 2 (44 DC)

Row 5,  2 DC, 10 DC, repeat, join, chain 2 (48 DC)

Row 6,  2 DC, 11 DC, repeat, join, chain 2 (52 DC)

Row 7,  2 DC, 12 DC, repeat, join, chain 2 (56 DC)

Row 8,  2 DC, 13 DC, repeat, join, chain 2 (60 DC)

Rows 9-15 DC, join, chain 2 (60 DC)

Row 16 single crochet each, join, fasten off

For bow:
Notes: Make a rectangle then wrap yarn around the center to make a bow

Row 1:  single chain 14, turn
Row 2:  Double chain 12, turn, chain 2
Row 3:  Double chain 12, turn, chain 2
Row 4:  Single crochet all around entire rectangle to give it a finished edge

Weave yarn to center edge and pinch rectangle to make a bow.  Wind yarn around several times to keep bow pinched then with a darning needle, sew bow to hat around center adding more yarn to center.  Sew corners to hat if desired, fasten off.



Here's a quick and easy crocheted headband I made this morning while waiting for everyone to wake up.

Easy Crochet Headband Pattern

DC = Double Crochet
SC = Single Crochet
Gauge: 2" width = 6 stitches,  2" height = 3 rows
Crochet hook = I-9, 5.5 

Main color yarn: Vanna's Choice Oatmeal
Accent color yarn: Black, Soft Red Heart

Row 1:  Single chain 66 (measure your head to see if it fits, will stretch a bit), join
Row 2:  SC each, join, chain 2 (65 SC)
Row 3:  DC each, join, chain 2 (65 SC)
Row 4:  DC each, join, chain 2 (65 SC)
Row 5:  DC each, join, chain 2 (65 SC)
Row 6:  DC each, join, chain 2 (65 SC)
Row 7:  DC each, join, chain 1 (65 SC)
Row 8: half double crochet each to finish, fasten off.  

And just for fun...my hat when I work son's Happy Puppy food cart.

Dear son and hubby said they wouldn't wear one, lol.
 Pattern from Repeat Crafter Me, see link for polar bear hat above

Easy Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes

Whoah...hold the press folks, these creamy scalloped potatoes are super easy and soooo delicious.  So easy you will want to try them today.

My secret ingredient to smooth and creamy, but lightened up scalloped potatoes is "Cheesy Ragu, Light Parmesan Alfredo".  I'm not a huge fan of premade sauces but for $1.69 at Wal Mart this makes a reasonably priced side dish that is absolutely delicious.

Easy Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes

Peel and slice thinly 4 pounds of potatoes  

Make the sauce, in a medium sized bowl mix the following:
1 cup milk (I used skim)
2 Tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 Tablespoons of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
optional 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 jar of Cheesy Ragu Light Parmesan Alfredo
(adjust the seasonings to your taste)

Spray your crockpot with cooking spray, it will make clean up easy.

Add a little sauce to the crockpot then add about 1/3 of the potatoes, pour about 1/3 of the sauce over the potatoes then layer the potatoes and sauce 2 more times.  Make sure all the potatoes are coated.  Cover and cook on high for about 5 hours.  After 2 1/2 hours stir the potatoes and add 1/2 cup cheddar cheese if desired, stir in.

 The cooking time will depend on how thinly you slice the potatoes.  

Lemonade Pie No Bake Easy Icebox

 Sitting on the front porch eating Lemon Pie, what a delicious slice of summer.  Five ingredient, easy, no fuss, and no bake.  These cute little pies can be made as individual servings or as one large pie.  This recipe is my lightened up version of a lemonade pie.  

No Bake Easy Icebox Lemonade Pie
1 - 8 ounce container of cool whip original
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
6 packets of true lemon (equals one lemon)
9 individual graham cracker crusts
Juice from 2 fresh lemons and zest from one of the lemons
Blueberries (optional)

Directions:  Mix all ingredients in medium bowl with a mixer until combined.  Drop by spoonfuls into the graham cracker crusts, place in refrigerator to set, about 4 hours.  Top with a blueberry, optional, and enjoy!

Yogurt and Cereal

In my bowl this morning...Yogurt and Cereal

Good morning :) I could eat this everyday, oh wait, I do...unless it's the weekend, or I am out of yogurt or we have Cinnamon Rolls in the house, (which I have a tendency to make disappear).  This is my goto quick fix breakfast. Update: I've recently switched my high content sugar infused vanilla yogurt with plain greek yogurt.    

Never before have I seen such beautiful fruits available all year round at such reasonable prices.  It is the middle of winter and the blackberries pictured above were bought at our local grocery store for $1/small carton. So gather up your favorite toppings and create a yogurt creation for breakfast, snack or layer it in a nice parfait glass and call it dessert. 
  
Thanks to the relentless TV commercials we have all heard the GI benefits of yogurt, but there is new research indicating that it is also good for lowering blood pressure. "...people eating low-fat yogurt every three days were 31 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure than those that didn't." ~from Taste of Home Magazine, February/March 2013 issue, page 79