Baked Potato Soup - Slow Cooker Style

**Note: I halfed this recipe, and next time I will use minced garlic instead of real garlic cloves**

Got the recipe from HERE

I've been looking for a baked potato soup recipe that didn't involve heavy cream for a while, and boy was I delighted when I found one... for the slow cooker!!! This came out really super yummy and reminds me a lot of Houlihan's Baked Potato Soup, which is an all-time favorite for Hubs and me. Below is my version of the recipe. Enjoy!

(p.s. You will need a 6 quart or larger slow cooker for this recipe, it yields a LOT of soup!!!)

Ingredients:
- 5lbs Russet Potatoes, washed but NOT peeled. Diced into 1/2 inch(ish) cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 10 cloves of garlic, whole
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 16 oz cream cheese (I used 8oz regular and 8oz lowfat)
- 1 TBS seasoned salt or all-purpose seasoning (I use Aunt Cora's Soulful Seasoning)

Garnishes:
- Crumbled bacon
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Green onions

Directions:
- Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning and chicken stock to slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
- Remove and puree the garlic cloves along with 1/2 to 1/3rd of the soup, and then reintroduce to the remainder in the crock pot.
- Stir in the cream cheese and allow to melt. Stir every 10-15 minutes until soup is well blended.
- Top with your choice of garnishes & serve!

Yields about 10-12 servings.

Easy Rigatoni Casserole

There is something delightful about knowing you have a delicious casserole waiting for you when you get home from work. Yum. Inspired by a recipe from a friend of mine, I whipped together this dish a few days ago and it was a hit! Super simple and easy, it's a crowd pleaser and a quick dish to make.

Easy Rigatoni Casserole
1 lb. Italian Sausage (usually I use mild)
1 box Rigatoni pasta
1 24 oz. jar Marinara Sauce (I used Mario Batali!)
8-10 oz. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
4 cloves or garlic, minced
3 Basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Kosher Salt to tast

1. Cook pasta until el dente. Strain then pour into a large bowl. Add cooked Italian Sausage, cheese, and as much marinara as you would like! Stir.
2. Add Basil leaves, Garlic, and a teaspoon of Kosher salt. Stir well.
3. Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 glass dish, then top with more cheese or marinara if you would like!
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil.

Go the recipe from The Small Things Blog

I love Spaghetti!

I love Spaghetti and love trying different kinds. I started putting cream cheese in my spaghetti sauce and loved it. Today on Live with Regis and Kelly, Kelly's co hose was Mark Feurestein and this is his Grandma's Spaghetti. It looks delicious!!! (I tweaked it a little bit, I did parmesan cheese and added hamburger) Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. hamburger

1 lb. dry pasta

1/3 stick of butter

6 oz. can of tomato paste

15 oz. can of tomato sauce

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

8 oz. package of cream cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Spaghetti is boiled until the pasta is a little softer than al dente

Pour pasta out of boiling water with colander into a pot in which you have put about 1/3 stick of butter
With very low flame mix the pasta and butter until butter is mixed in

Put in a 6 oz. can of tomato paste and mix it

Put in a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce and mix it

Add in Parmesan cheese
Take a package of Philadelphia cream cheese - break it into small pieces and mix into pot (which at all times has been on a small flame)

Let this cook for 2-3 minutes, all the while you are intermittently mixing the pasta in the pot so that the tomato
paste, tomato sauce, butter, Parmesan and cream cheese are all beautifully part of each strand of the spaghetti

Homemade ham fried rice

Cook rice

Add rice to butter in frying pan add garlic salt

Add veggies and meat and eggs: carrots, green onions, corn

Add more garlic salt and soy sauce to taste

YUMMY Chocolate Chip Cookies

From: Tami

Mix:

1 cup butter flavored Crisco

1 cup brown sugar packed well

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl mix:

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Lightly mix together then dump that in to the rest of your ingredients mix

1 bag chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 12 min or until lightly brown. You don't need to spray pan.

Cookies come out soft looking just cool them on rack and ENJOY

(Tried butter and plain crisco and it does NOT work)

Jacy's Alfredo Sauce

1 cube butter
1/2 cube cream cheese
a little more than 1/4 tub of parmesan cheese
milk to consistancy
garlic powder to taste
parsley flakes to color

mix butter and cream cheese till melted. Will be a little lumpy
Add parmesan cheese, melt,
add milk to consistancy
add garlic powder and parsley flakes

Easy Pork Chops in Crockpot

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 pork chops
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom, celery, or other condensed cream soup
• 1/2 cup ketchup

Preparation:

Layer pork chops in crock. mix soup and ketchup together. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours.