Looking for cute scarves? Click the pic, 'cause there's several up for sale! :) I've made several over the last few days (and am still working on others!) and love how they've turned out! I can definitely see myself wearing these beautiful scarves!
Life has been, for the most part, pretty good. Things are progressing well, and there are wonderful, happy times ahead. Finally!
As for happenings, I have been busy with work and crafting, but I have indeed also been playing my games, with the latest being Pokemon X. It's a far better game graphically than the others, and tends to be more interesting (to me) than the past versions. I'm also getting ready to start reading The Hobbit for the first time, and I'm really looking forward to that!
I was supposed to work today, but it got called off on account of the ice storm (again) this morning, so here I am at home. Oh! I haven't been sharing cooking stories! I suppose I'll do that at well with this update! :D
Two days ago I used that lovely Kitchenaid Mixer to whip up some mashed potatoes. Granted, while this is a fairly "duh" type of thing, I was amazed at how fluffy they were, especially with the butter and cream that I add to mine! It was extremely nice to be able to start the beating process and go back and forth from the mixer to the refrigerator, rather than having to stand right there and hold the mixer, which was how I did it in the past with my hand mixer. As I mentioned in my previous post, I have carpal tunnel, and holding a vibrating, running hand mixer for several minutes can cause my hand to cramp up very quickly, so not having to hold onto anything, and be able to adjust the speed and intensity so quickly was definitely a plus!
Last night I also utilized (part of) a recipe for slow cooker potato soup, since the last time I tried it with MY recipe, all the milk/cream curdled and it looked TERRIBLE! (Looking back on things, this happening was kind of a "duh" moment, but I really didn't think about the lower indirect heat curdling the milk products, since it never was a problem on the stove due to the rolling boil...) This recipe essentially substituted chicken broth for the milk and cream. Here is a general idea of what I put into my recipe, though the seasonings were all "to taste," so you'll have to play around for the total amount!
Ms. Glitter's Wonderbag Potato Soup
In a 7qt stock pot, combine potatoes, onion, and chicken broth, as well as salt, pepper, celery salt, and Nature's Season seasoning blend. Stir and bring to a rolling boil on the stovetop. Once the soup is boiling, allow it to boil for 15-20 minutes, covered tightly with a lid.
After the soup has boiled, remove from stove and place in a Wonderbag slow cooking bag, and seal. Leave to cook for 6-8 hours, but no longer than 12 hours. 30-45 minute prior to serving, add evaporated milk and cream, stirring well, then reseal in the Wonderbag to finish cooking. Serve hot with shredded cheese and bacon bits.
This recipe tastes a LOT like the potato soup that Outback Steakhouse makes, which was, until making this, my favorite potato soup out there! The biggest difference is that due to the nature of a slow cooker, this tends to come out thinner than most potato soups, however it could easily be thickened by adding some instant potato flakes to the broth before putting it in the bag, and stirring well. These flakes will expand and take up some of the broth, providing a thicker soup broth, without altering the flavor.
If you try this recipe and enjoy it, I encourage you to leave a comment!
Life has been, for the most part, pretty good. Things are progressing well, and there are wonderful, happy times ahead. Finally!
As for happenings, I have been busy with work and crafting, but I have indeed also been playing my games, with the latest being Pokemon X. It's a far better game graphically than the others, and tends to be more interesting (to me) than the past versions. I'm also getting ready to start reading The Hobbit for the first time, and I'm really looking forward to that!
I was supposed to work today, but it got called off on account of the ice storm (again) this morning, so here I am at home. Oh! I haven't been sharing cooking stories! I suppose I'll do that at well with this update! :D
Two days ago I used that lovely Kitchenaid Mixer to whip up some mashed potatoes. Granted, while this is a fairly "duh" type of thing, I was amazed at how fluffy they were, especially with the butter and cream that I add to mine! It was extremely nice to be able to start the beating process and go back and forth from the mixer to the refrigerator, rather than having to stand right there and hold the mixer, which was how I did it in the past with my hand mixer. As I mentioned in my previous post, I have carpal tunnel, and holding a vibrating, running hand mixer for several minutes can cause my hand to cramp up very quickly, so not having to hold onto anything, and be able to adjust the speed and intensity so quickly was definitely a plus!
Last night I also utilized (part of) a recipe for slow cooker potato soup, since the last time I tried it with MY recipe, all the milk/cream curdled and it looked TERRIBLE! (Looking back on things, this happening was kind of a "duh" moment, but I really didn't think about the lower indirect heat curdling the milk products, since it never was a problem on the stove due to the rolling boil...) This recipe essentially substituted chicken broth for the milk and cream. Here is a general idea of what I put into my recipe, though the seasonings were all "to taste," so you'll have to play around for the total amount!
Ms. Glitter's Wonderbag Potato Soup
- 4-5 Large White Potatoes, diced
- 1 Small Yellow Onion, diced
- 2 32 oz cartons and 1 can Chicken Broth
- Salt
- Pepper
- Nature's Season Seasoning Blend
- 1 12 oz can Evaporated Milk (NOT condensed!!)
- Approximately 12oz Heavy Cream (I didn't measure, but poured about the equivalent amount to the evaporated milk!)
In a 7qt stock pot, combine potatoes, onion, and chicken broth, as well as salt, pepper, celery salt, and Nature's Season seasoning blend. Stir and bring to a rolling boil on the stovetop. Once the soup is boiling, allow it to boil for 15-20 minutes, covered tightly with a lid.
After the soup has boiled, remove from stove and place in a Wonderbag slow cooking bag, and seal. Leave to cook for 6-8 hours, but no longer than 12 hours. 30-45 minute prior to serving, add evaporated milk and cream, stirring well, then reseal in the Wonderbag to finish cooking. Serve hot with shredded cheese and bacon bits.
This recipe tastes a LOT like the potato soup that Outback Steakhouse makes, which was, until making this, my favorite potato soup out there! The biggest difference is that due to the nature of a slow cooker, this tends to come out thinner than most potato soups, however it could easily be thickened by adding some instant potato flakes to the broth before putting it in the bag, and stirring well. These flakes will expand and take up some of the broth, providing a thicker soup broth, without altering the flavor.
If you try this recipe and enjoy it, I encourage you to leave a comment!