Bob Evans Cheddar Baked Potato Soup

From: An old email recipe exchange

Ingredients:
1 can Campbell's cheddar cheese soup 
1 can chicken broth
1 lb grated cheddar cheese
4 cups milk plus 1 soup can
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp of: salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic salt
7 medium potatoes, diced to 1" and boiled

Add soup, 1/2 can broth, 1 can milk and stir. Add cheese and milk. Stir in cornstarch with the rest of the broth. Add broth to soup. Add spices and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add boiled potatoes and simmer 15 minutes more. Top with chives and bacon bits.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I love a good potato soup recipe, and you can't go wrong with this amount of cheese, right?? I would definitely make this soup again. It's easy and fairly fast, once you've boiled the potatoes. And very delicious!

Chicken Soup with Rice and Barley

From: Automatically Light! cookbook

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 cup carrots, coarsely chopped
2 cups onion, coarsely chopped
3 cups chicken broth, defatted
4 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup white rice
1/4 cup medium barley
1 tsp dried thyme

Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients through pepper. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until a fork pierces meat easily. Remove chicken and vegetables. Puree vegetables in a blender. Skim all fat from broth. Cut chicken into small pieces.

Return broth and pureed vegetables to the slow cooker and add rice, barley and thyme. Cover and cook at high for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until rice and barley are very tender. Add chicken during the last 15 minutes.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! What a classic comfort food recipe. I didn't use the slow cooker. I used the stove instead. I put all ingredients through pepper in a soup pot and brought to a boil. I simmered for about an hour and a half. I removed the chicken and veggies but I did not blend them, because I thought that sounded kind of gross. I added rice and barley to the broth/water and cooked for about 45 minutes. I then added the chicken and vegetables back in and cooked another 10-15 minutes to make sure it was all warm. Voila!

Minestrone

From: Automatically Light cookbook

Ingredients:
1 lb lean, top round of beef, cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
2 cups vegetable broth or juice
1/2 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp ground celery seed
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup elbow macaroni
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Combine beef through pepper in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is tender. Turn heat to high, add macaroni and vegetables, and cook for 30-40 minutes or until macaroni is just tender. Add beans and cook on high for an additional 5 minutes or until beans are warmed. Remove bay leaf. Correct seasoning, if desired.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I love minestrone soup and this was a great recipe. I would definitely make this again in the future.

Cheesy Ham and Mushroom Pasta

From: An old magazine cutout

Ingredients:
12 oz. rotini
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped ham
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup packed chopped fresh basil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

Warm oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and saute until translucent. Stir in mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they give up their liquid, about 5 minutes. Mix in ham and cook until warmed through, stirring once or twice, 1-2 minutes. Add ham mixture, cheddar cheese and basil to pot with pasta. Toss to combine, moistening with cooking liquid if necessary.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This is such a simple recipe, but it's so good. You can't go wrong with these ingredients, in my opinion. Perfect for lunch or a quick dinner!

Ginger-Soy Tilapia

From: All You

Ingredients:
4 tilapia fillets
2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
pepper

Preheat oven to 425 F. Tear off four pieces of foil, each about 12x15 inches long. Place a tilapia fillet in center of each piece of tinfoil. Spread 1 1/2 tsp ginger over each fillet. Drizzle each with one tablespoon soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil. Season with pepper.

Fold top of foil to meet bottom edge. Crimp edges tightly to seal. Arrange packets in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fish is opaque, 10-12 minutes. Serve hot.

Verdict:
Well, I liked this pretty well but I think I would have liked it with less soy sauce. I substituted coconut oil for the sesame oil and served the tilapia over brown rice. I'd like to try this again and just not use so much soy sauce. It's worth a second chance.

Pasta Primavera

From: An old index card file

Ingredients:
2 cups broccoli florets
1 can condensed cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 large carrot, julienned
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp pepper
3 cups cooked spaghetti

In a large saucepan, combine first seven ingredients. Cook uncovered over medium heat about 12 minutes. Stir in spaghetti, heat through. Serve.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Easy, fast, and delicious! You can't get any better than that. I think this is a classic recipe that is perfect on those nights when you're trying to figure out what to make for dinner at the last minute - or even a yummy lunch! 

Oatmeal Apple Cookies

From: Ladies' Home Journal

Ingredients:
2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 cups dark brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups rolled oats
1 tart apple, peeled and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In large bowl, combine brown sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture and oats separately to creamed mixture, blending well after each addition. Stir in apples.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Verdict:
I liked these cookies, but they weren't my favorite. They are best when warm. If I made them again I would use less oats. I felt that the oats made them a bit dry for my tastes. That being said, my son (4 years old) loved them and ate a ton, so maybe it's just my taste buds.