Easy Loaded Potato Soup Recipe Reviewed

A Quick Way To Make Potato Soup

I would like to share an easy loaded potato soup recipe with you today. My review of this recipe will show you how to make a great tasting soup in a very short time span. Interested? Follow me down the page for the ingredients and instructions. 

Russet Potatoes for a great soup
image courtesy of pixabay.com

In order to prepare this soup recipe you will need an Insta-pot or any other popular brand of pressure style cooker on the market. Depending on the make you use my directions might be different on your cooker but I think you can figure out how to do it with the features available on your model.

Recipe for Loaded Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tbs butter

1 Shallot minced

3 cloves garlic

3 cups chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 Russet potatoes peeled and diced

1 1/2 tsp salt

Black pepper

1 Tbs flour

1 cup milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Bacon bits and cheese for garnish

Preparation:

Add butter to your pot and melt on the saute setting. Add shallot to melted butter cooking for 4 minutes. Now, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. 

Add the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, salt and pepper and the diced potatoes. Stir the contents well. Place your lid securely on your pot and pressure cook for 10 minutes. Do a Quick Release after the 10 minutes are up.

Remove the lid. In a separate container stir the milk and flour together. Add this mixture to the soup in the pot. Cook on the saute setting for 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese until it is melted. 

Your soup is ready to serve! Garnish with bacon bits and shredded cheese and enjoy!

Make this recipe and many others with an Insta-pot

I can't believe how much I use my pressure cooker for meals. One of our favorites is this Loaded Potato Soup recipe but I make all sorts of things in it. It is amazing how little time most recipes take. If you don't have one, you should consider getting one for yourself. I'm pretty sure you will not regret adding it to your kitchen as a handy tool for preparing really good food. Below is the model that I own.

Insta-pot Ultra

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Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day – Holiday Review

Definition of UNIQUE: being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else. 

While this definition of Unique does not totally agree with the following, I thought it would be fun to celebrate the 'individual', if  not totally unique, talents of my fellow Contributors here on Review This Reviews. And while some of us have similar talents, our special styles make us each 'unique' in our field.

November 24th is known as “Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day”. Therefore, we are going to point out some of the 'unique' and special talents of the RTR Contributors to show what they are best at. Some of the fine writers here have more than one special talent, as you shall see.

Yarn Talents

Several of those in our group are good at yarn crafts.

• Dawn Rae's specialty is crochet. She features handmade hats and neck warmers and warm slippers in her Etsy Shop DawnRaeCrochet.

Her shop also carries a line of what she calls “Jenny Hats” which came to be after making a custom hat for a friend (Jenny). These soft, slightly slouchy, chemo hats are made from a cotton blend yarn.

• Wednesday Elf also crochets. Her Etsy shop – Coastal Crochet Crafts – specializes in plush animals for children, plus a few assorted other items. 

Baking/Cooking Talent

• For very unique cakes and cupcakes in particular, you will find some fascinating recipes and how-to instructions from Sylvestermouse on Cooking for the Holidays.   She also includes other recipes from appetizers to main dishes to desserts, but I LOVE her special cupcakes and cake creations. 

Other RTR writers also have culinary creations to share. In particular, we have Sam Monaco who shares many favorite family recipes on his blog Sam's Place. 

Check out ReviewThisReview:Recipes for everything from the proverbial soup.... to nuts, for your cooking enjoyment.

Gardening

We have several gardeners in our group, our most prolific being Olivia Morris and Raintree Annie.

Come see the many helpful gardening tips offered on Review this Reviews:Gardening 

Also:  

Check out Olivia's website Grammie Knows How in her Gardening and Backyard section. 

And our newly added English gardener, Raintree Annie for her gardening tips here on Review This Reviews and on her own Gardening Blog Diary of a Wild Country Gardener. 

Writing Talent

• In addition to writing for Review This Reviews, Beverly Owens is establishing herself as a writer of Cozy Mysteries. She currently has 7 published books in 2 series (4 in the Roni Ranier series and 3 in the Cabin 9 series, with more to come. Read about how she began as a published author and her upcoming literary achievements at Beverly Owens, Author. 

Find her current books on Amazon, both on Kindle and in paperback. 

Photography Talent

• One of our favorite photography experts here, Mary Beth Granger (MbgPhoto), has studied photography for years and often shares expert advice on cameras and photo angles to help us all get the best photographs we can. Mary Beth's favorite thing to photograph is  lighthouses and she is constantly searching out new ones to feature. 

Check out her Lighthouse Enthusiast Zazzle Shop  to see some of her beautiful images. 

For lovely photos on her love of photography, traveling, and nature , see Mary Beth's Beauty in Nature Zazzle Shop. 

Sylvestermouse Cynthia is also a fine photographer who loves to photograph zoo animals in particular and many other fun activities. You can see her lovely images at Photography by Sylvestermouse.

Diana Wenzel is also a wonderful photographer on our staff, as is BarbRad. 

DIY Talent

• Diana Wenzel (Renaissance Woman here on Review This Reviews) is our 'Go-To' expert on do-it-yourself projects. 

Check out her many DIY articles here on everything from turning a simple rural mailbox into a bird house (Mailboxology) to creating a beautiful Fall Pumpkin Succulent Centerpiece.

Diana also has become an expert on rescue animals, most particularly one darling disabled dog who has won her heart. She chronicles his life & times in Mr. Muffins Journey, and relates his adventures and accomplishments in many articles on Review This Reviews (including becoming a therapy dog). 

• Tracey A. Breen (The Savvy Age) is very creative in coming up with inexpensive projects using supplies from dollar stores. These holiday-related and home décor and just-for-fun projects are perfect for parents, teachers and scout leaders. 

Tracey is also very 'savvy' about recipes, holiday ideas and Lifestyle tips & hacks to manage an active home and life at all ages. Read all about it on her website The Savvy Age. 

More Unique Talents

Barbara Tremblay Cipak (Brite Ideas here) is our country music expert. She explains the meanings and stories behind many well known country songs and singers on her website (Drageda) The Heart of Country Music. 

Barbara is also a professional in the field of home décor and has many unique and unusual Decor ideas to offer both here on Review This Reviews and on her own website Funky Home Decor. 

• Another Barbara (Barbara Radisavljevic known to us as BarbRad) has many talents. She is a writer, a photographer specializing in her native California landscape, and our book expert.  

Check out her uniqueness below at: 

• Paso Robles in Photographs 
• Bookworm Buffet  
• The Writing Life of Barb Radisavljevic 

• Brenda Little (Treasures By Brenda) is a collector, particularly of coffee cups/mugs and movie merchandise, especially vintage pieces.  

Brenda frequently shares her collections through her eBay store Treasures by Brenda for fellow collectors. 

In addition, Brenda gives us fascinating facts behind her collections in her two websites:

• Treasures by Brenda 
• Movie Treasures by Brenda 

• Heather Burns is an artist and colorist. She creates fantastic coloring pages and illustrations for you to color. 

Check out her Etsy Store at HeatherBurnsArt 

Heather is also a talented graphic designer and features her designs on many products in her Etsy Store HBStudioDesigns.

• Louanne Cox (Lou16) has a wide variety of interests and talents. My favorites are her artistic designs she features on a wide variety of items in her Zazzle stores.

I also enjoy the stories behind her designs found on her website Lou's Designs.

• Margaret Schindel is another multi-talented lady. When not writing professionally, she is a jewelry designer.   

She has created and sold one-of-a-kind and custom handcrafted jewelry for many years. She shares her jewelry making techniques in many articles on HubPages. 

Summary

As you can see, many of the multiple talents of the Contributors to ReviewThisReviews overlap. Many of us are into some form of arts & crafts, there are several wonderful photographers and quite a few good cooks. And I would say that all of us love to read and  enjoy movies and music. 

We are a varied bunch. While perhaps not individually unique, we all have our special talents. 

So…. Find your unique talent, and share it with the world on Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day November 24. 

(c) Wednesday Elf  (11/23/2019)

*All  images compliments of Pixabay and collages made with Canva.

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4 Ingredient Baby Lima Bean Soup

The best thing about cooler weather is making easy soups that basically cook themselves in a slow cooker. Today I am reviewing a new favorite; a super easy, four ingredient comfort soup.

A friend kept talking to me about one of his favorite comfort foods, lima bean and bacon soup. He told me how to make it. Initially, I didn't think it sounded at all tasty. But I tried it because, honestly, I'm lazy in the kitchen. And I don't have much time to cook. With my schedule the options are either easy recipes or fast food. 

I looked up Baby Lima Bean and Bacon recipes on the internet to make sure I hadn't misunderstood my friend. I hadn't. I made the soup and liked it so much that it is becoming a favorite.

4 Ingredient Baby Lima Bean and Bacon recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of your favorite bacon (I've used both turkey bacon and pork)
• 1 medium sized onion
• 2 (16 oz) bags of frozen baby lima beans
• 1 (32 oz.) carton of chicken broth 

Cooking directions:

1. Brown the bacon
2. Saute the onions (until they are translucent)
3. Place the bacon, onions, and frozen lima beans in a large slow cooker
4. cover with chicken stock
5. cook on high for 2 1/2 - 3 hours (or until the beans are tender)

Personal Preferences:

I use unsalted chicken broth to reduce sodium and add pepper to taste when I serve it. You can cook your beans at a slower setting and/or for a shorter period of time for al dente beans. As I mentioned previously, this works with a variety of bacon (including turkey bacon to avoid the pork) or the bacon can be substituted with smoked meats such as ham hocks or smoked turkey meats.

If I'm not feeling too lazy, I make cornbread to go with the meal. Otherwise, toast with butter is a wonderful and easy side.

Baby Lima Beans are Nutritious:

Apparently lima beans are not only delicious but are good for us. They contain dietary fiber, copper, folate, potassium, iron, magnesium, vitamin B1 and B6 among other nutrients.  

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Reviewing National Fruit and Veggies Month!

Did You Know That September Was National Fruit & Veggies Month?

Image adapted by Lou16 from a Pixabay image

I must admit it took me by surprise, but it's great that we have months where we can check out healthy eating habits.   March is National Nutrition Month and now we are encouraged to be good in September and make sure we eat all of our fruit and veg.

I'll be honest some days it's hard to get all of those serves of fruit and veg - do you find the same?   I do have a few sneaky ways in which I increase my vegetable intake though and I'm going to share them with you here.

• Greens Balance
• Spiralized Veggies
• Hidden Veggies
• Bulking Out Meals

Greens Balance - My (not so) Secret Weapon!

I love this product it's a powder that provides a serve of fruit and veg in one scoop and it's from 37 different fruit and veg which means you're eating a rainbow.

I usually take mine mixed in a drink, but I know some parents will put a scoop in things such as Bolognese to ensure that fussy children will get some fruit and veg.   I'm actually thinking of making some muffins or pancakes with the Greens Balance on St Patrick's Day next year!

Find out more about this super nutritional booster on my post - Reviewing Arbonne's Greens Balance.

Spiralized Veggies - Reducing Carbs & Adding Veg!

I first heard of spiralized zuchinni/courgette and thought it was an awesome idea and a great way to get my half a plate of vegetables when I just wanted to eat some Spaghetti Bolognese!  Once I brought my own spiralizer I discovered that you can use it on any number of vegetables.

My daughter is all grown up now, but I can imagine her wanting to eat her veggies (especially if she helped spiralize them) when they were in spirals as they just seem more fun!

If you're trying to cut back on eating pasta it is certainly a great compromise, check out my full review - Reviewing A Vegetable Spiralizer.

Hidden Veggies - Sneakily Getting the Veggie Count Up

There are lots of ways in which you can sneak vegetables into your diet from muffins to meatballs and so much more.   These are ways designed to get vegetables past picky eaters, but I love it as just ideas to increase my vegetable intake.

Check out some of these links:

19 Recipes with Hidden Vegetables

Healthy Vegetables with Hidden Veggies

Another way of disguising both fruit and vegetables is by making smoothies or even smoothie bowls.

Bulking Out Meals with Vegetables

Did you know that beans, lentils and chickpeas count towards your serves of vegetables a day?  I tell you that because I love using beans, lentils and vegetables to bulk out my meals.

When my daughter was young and we were a one income household I looked for ways to bulk out our meals, this budget inspired move also had healthy consequences as our vegetable intake increased!

Ideas I implemented included: 

• Adding a tin of white beans to tomato soup and blending it up (this could count as a hidden veggie).
• Adding green beans to lamb satay.
• Adding chickpeas to a chicken curry dish my husband liked.
• Adding frozen mixed vegetables to tuna pasta bake.
• Adding spring onions and corn or onion and peas to potato bake.
• Adding extra beans to chili (I have some recipes that call for black beans in which case I will also add white beans as they take on the flavor nicely and I have some recipes that don't ask for black beans, but I add them anyway!).
• Adding zucchini to a number of different dishes (if it's in season it goes into just about anything from bakes to chili, shepherd's pie to stews).
• Soups and stews can be a great way to add lots of vegetables to including any vegetables that are in the fridge (to avoid waste), any frozen veg or tinned veg.

There are countless ideas that can be used to get your vegetable intake up so let me know what your 'secret' way to increase your vegetable intake is.

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Minestrone Soup Recipe for the Instant Pot

When Bev reviewed the Instant Pot here on Review This Reviews, I knew I had to have one too!  It immediately went on my own Christmas wish list.

Mom and Dad granted my wish and gifted me with an Instant Pot, plus a fabulous Instant Pot Cookbook by Jennifer Smith.  It is listed as a #1 Best Seller on Amazon and there is an excellent reason why.  It truly is packed full of great recipes for the Instant Pot, as well as tips and Instant Pot use instructions.  I was extremely grateful for the use instructions!  The instructions that came with the cooker were not as clear as Jennifer Smith's instructions in her published cookbook.

One great recipe in my new cookbook is the Minestrone Soup recipe.  One of my all time favorite soups is minestrone soup, but before I had my Instant Pot, I had never made it at home.  It was always a specialty that I treated myself to when we dined at our favorite Italian restaurant.  However, I no longer have to dine out to have excellent minestrone soup!  

Minestrone Soup Recipe from the Instant Pot Cookbook
by Jennifer Smith  

I made few changes to Jennifer Smith's minestrone soup recipe, but they were simple changes.  I add more carrots and less onion.  Plus, I leave out the garlic completely.  I've never been a fan of garlic and find that I prefer this soup without it.

I am sharing my version of the Minestrone Soup recipe for the Instant Pot, but you can certainly have Jennifer Smith's original version if you wish to purchase the cookbook.  It really is worth buying.  There are several other great recipes in it that I have already tried and love.  Without it, I might have ended up returning my Instant Pot.  The recipes and instructions that came with it were confusing and unappetizing. 

Minestrone Soup Instant Pot Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 of a White Onion
• 2 Celery Stalks, diced
• 2 large Carrots, diced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 28 oz can Diced Tomatoes
• 1/2 Cup Fresh Spinach, chopped
• 1 Cup Elbow Pasta or Bow Tie Pasta (bow tie shown, but either is delicious)
• 4 Cups Vegetable Broth (I use Simple Truth Organic)
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 15 oz can White Beans  (I use Great Northern Beans)

 Directions

1. Preheat the Instant Pot by selecting Saute.  Add & heat the oil 
2. Add the onion, celery & carrots.  Saute for 5-6 minutes in the heated oil, stirring constantly
3. Stir in basil, oregano, salt & pepper
4. Stir in diced tomatoes, chopped spinach, pasta, broth & bay leaf
5. Press the Cancel button to stop the Saute function
6. Close and lock the lid.  Select Pressurecook button and cook on high for 6 minutes  (note:  it takes a few minutes to heat to cooking temperate.  The cooker timer will not start counting down until it reaches the high temperature.)
7. When the timer beeps, let the soup sit for 2 minutes, then use the quick release valve on the lid to completely release the very hot steam.  Carefully unlock and left the lid.
8. Add the White Beans and stir
9. Remove the Bay Leaf that was used for seasoning.  They are not very tasty to eat.

Now, it is ready to serve!

Instant Pot Use Tips
Based on My Personal Experience

The Instant Pot has a few things that are totally different than any other cooker that I have ever used. 

First to note is the steam release valve on the top.  There is a lot of hot steam and pressure that builds up inside the pot and that hot steam must be released before you unlock the lid.  The Instant Pot makes that easy with the release value on the lid, but you need to stand back away from the steam.  I also recommend pulling it out and away from the underside of your top kitchen cabinets.  It will cause a moisture buildup on your cabinets if you allow the steam to release under the cabinet.  The steam release takes at least 30 seconds to fully disperse.  There is a secondary pop-up valve indicator on the lid that lets you know when it is safe to open the lid.

Second to note is the timer and recipe cook time.  The recipes tell you the cook time, but that time does not include the heating time.  The Instant Pot temperature must reach the cooking point before the timer will start counting down.  That takes several additional minutes for my Instant Pot.

Third to note is the difference in the recipes cooking selection buttons versus how my Instant Pot buttons are labeled.  For instance, this recipe states to "select Manual", but my Instant Pot button is labeled "Pressurecook".  I am guessing that is based on the age or model of your Instant Pot.  You will need to familiarize yourself with your Instant Pot buttons before you start cooking with these recipes.

Selecting and Setting the Timer is a little confusing at first.  It is like a digital alarm clock or automobile clock.  You turn the knob to make a selection on the display and then press the knob to change the timer numbers.  Perhaps that is just me, but I thought mine was broken the first time I used it.

 Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Cookbook: 500 Everyday Recipes for Beginners and Advanced Users. Try Easy and Healthy Instant Pot Recipes.Check Price Instant Pot Ultra, 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Yogurt Maker, Cake Maker, Egg Cooker, Sauté, and more, Includes App With Over 800 Recipes, Stainless Steel, 6 QuartCheck Price

 

Check Out More Recipe Reviews at
ReviewThisRecipes.com

More Instant Pot Soup Recipes

Potato Soup Cooked In InstantPot Reviewed

A delicious recipe for potato soup cooked in an InstantPot will delight your taste buds and fill your tummy.

Instant Pot Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
This instant pot easy chicken noodle soup will surely warm you up on those cold winter days. We are just loving our new Instant Pot.

Minestrone Soup Recipe for the Instant Pot Written by:

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Immersion Hand Blender Reviewed

Easy Way To Blend or Puree Foods

Soup probably pureed with an Immersion Blender
image courtesy of pixabay.com 

I don't own an immersion hand blender yet but I want one pretty darned bad. So, I thought I would review the one that I think that I will purchase in the near future. 

The main reason that I want one of these hand held blenders is that I love tomato soup and I want to be able to make my own. In order to get the correct consistency the soup needs to be pureed. Now, cooking up a big pot of tomatoes for soup and then having to pour batches of it into a regular blender is a pain in the royal keester. For one thing there is the most likely possibility that I will burn myself or spill quite a lot while trying to maneuver the contents from pot to blender. There is also the time involved! Not to mention that the clean-up will be a hot mess! I would have to clean up the pot that the soup is cooked in, the blender and the pot that I would need to put the pureed soup into while going through the blending process. An immersion blender solves all of those obstacles. 

With a hand held blender I can just puree the tomatoes in the pot that they have cooked in eliminating the use of so many tools, the burn factor and the spill factor. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! 

So, I have been looking at my options and there are several to choose from. I can go the expensive route or I can try to save myself a little money. I decided that maybe the best route to pursue is the one that most folks seem to be happy with. So, I looked at ones that have the best reviews and then picked the one that is marked as Amazon's choice; which by the way, happens to have the best review history.

Here is the model that I believe I will purchase after the holidays. There is a possibility that Santa might leave me one so that is why I plan to wait. 

Immersion Hand Blender

I like that it has two attachments. One for blending and a whisk. So, I will be able to puree all sorts of foods or easily whisk ingredients for many recipes. There are six speeds so that should be handy, too. I will be able to make smooth and wonderful tomato soup or wonderful fruit smoothies. I think my possibilities will only be limited by my own imagination.

I think it might be helpful if I let you on something. Depending on the cook these hand blenders are known as immersion blenders or sometimes they are called emulsion blenders. Those two words are describing the same tool.

How about you? Do you own an immersion hand blender? If not, do you think it would be something that you would use? Not only do I plan on using mine a lot but I think this is a wonderful idea as a wedding gift or a holiday gift for your favorite cook. 

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Easy Beef Stroganoff Crock-Pot Recipe Review

Easy Beef Stroganoff from Crock-Pot.

Easy and filling meals are a must at my place. Cooking this Easy Beef Stroganoff recipe in the Crock-Pot while I'm at work, or while I'm busy with chores on the weekend, has been a meal that I look forward to. It also makes enough to provide delicious leftovers. 

Easy Beef Stroganoff in the Crock-Pot

Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes is a little cookbook with super easy recipes. One of my favorites from this little cook book is the Easy Beef Stroganoff.  With only 5 ingredients (if you include the water) and served over either noodles or rice it is a meal that could not be much easier. I have served this over rice. But I prefer to use "Amish Noodles" with this recipe.

I do adjust this recipe just a bit. I like more meat and less "gravy". So I use more than 2 lbs of meat and only 2 cans of the mushroom soup. Sometimes, I use beef roast instead of stew meat. I buy the cut of meat that is on sale. Stew meat results in bite-sized chunks of meat and the roast results in a shredded meat and both versions are delicious.

Whether you use the same Crock-Pot cookbook I have, or search for Crock-Pot recipes online and other slow cooker cookbooks, I'm sure you can find your own favorite recipes. Clearly, I'm a fan of the ease of slow cooker cooking and highly recommend giving a slow cooker a try.

Crock-Pots

Between work, a slow commute, and my lack of skills in the kitchen, it isn't always easy to find meals that meet my needs and are tasty. I depend on my Crock-Pot. In fact, I like using slow cookers so much that I own 2 of them (a large 7 qt size and a small 2 qt size). Cooking in a Crock-Pot seems to leave less room for error. It also provides significant cost-savings (taking easy, tasty comfort food leftovers to work for lunch is much less costly than purchasing a lunch each day). 

My favorite Crock-Pot meals include pulled pork, shredded chicken, roasted beets (I've shifted from making them in the oven to the small crock pot), stews, chili (including white chili made with the shredded chicken), and squash "lasagna".

Related Links:

Louanne shares instructions for making her healthy Vegetable stock in a Crock-Pot. 

My next Crock-Pot will be the portable version; with the latches to hold the lid tight. And the travel bag. I have co-workers who use these for the potlucks at work and the locking lid and bag are GREAT ideas!

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3 Refreshing Pea Recipes for Summer

It is very hot outside and I'm feeling particularly lazy. Yet I'm hungry. It's too hot to eat a full, heavy meal but I'm really hungry. After seeing my gardening friends posting their magazine quality photos of their pea harvests, I'm having a pea craving. I think the following three recipes are the three best pea recipes. 

7 Layer Salad

I love 7 layer salads. I tend to make them only occasionally in the summer and have not yet made one this year. There are a variety of 7 layer salad recipes to be found, but I always use the recipe that uses peas. I love the flavor that peas add to this salad.

While looking for that recipe, so I could give you the amounts of the ingredients, I found this version of a Layered Salad by The Pioneer Woman. I like her version even better! She adds spinach and tomatoes - in addition to the 7 ingredients I add: lettuce, eggs, peas, green onions, bacon, cheese, and mayo. 

Layered Salad by The Pioneer Woman

Her salad is like a beautiful BLT in a bowl, with the added oomph of the peas and other ingredients. What a fresh and beautiful layer salad. YUM! My mouth is watering. 

I need to stop at the farmer's stand and buy some fresh, ripe 'maters - instead of those cardboard flavored tomatoes at the grocery. 

Pea Soup

Pea Soup recipe by Eating Well

Pea soup!  How easy and flavorful can you get?  This Pea Soup recipe by Eating Well is right up my alley - only 12 ingredients; all of which I have in my kitchen right now with the exception of fresh thyme or parsley. The recipe claims that it only takes 35 minutes until ready to eat.

In this heat, I believe I would serve this chilled (as many pea soup recipes are) but I can also imagine this would be a great soup to prepare and serve either warm or chilled - depending on my mood that day.

Smashed Peas with Mint Butter

All my life, I've smashed my peas in my potatoes and made smashed peas. Mom served them separately but they ended up mashed together on my plate. Who knew that would become "a thing" ?!  Well, it is. 

Including the water, this Smashed Pea with Mint Butter recipe by Genius Kitchen has a whopping 7 ingredients! Again, everything I have in my kitchen already with the exception of fresh parsley. No, I don't intentionally boycott parsley, I apparently just don't really use it.

The idea of adding my own fresh mint (from the balcony) to my smashed peas excites me.

Smashed Peas with Mint Butter by Genius Kitchen

*  *  *  *  *  

Whether you prefer using fresh peas for a garden to table cooking or frozen peas (because frozen peas keep their flavor for a garden-fresh taste even when the gardens aren't producing) I hope you find one of these recipes to be useful. 

Summer is a wonderful time for trying new recipes and re-visiting family favorites because the seasonal vegetables are at their freshest and most flavorful. I always feel more adventurous in the kitchen when gardens are in full swing.

Related Link:

Do you think you hate eating peas? For me it was beets. I despised beets for decades. But I changed my mind recently. Here is my article about how I came to love (and crave) beets. Even if you think you don't want to eat peas, one of the above recipes may change your mind.

Looking for vegetable recipes other than peas?  I've included some recommended cookbooks below. And yes, I've included a kid-friendly cookbook (being released in October) because, frankly, kid-friendly recipes are more my style.


Photo Credit: Intro photo courtesy of Pixaby - CC0 creative commons

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Recipes for Real People a Site Review

Recipes for Real People is a recipe and kitchen website that offers recipes and food ideas that are quick, easy, and useful for everyday meals. From Aprons to Vegetables, you will find comfort food recipes, meal ideas, and kitchen gifts for you and your family.

Why I Turn to Recipes for Real People

I can't even begin to guess the number of recipe websites on the internet. So why would I turn to Recipes for Real People?  There are several reasons I look to this site for ideas. Just this morning I woke with many things on my mind. I have household chores to do, reports to write for work, and assorted things I would like to accomplish with my own website. I have to find a way to save some time today.

After unseasonably warm days, a thunderstorm rolled through last night and brought behind it a very cold and cloudy morning. I am craving comfort food and not sure what I have in the kitchen. After having spent the past few days driving around with the Jeep top open and enjoying the warm weather, I had no reason to buy ingredients to make chili or stew. But now it is very cold outside, the furnace is on, I am under the blankets, and I am craving something warm and filling. Something like stew or chili. However, to make either of those things, I'd have to run out to the store.

Thanks to a recipe found on Recipes for Real People, I have found a meal idea and won't have to go to the grocery after all.

I should clarify that I am writing this on Sunday and it will be published on Monday. On Monday I will be back at the office, hard at work - giving my time and energy to others. So I am especially thankful for time-saving ideas that allow me to spend more time on the weekends on myself. 

Hamburger Vegetable Soup Recipe

Susan's Hamburger Vegetable Soup recipe is just the type of thing I am craving.  Her four-ingredient recipe is easy and made from ingredients that are often found in the kitchen at any given time.  I do not currently have any fresh ground beef in the fridge. But I do have ground sausage. So I will substitute the sausage for the ground beef and have a filling, warm, comfort meal and won't have to leave the apartment today!  In fact, come to think of it, I have a few different cans of soup that I could use as substitutes for the vegetable soup in Susan's recipe. Perhaps I'll add the sausage to a can of creamy chicken soup.  I don't know. I will decide later.  But I am relieved that a trip to the grocery is something I can remove from today's full to-do list.  All thanks to Recipes for Real People.

 (photo by Susan)

A few more reasons I turn to Recipes for Real People

• Recipes for Real People is a website owned by one of our Review This! contributors - Susan Deppner
• I trust that Susan is sharing recipes that she cooks in her own home
• these recipes call for few ingredients that are readily available
• quick and easy prep recipes
• leftovers are used in the Recipes for Real People kitchen - I am a firm believer in using leftovers

Susan's kitchen helpers are adorable

Related Recipe Links

The Review This! contributors share some of their favorite recipes on this site. The variety of recipes, meals, kitchen items, and food reviews that the contributors bring is amazing. From slow cooker beans and TexMex lasagna to buttery shrimp pasta and party menus, there is something to suit everyone's tastes. To see those recipes, use the Review This! recipes tab and scroll. Our own Sylvestermouse Cynthia enjoys food, entertaining, and the holidays.  She is the owner of two food-related sites Fun Food and Cooking for the Holidays.

Fun Food focuses on "fabulous fun food". I swear some of the ideas shown are works of art!  From bright and colorful swirls of jello to snake cakes and food castles, these recipes are as fun to look at as they are tasty to eat.

Cooking for the Holidays is exactly as advertised - meals, desserts, and appetizers specific to holidays and entertaining. This website is elegant and offers recipes that will likely never happen in my little kitchen for one but are perfect for those who enjoy celebrations and entertaining. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Reviewing the Savings of a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer

Pink is only one of the MANY KitchenAid colors available

I have recently decided that I need to purchase a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer as soon as possible.  This is a complete change of mind about investing in a what I had previously considered "just another kitchen gadget". And to be more specific, another gadget that has a hefty price tag when you are budgeting every penny. But I have reviewed the many reasons of why the cost would be justified and have observed others using this important kitchen tool. Below, I will share the primary reasons that I have decided a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer is an important purchase to make, and worth budgeting for. 

Customizing Bread Recipes for Health and Savings

I am discovering the joys of homemade bread.  My first successful recipe was an easy Peasant Bread that consisted of letting it rising and punching it down more than kneading.  As I became proficient with that bread, I attempted another bread recipe - the Ultimate Bread recipe. This second bread recipe requires kneading. 

So far, I've done this kneading by hand and have had no problems. However, it is a bit time consuming and tiring. The older I become the more quickly my hands tire. I have decided to bake my own bread weekly and have done so recently but I'm learning that I need a bit of help.

Energy Savings - I am referring to my energy. I feel like there are not enough hours in the day and that I need to be twins in order to get everything finished that I want to finish on the weekends.  Making bread is a priority.  But as I am kneading, and my hands are growing tired, I think that "there must be an easier way". Well, there is.  It is a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer with a bread hook attachment. If the machine does the kneading I can save my energy for other tasks.

Money Savings - Have you noticed the prices of bread in the stores? I am a one-person household but I go through a good share of bread. I like toast and peanut butter sandwiches. I like to make grilled cheese sandwiches to go with my soup. With bread recipes that have only 6 ingredients, two loaves of store-bought bread can easily cover the costs of the ingredients to make many loaves of bread at home.

Possible Health Benefits - With 6 ingredients going into my homemade bread, I know what I am eating. The bread that I typically purchased from the store lists ingredients that I am able to pronounce. So there were no mystery ingredients. However, it also lists gluten. 

For folks who need gluten-free breads, or have preferences about the types of flours they consume, they can easily adjust recipes to suit their needs.

KitchenAid Artisan Mixer Reviews

There are many, many reviews online and much information about KitchenAid Artisan Mixers.  I will not reinvent the wheel and rewrite that information. Especially since I am not yet a proud owner of this important kitchen tool. 

Heather does own one and has reviewed her KitchenAid as well as shared important information such as the best time of year to make your purchases due to sales. If you are ready to learn more about these mixers from current owners, I would start with her review.

After reviewing the financial, physical energy, and health related savings, it becomes easy to see that a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer will be an investment that pays for itself fairly quickly. The most difficult part of the purchase will be choosing just one of the many beautiful colors. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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