Recipe ~ Baked Potato Soup

3 T butter
1/3 c flour

Melt butter over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add flour and stir with wire whisk rapidly till well mixed. Turn heat down slightly and slowly add 1 can of evaporated milk making a thick white sauce. (This MUST be evaporated milk or it will separate and look curdled)

Continue to stir and add 1 can of water. Keep heat high enough to cook the sauce so it thickens. Make sure it gets very thick. This will take time and patience and lots of stirring so you do not have a lumpy soup!

Once it is a thick consistancy, similar to a thick gravy, add:
a 1/2" 'slab' of Velveeta cheese
1 T Parmesan cheese
a scant 1/8 tsp of garlic salt
1 T of brown spicy mustard
3 T bacon bits

Stir till cheese is melted. Add bite sized peeled chunks of left over baked potatoes. Very well baked ones with lots of flavor are best. Cover and put in oven on very low or in a crock pot on low. Heat for about an hour till potatoes are thoroughly heated.

Serve with chunks of cheddar cheese or any favorite cheese on top.

This is enough for generous portions for 4 people.

Recipe ~ MK's "Ho-Ho" Cake

The chocolate cake layer may be a box mix cake if you choose or you may use my Dark Chocolate Cake recipe below. If you use a box mix, be sure to replace the water with an equal portion of strong coffee, cooled to room temp.

Dark Chocolate Cake(for 9x12 pan)

3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup cream
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup hot strong coffee

Cream first 4 ingredients till light in color. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture slowly and mix well. Add vanilla and coffee last and beat 3 minutes on High.

Pour into a lightly greased and floured pan. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until it tests 'done' with a toothpick. There should be gooey crumbs on the toothpick. You don't want to overbake it or it will be dry. Let cool before spreading the Creamy Filling on top.

Creamy Filling
1 cup sugar
1 cup white Crisco (Not the butter flavored)(Another shortening can be substituted but Crisco is best)
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 Tblsp water
1 tsp vanilla

Put all ingredients into a large bowl and beat on high for 5 minutes. You want it to be fluffy. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and beat for another 2 minutes.

Spread the Creamy Filling on the chocolate cake and put in the freezer to set.

Chocolate Chip Frosting

In a heavy saucepan
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
2Tblsp butter

Over medium heat bring to a boil, stirring often so it does not burn. Let boil for 4-5 minutes while stirring, be sure to turn down the heat if it is near boiling over the pan edges.

Turn off heat and add 1 - 6 oz bag of Milk Chocolate Chips. (I prefer Hershey's)

Stir until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly but still pourable. Pour over Creamy Filling and let it set up. This won't take long as the cake should already be cold.

Recipe ~ Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

Crust: You may cheat and use a pre made chocolate crumb crust, or....take the time for my Oreo crust.

Oreo Crust
1/2 package of Oreo cookies - split and the filling removed
1/4 cup soft butter
2 T sugar
Crush the cookies into fine crumbs and mix with the butter and sugar. Press into an 8" pie pan and set aside.

Peanut Butter Filling
1 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
1 8 oz package of soft cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 c Cool Whip topping - set aside

Beat the first 4 ingredients well. For about 4 - 5 minutes on medium is good. You want it to be well blended and fluffy. Beat in the whipped topping on LOW till well blended. Spread evenly into the crust and cover lightly with plastic wrap.

Freeze till solid.

Spread a 2" layer of whipped topping on the frozen pie and garnish with Oreo cookies cut in half circles. If you are not going to serve it right away you may freeze it again after garnishing.

Enjoy!!!!!!

Recipe ~ Monkey Bread

2 loaves frozen bread (thawed but not raised)
OR 4 tubes of refrigerator biscuits

½ c sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
Mix sugar and cinnamon in bowl

Take bread or biscuits and make walnut sized chunks and roll in sugar mixture. Place in 2 lightly greased (if needed) bunt pans.

Mix:
1 ¼ sticks melted butter
1 large package of butterscotch or vanilla NON instant pudding powder
nuts (optional)
raisins (optional)

Pour butter and pudding mix over dough.

If you used bread dough, let sit in warm area until raised up double.
When bread dough is raised bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 min.

If using biscuit dough, bake immediately at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.

Welcome to my 'Kitchen'

Welcome to MK's Kitchen. Here you will find recipe's, hints and tips for cooking and baking, meal planning ideas, entertaining ideas and product reviews.