Potato soup

Winter has hit NC early this year, so I decided what we needed was a big pot of soup. And when I say big, I mean big - this recipe completely filled my crockpot.

Potato Soup
6-8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 c water
5 tsp/cubes chicken bouillon
dried parsley
salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter
1-2 c ham, chopped
2 c milk
1 c velveeta, cubed
1/2 loaf queso blanco, cubed

Put the potatoes, water, bouillon, seasonings, butter, and ham in the crockpot and cook all day on low. 30-45 minutes before eating, stir in the milk and cheese.

ETA: I made this again in February '09. I used whipped cream and sour cream instead of milk, and 1/2 loaf of regular Velvetta. It was creamily delicious!

Jax's Birthday

We threw a small party for Jax's second birthday last week.

Menu:
Chicken nuggets (because what two year old doesn't like chicken nuggets)
Fruit salad - canteloupe, strawberries, pineapple, grapes
Pizza rolls
Taquitos and queso blanco con chilis sauce
Airplane cake!

The cake was marbled chocolate fudge cake, made by marbling Better Homes and Gardens' white cake with their chocolate cake. It didn't marble as clearly as I wanted, but it still combined really well for a dense, fudgy cake that was lighter fudginess in some parts compared to others. It didn't last past the day of the party.

Pizza Rolls
Pizza sauce (I made my own with some tomato sauce, onions, garlic, and Italian seasoning)
Sausage, cooked
Pizza dough (I broke down and used the bagged mix instead of making my own)
Mozzarella cheese

Mix the sausage into the sauce. Roll out the pizza dough and cut it into squares. Put a spoonful of sauce onto each square, as well as a pinch of cheese. Fold the dough over. Bake at 450 10 minutes or so, until crust is golden. Note: DON'T sprinkle the cheese over the entire sheet. The crust won't stay closed and it'll ooze out all over!