Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

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We are potato lovers in this house! When my wife was pregnant that is all she craved (then she ironically developed gestational diabetes, so no more for her!)

Nothing is better on a cool almost spring day than a hearty bowl of potato soup! This classic recipe brings everything you love about a baked potato into a bowl with creamy texture you will love to scarf down!

To make this the ultimate soup, you could really use an immersion blender. It makes is so easy, and saves you the hassle of having to blend it in batches in your standard stand blender. (Though if you love a classic blender, might we recommend Ninja?)

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Cheese, Comfort, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Potatoes, Soup

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

8 cups of water
4 TBS chicken base
4 lbs red potatoes, chopped into 1″ pieces
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 lb bacon, chopped, cooked, divided – reserve grease
1 1/2 cups of sour cream, plus more for garnish
1 lb cheddar cheese, shredded for garnish
1 bunch of green onion, chopped for garnish

Instructions

Mix water, chicken base, potatoes, onion, 1/2 of cooked bacon, and reserved bacon grease in a 6 QT slow cooker.
Cook for 3 hours on high, then 3 hours on low for a total cook time of 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
Using an immersion blender, blend soup until slightly chunkier than desired texture (we like it a little chunky).
Add in 1 1/2 cups of sour cream and blend to desired texture.
Garnish with remaining bacon, green onion, cheddar cheese, and sour cream.

Want to elevate this soup? We love this “Deluxe” version filled with Parmesan!

April 18, 2019April 15, 2019

Slow Cooker Deluxe Potato Soup

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

As spring gets closer, some of those blustery in between days can get pretty chilly. We’ve had such whiplash between sunny weather and rain/snow that we aren’t ever sure what to prepare.

A good fall back is some soup to warm the soul in the slow cooker so you don’t warm up the house! The ultimate comfort food is the potato, and this soup celebrates it in an elevated way!

We have loved our immersion blender, and jump at any opportunity to use it! I couldn’t find ours available anymore, but this one on Amazon is a great price!

Slow Cooker Deluxe Potato Soup

Cheese, Comfort, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Potatoes, Soup

Slow Cooker Deluxe Potato Soup

Ingredients

8 cups of water
4 TBS chicken base
4 lbs red potatoes, chopped into 1″ pieces
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 lb bacon, chopped, cooked, divided – reserve grease
1 lb Parmesan cheese, shredded, divided
1 bunch of green onion, chopped

Instructions

Mix water, chicken base, potatoes, onion, 1/2 of cooked bacon, and reserved bacon grease in a 6 QT slow cooker.
Cook for 3 hours on high, then 3 hours on low for a total cook time of 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
Using an immersion blender, blend soup until slightly chunkier than desired texture (we like it a little chunky).
Add in 1 1/2 cups of shredded Parmesan and blend to desired texture.
Garnish with remaining bacon, green onion, and more Parmesan.

Notes

Make this Vegetarian friendly by not adding bacon and using Vegetable Bouillon instead of chicken base.

A little to indulgent? Check out our classic Loaded Baked Potato Soup for a simpler take!

April 11, 2019April 11, 2019

Deep Fried Mozzarella Sticks

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

With the NBA playoffs coming up (I say “Go Trailblazers!” and my wife is an unapologetic Jazz fan) we’ve been making up appetizers and finger foods. Nothing is better than a hot bit of deep fried cheese!

Sure, you can go to the frozen section of the nearest grocery store and grab a giant bag of frozen sticks. We prefer to make our own – you can mix up what cheese you use, and make up some fresh breadcrumbs if you want. You’ll always know you have the freshest ingredients and the best quality ingredients without all the preservatives or chemicals the store bought variety will have.

Deep Fried Mozzarella Sticks

Appetizer, Cheese, Comfort Foods, Fried, Sides, Vegetarian

Deep Fried Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients

10 oz block of Mozzarella cheese
3 Eggs
2 TBS Milk
2 1/2 cups of seasoned breadcrumbs

Instructions

Cut cheese into 20 1/2″ square strips weighing about 1/2 oz each.
In a shallow bowl or dish beat together eggs and milk. Place breadcrumbs in another shallow dish.
Dredge cheese strips in breadcrumbs, then dredge in the egg mixture. Place back into breadcrumbs and coat thoroughly.
Preheat deep fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry the strips in batches for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until crispy and golden. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.

If freezing for later:

After breading the cheese, place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in freezer for 2 hours.
Place in air tight bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Fried cheese not your thing? Start the party off right with our other appetizers like Fried Calamari or Homemade French Fries!

March 19, 2019April 8, 2019

Sausage and Cheese Baked Ravioli

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

I can never have enough Italian food! Its by far my favorite food “genre”. Bright acidic tomatoes paired with cheese and pasta – you can’t go wrong!

These ravioli are the perfect classic. Baked to perfection and smothered in red sauce, you and your family will not be able to resist! Don’t plan on there being any leftovers…

Sausage and Cheese Baked Ravioli

Cheese, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Italian, Meat, Pasta, Uncategorized

Sausage and Cheese Baked Ravioli

Ingredients

1 lb mozzarella cheese
1 lb ricotta cheese
1 lb ground Italian sausage
8 eggs
4 cups flour
4-8 oz cans of tomato sauce
1 TBS onion powder
1 TBS garlic powder
1/3 cup Italian seasoning

Instructions

Make the pasta –

Put the flour into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour.
Crack eggs into the flour, pop yolks and mix flour into the eggs in the well using a fork. Then thoroughly combine mixture until you have formed a dough. If it sticky, add small amounts of flour until the desired consistency. If dry and cracking, add small amounts of water until the desired consistency.
Roll pasta out using a rolling pin to about 1/8” in thickness and to larger than 5×10”. Trim pasta into a 5×10” rectangle.
Slice the rectangle into two sections – 2×10” and 3×10”.
Take the 3×10” piece and roll it out longer, making it 3×12”.

Make the Filling –

In a medium skillet, cook ground sausage. Remove from heat and cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine mozzarella and ricotta cheese.

Making the ravioli –

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.
Using the 2×10” rectangle of pasta and starting 1” from the edges, begin adding 1TBS of cheese mixture about every 2”. Place some sausage on each mound of cheese.
Make an egg wash (1TBS of water per egg, beat together) and brush it between each mound of cheese and sausage and along the edges of the pasta sheet.
Carefully lift the 3×12” sheet of pasta and place over other pasta, cheese, and sausage. Press down between each mound, making sure to seal.
Using a knife or ravioli cutter, cut in between each mound to create 2” pieces. To finish sealing pieces, use a fork or other crimping tool to push down along the edges of each piece.
Place pieces onto baking sheet. Lightly brush the top of the pieces with olive oil.
Bake for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.

Making the sauce –

In a medium sauce pan, combine the tomato sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
Bring to a light boil. Allow to cool, spread over baked ravioli.

Don’t feel like cutting your own ravioli? We found this nifty ravioli stamp set that we’ve added to our wish list for Christmas!

Ravioli Stamp Set,MASTER FENG Ravioli Maker Cutter Stamp, Mold with Wooden Handle and Fluted Edge

March 9, 2019April 22, 2019

Air Fried Cheesy Spinach Ravioli

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

My family are all big spinach fans! In salad, stewed, mixed with artichokes and cream cheese – you really can’t go wrong with this healthy and versatile veggie!

I recently started making my own ravioli, and wanted to mix it up a bit. I know what you are thinking – Spinach Ravioli has been done before. Not like this though.

I changed it up by keeping the spinach out of the filling – I put it in the dough!

Even our little guy, who is starting to question green foods we put on his plate, scarfed his down and begged for more!

Making them in the air fryer makes them healthier and faster! We love our Crux – we got it as a Christmas present from Lexi’s parents and we’ve used it so much! Here it is, and some other things you’ll need for this recipe.

Air Fried Cheesy Spinach Ravioli

Cheese, Italian, Non-Traditional, Pasta, Vegetarian

12-15

Air Fried Cheesy Spinach Ravioli

Ingredients

1 lb of spinach, stemmed
2 large eggs
3 cups of flour
1 lb mozzarella cheese
1 lb ricotta cheese
Egg wash (1 egg, 1 TBS water)
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 tsp garlic butter
1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a pan, cook down the spinach. Allow to cool. Drain spinach, and lightly press to remove excess liquid from spinach.
Put the 1 1/2 cups of flour into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour.
Crack eggs into the flour, pop yolks and mix flour into the eggs in the well using a fork. Then thoroughly combine mixture until you have formed a sticky dough. Gradually add small amounts of flour until the desired consistency. If dry and cracking, add small amounts of water until the desired consistency.
Heavily flour a flat work surface. Roll pasta out using a rolling pin to about 1/8” in thickness and to larger than 5×10”. Trim pasta into a 5×10” rectangle. Slice the rectangle into two sections – 2×10” and 3×10”. Take the 3×10” piece and roll it out longer, making it 3×12”.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the mozzarella and ricotta. Using the 2×10” rectangle of pasta and starting 1” from the edges, begin adding 1TBS of cheese mixture about every 2”.
Brush the egg wash between each mound of cheese and along the edges of the pasta sheet. Carefully lift the 3×12” sheet of pasta and place over other pasta and cheese. Press down between each mound, making sure to seal.
Using a knife or ravioli cutter, cut in between each mound to create 2” pieces. To finish sealing pieces, use a fork or other crimping tool to push down along the edges of each piece.
Place ravioli on a baking sheet and put in the freezer for at least an hour. Put them into a freezer bag until you are ready to cook.
When you are ready to cook, preheat your air fryer. Lightly coat the ravioli with olive oil just before putting them in. Air fry for 6 minutes at 400 degrees.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a small bowl, microwave the butter for 30 seconds to melt. Mix in the garlic powder. Brush the garlic butter on the cooked ravioli. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Place on a baking sheet. Bake for just long enough to melt the cheese.

They are delicious on their own, but you can easily pair them with more garlic butter or an alfredo sauce!

March 6, 2019March 8, 2019

Smothered Stuffed Shells

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Though this recipe is not exactly traditional, I am nothing if a little extra.

The first meal I shared with my future-in-laws and family after mine and Lexi’s engagement, I made some homemade stuffed shells. So whenever I make stuffed shells I feel especially nostalgic and romantic.

When we were taking the pictures for this recipe, Alexis called these “the sloppy joe’s of Italian food”. Even though they aren’t the prettiest, they are so cheesy and delicious you can’t help but dig in!

We love using our non-stick lasagna pan. Its wider and longer than the 9×13 glass pan we used to do, meaning more food. We got ours at Ross for a killer deal, but this one on Amazon is a great buy!

Smothered Stuffed Shells

Cheese, Dinner, Italian, Non-Traditional, Pasta

Smothered Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ricotta cheese
1 1/2 lbs + 1/2 lbs mozzarella cheese
1 – 12oz box of jumbo shell pasta
64oz tomato sauce
2/3 cups of Italian seasoning
1/8 cup of garlic powder
1/8 cup of onion powder
1lb ground Italian sausage

Instructions

Fry ground Italian sausage. Drain and set aside.
Boil pasta for half of cook time mentioned on box. Drain, and carefully separate out 21 pieces without tears or holes. (Cook the entire box so you have enough pieces even if some break. You can freeze any extras to use later.)
In a medium bowl, mix tomato sauce and spices. In another bowl mix the ricotta cheese and 1 ½ lbs of mozzarella cheese.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place a 1” layer of sauce on the bottom of your 10×14” lasagna pan.
How to stuff the shells: Using a spoon, fill each shell with cheese mixture. Then pinch noodle partially closed until edges of shells are about half an inch apart, but not touching. Scrape off excess cheese.
Place stuffed shells in three even rows of seven shells each. Sprinkle cooked ground meat over shells and sauce. Spoon remaining sauce over shells, and then sprinkle remaining 1/2lb of mozzarella cheese.
Loosely cover pan with tin foil. Place in the oven and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake again for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly brown around edges.

Don’t forget your green side salad and garlic bread!

March 3, 2019September 16, 2019

Pepper Jack Jalapeno Bread

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

If you are like me, sometimes Cheddar Jalapeno bread is just not spicy enough. So I did a little experiment and added pepper jack instead of cheddar to my bread recipe.

And voila!

A spicy jalapeno bread with plenty of extra bite.

Pepper Jack Jalapeno Bread

Bread, Cheese, Jalapeno, Non-Traditional

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup luke-warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
4 cups flour
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
3 jalapeno peppers, diced

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast into 1/4 cup of the warm water, taking only up to 10 minutes to do so. Add 2 cups of the flour, then gradually mix in 3/4 cups more water until sticky dough is formed.
Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 10 minutes, pushing forward against the dough, folding in half, and rotating a quarter turn**. Dough should be elastic but not sticky. When you push your finger into it the surface should rebound a bit. **If you do not want to knead, you can put the dough in stand mixer with a dough hook until it looks like described above.
Lightly flour a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and cover with a damp towel. Leave to rise in a warm place until dough has doubled in size – about 2-3 hours.
Place two cups of flour onto a work surface. Place dough in the flour and begin kneading again, gradually adding 3/4 cups of water. Then add olive oil, salt, cheese, and peppers. Knead until ingredients are combined.
Add back to floured bowl and cover with damp towel, allowing to rise for another 2-3 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat 2 loaf pans with olive oil.
Take dough out of bowl and slap it on your work surface several times. Divide dough in two and shape into loaf shapes. Place in pans.
Place pans in preheated oven. Bake for 12 minutes, then turn the heat down to 375 degrees. Continue baking for an additional 45.
When baking is finished, remove from pans and place on cooling racks. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

March 3, 2019September 16, 2019

Cheddar Jalapeno Bread

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Need a spicy twist to your homemade bread routine?

This loaf with its large chunks of jalapeno and cooling cheese is perfect toasted with some cream cheese or to spice up a sandwich.

Cheddar Jalapeno Bread

Bread, Cheese, Jalapeno, Non-Traditional

Cheddar Jalapeno Bread

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup luke-warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
4 cups flour
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 jalapeno peppers, diced

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast into 1/4 cup of the warm water, taking only up to 10 minutes to do so. Add 2 cups of the flour, then gradually mix in 3/4 cups more water until sticky dough is formed.
Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 10 minutes, pushing forward against the dough, folding in half, and rotating a quarter turn**. Dough should be elastic but not sticky. When you push your finger into it the surface should rebound a bit. **If you do not want to knead, you can put the dough in stand mixer with a dough hook until it looks like described above.
Lightly flour a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and cover with a damp towel. Leave to rise in a warm place until dough has doubled in size – about 2-3 hours.
Place two cups of flour onto a work surface. Place dough in the flour and begin kneading again, gradually adding 3/4 cups of water. Then add olive oil, salt, cheese, and peppers. Knead until ingredients are combined.
Add back to floured bowl and cover with damp towel, allowing to rise for another 2-3 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat 2 loaf pans with olive oil.
Take dough out of bowl and slap it on your work surface several times. Divide dough in two and shape into loaf shapes. Place in pans.
Place pans in preheated oven. Bake for 12 minutes, then turn the heat down to 375 degrees. Continue baking for an additional 45.
When baking is finished, remove from pans and place on cooling racks. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

March 3, 2019September 16, 2019

Extreme Cheese Lasagna

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Now, I don’t throw the word “extreme” around lightly. So when I tell you this lasagna is extremely cheesy, you can take that to the bank! You may need to go to the bank, actually, and get a loan to afford all this cheese!

We don’t indulge in this lasagna very often. We look all year long for major deals and then we buy in major bulk. A local restaurant supply liquidation store we frequent recently had huge 6lb blocks of mozzarella on sale for $8 a piece! So we grabbed a couple. The next week we came back and they still had a ton, and because the sell by dates were getting close they had them for…

…wait for it…

2 for $8! We grabbed as many as we could, cut them into 1 lb blocks, and bagged them up for the freezer. We’ve been slowly working through the cheese. This lasagna made a dent in our stash, but it was sooooo worth it!

Its got 4 pounds of cheese. Four pounds! It was almost hard to take out of the pan.

This traditional Italian dish is perfect for your next family get together. Big enough to feed a crowd and please them all!

Extreme Cheese Lasagna

Cheese, Dinner, Italian, Meals for a Crowd, Splurge

Extreme Cheese Lasagna

Ingredients

For the Pasta

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups of flour
If you are not making your own pasta 1 box of lasagna noodles

For the Sauce

64 oz tomato sauce
2/3 cups of Italian seasoning
1/8 cup of garlic powder
1/8 cup of onion powder

Layering ingredients

2 lbs of ricotta cheese
2 lbs of mozzarella cheese
1 lb Italian sausage links
1 lb ground Italian sausage

Instructions

Homemade Noodles –

Put the flour into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour.
Crack eggs into the flour, pop yolks and mix flour into the eggs in the well using a fork. Then thoroughly combine mixture until you have formed a dough. If it sticky, add small amounts of flour until the desired consistency. If dry and cracking, add small amounts of water until the desired consistency.
Use an adjustable pasta roller to finish the dough. Place the dough through the roller at the largest size setting. Adjust the roller down a size and roll pasta sheet through again. If holes form in the sheet fold in half and place back into roller at the same thickness you just used. Continue rolling pasta, adjusting to next lowest setting until desired thickness. Cut noodles to desired width and about 1” longer than the pan you are going to use to make the lasagna.
Dry flat – pasta will shrink slightly as it dries. Store in an air tight container until ready to use. Do not pre-cook noodles before adding to the lasagna.

Make the Lasagna

In two separate pans, fry ground sausage and sliced link sausage. Once fully cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
If cooking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s time to layer! Begin with a light layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Place first layer of noodles, covering bottom. Do not worry if there is space between noodles as long as it is less than half an inch between each one. Add half of the remaining sauce. Layer on 1lb of ricotta cheese in 1TBS sized dollops, then spread evenly. Layer on 1lb of mozzarella cheese. Layer on half of the ground sausage and half of the sausage links, spread out evenly.
Repeat layers with remaining ingredients except for mozzarella. Place remaining mozzarella on top, making sure to cover completely.
Place loose layer of aluminum foil over pan.
If freezing – tightly wrap entire pan in plastic wrap. Freeze flat. Before cooking, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Once thawed bake as normal.
When ready to bake, place lasagna pan on cookie sheet to prevent dripping messes in the bottom of your oven.
Bake covered for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 25 minutes.

March 2, 2019September 16, 2019

Asiago Olive Oil Bread

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Nothing tastes better than hot fresh bread! And nothing can compare to this version of our Old Fashioned Italian Olive Oil Bread.

Asiago cheese is one of my favorites, and this bread was one of the first things I made to add to the blog. Fluffy insides and a crispy crust pair well with the bite of the Asiago cheese mixed throughout.

Asiago Olive Oil Bread

Bread, Cheese, Italian, Old Fashioned

Old fashioned bread with a cheesy bite of Asiago

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup luke-warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
4 cups flour
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 cup grated Asiago cheese

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast into 1/4 cup of the warm water, taking only up to 10 minutes to do so. Add 2 cups of the flour, then gradually mix in 3/4 cups more water until sticky dough is formed.
Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 10 minutes, pushing forward against the dough, folding in half, and rotating a quarter turn**. Dough should be elastic but not sticky. When you push your finger into it the surface should rebound a bit. **If you do not want to knead, you can put the dough in stand mixer with a dough hook until it looks like described above.
Lightly flour a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and cover with a damp towel. Leave to rise in a warm place until dough has doubled in size – about 2-3 hours.
Place two cups of flour onto a work surface. Place dough in the flour and begin kneading again, gradually adding 3/4 cups of water. Add olive oil, salt, and cheese. Knead until ingredients are combined.
Add back to floured bowl and cover with damp towel, allowing to rise for another 2-3 hours or until dough has doubled in size.

Want something more classic? Try our original recipe, or spice it up with our Pepper Jack or Cheddar Jalapeno breads!