Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

The first time I made this, I got it out of Simple and Delicious. I went to make it tonight, and couldn't find my magazine and their website had it listed as subscriber only (last month was my last month as a subscriber- go figure!). So, I improvised with the ingredients I knew that were in it, and probably doubled or tripled the recipe to fit our family.

4 cans cream of potato soup
1/2 of a 26 oz bag of shredded hash browns
sharp cheddar cheese
milk
water
1/2 lb bacon
pepper
sour cream

Combine soup, pepper to taste, and hashbrowns in a large pot. I added about a cup of milk (I just splashed some in). I added water until it was the consistency I wanted. I heated that until it was starting to boil. While I was waiting for that to happen, I put the bacon on a cookie sheet and baked it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or so. I love how the Pioneer Woman taught me how to cut bacon, and then I wrapped the remaining slices individually on a large piece of saran wrap and threw it in the freezer. Tonight's dinner was the frozen bacon and it went straight from freezer to oven.
We have a soup bar on the table consisting of the bacon all crumbled up, sour cream, and cheese.

Reviews
Everyone LOVES this! The first time I made it, I made it according to the directions, which used 1 or 2 cans of soup (I think 1). It was gone so fast and everyone wanted more. We had just enough left over with the 4 cans of soup (I was worried it might be too much) for Perry to take it to work for lunch.

Barbara's Macaroni and Cheese

Barbara's Macaroni and Cheese
-Barbara Kinney

This mac and cheese is such a hit in the family. I love it because not only is it tasty, but it's super simple, too.

1 box (16 oz) pasta (I use rigatoni because I think it's the best on the planet)
1 jar spaghetti sauce (my stepmom uses Ragu, I use Hunt's in a jar 'cause I'm cheap that way)
1 package (2 cups) shredded shart cheddar
1 package (2 cups) shredded mozzerella

Cook the pasta. I undercook it a little so it doesn't get too mushy during the baking. Drain. Add the sauce and cheeses and mix it all together. I usually put this in a big aluminum casserole pan (the deep kind). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on if you want some of your pasta on top to have a little crunch or not.

It doesn't seem like a lot to me (we make a pound of spaghetti all the time for dinner and we just plow through it), but tonight one pan fed 4 adults and 8 kids. Guess that second pan I made for dinner will just have to be my lunch tomorrow. Life it tough that way.

Reviews
Everyone loves this, even Josh, my non-cheese eater.