Baked Potato Soup, Grilled Cheese, and Raspberry Pretzel Salad

 

 

 

After dinner study time

Meg's Baked Potato Soup

Note: This batch made a lot and was absolutely delicious!!!


4 large baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
6 cups milk
4 green onions, chopped
12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/4 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces sour cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Bake potatoes until done. Cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp and set aside.

Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Add potato pulp, salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons of the green onion, 1/2 cup bacon and 1 cup cheese. Cook until heated thoroughly and stir in sour cream. Add more milk if necessary (but it should be served thick).

Serve with remaining green onions, bacon and cheese on top.



Raspberry Pretzel Salad

Note:  I've made this a few different times.  My Aunt Phyllis made it a long time ago and Mason's mom, as well.  Usually I make it with strawberries, but I found this recipe online and decided to try raspberries.  It's really important to follow all of the directions, especially when it comes to "sealing" the cream cheese layer over the pretzels.  In the past I've had the jello slip through, and it's just not too good.  

• 6 oz package Raspberry Jell-O
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups pretzels
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese – softened
• 1 (8oz) package Cool Whip – thawed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 bag frozen raspberries – thawed in refrigerator

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

1. Combine 6 Oz packet of Jell-O with 2 cups of boiling water and set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Crush 2 cups of pretzels in a ziploc bag, using a rolling pin.
3. Melt 1 stick of  butter than add ¼ cup sugar in saucepan. Add pretzels and mix together.
4. Lightly press pretzel mix into a 13×9 -inch pyrex dish and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, then cool to room temperature.
5. While pretzel mix is cooling down, beat 8 oz of cream cheese and 1 cup sugar on medium/low speed until well-combined.
6. Next, stir in Cool Whip using a spatula and mix until well combined.
7. Spread mixture over cooled pretzels and go all the way to the edges of the dish to create a seal. You don’t want the jello to leak into the pretzels. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
8. Place  raspberries evenly on top of the cream filling..
9. Pour Jell-O over raspberries and refrigerate until jello is set.