Food

Name: Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: FOR THE CUPCAKES:; 3/4 cup pumpkin puree; 2 eggs; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 1 1/2 cup flour; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp grated fresh ginger; 1/4 tsp cloves; 1/2 tsp sea salt; FOR THE FROSTING; 6 oz low fat cream cheese (at room temperature); 1/3 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature); 4 cups icing sugar; 2-3 tsp whole milk; Garnish of your choice (I used crumbled graham cracker crust)

Fall Recipes: Yummy Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

October 14, 2018 By Natasha Hopkins 8 Comments

Hello and happy fall my friends. During this time of year, I get so inspired to decorate around my house! I swear, if you already follow me on Instagram @chichomelife then you’ve already seen an explosion of pumpkins everywhere on my feed! And if you’ve read my most recent post, “5 Simple ways to add fall decor to your living from” then you know my decor game is on! Outside of decorating, I get inspired to bake. I hate to admit it, but I have a terrible sweet tooth. So, when this time of year comes around, I totally look forward to the yummy aromas and tastes of apple pies, pumpkin bread and all sorts of things. How about you?

Last year, I found this yummy recipe, Pumpkin Spice cupcakes on Pinterest and I was ready to go on faith and give this recipe a try! Have you ever found yourself scrolling through cookbooks or hundreds of boards on Pinterest looking for a great pumpkin spice cupcake recipe to try? But, you were leery of trying it in fear of the recipe would be a disaster? That’s me all the time, however, when I tried this recipe I was in heaven.

This recipe was very easy to follow and needless to say, the cupcakes were delicious!! Most importantly my hubby and teenage son loved them. The rich pumpkin spice flavor was delightful, and my home was filled with the scent of pumpkin spice. Did I mention that the light and delicate cream cheese frosting tasted AMAZING!! Yes, amazing!!

As a result, I had to bake these yummy treats again for my family and share this mouth-watering treat with you all too! If you love pumpkin spice and cupcakes, then this recipe is for you!! Below you will find the recipe card to get started. In the meantime, what is your favorite fall dessert? Let me know by leaving your comment below. Until then, happy baking!!

Xoxo,

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Yield: 12 servings

pumpkin spice cupcake

Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp sea salt

FOR THE FROSTING

6 oz low fat cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/3 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
4 cups icing sugar
2-3 tsp whole milk
Garnish of your choice (I used crumbled graham cracker crust)

Instructions

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare one 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar and oil in a large bowl and whisk everything together until combined smoothly.
In a separate bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, spices and salt) and then dump the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, combine the wet and dry ingredients until the flour disappears.
Spoon the mixture evenly into the 12 muffin tin line with paper liners until the batter is evenly distributed.
Bale the cupcakes at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
When they're done, the pumpkin spice cupcakes will be puffy and gold brown.
Remove the cupcakes from the time and place them on a wire rack to cool completely while you prepare the frosting.

THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

Mix the room temperature cream cheese and the room temperature butter on hiugh speed in the bowl of your stand mixer (a hand-held one will work too)
Add the icing sugar, one cup at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition to make sure it's even. Add the milk one teaspoon at a time, making sure to watch the texture of the frosting. If your frosting is soft you may only need to add 2 tsp of milk. Once the milk is added, continue to mix on high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy (about 2 more minutes)
Once the cupcakes has cooled to room temperature, pipe the frosting on in a circular motion on top of each delicious cupcake using whatever tip you wish.
Sprinkle your favorite topping. You can use sugar, crush pumpkin spice cookie and graham cracker crust too!!

https://chichomelife.com/fall-recipes-yummy-pumpkin-spice-cupcakes/

Yummy Honey Mustard Chicken & Potatoes Recipe

April 3, 2017 By Natasha Hopkins 2 Comments

Lately, I have become bored with my dinner options for the family. Do you find yourself in a dinner rut at times too? Sometimes for me, eating the same dinner selections over and over again has my taste buds lusting for something new to tantalize them. So, when that happens, I usually begin to search my favorite Pinterest boards to find something new to cook for the family.

Luckily to my surprise, I came across this yummy Honey Mustard Chicken and Potato recipe. If you follow me on Instagram @chichomelife, I shared the cooking process in my story and many of you that follow asked for the recipe!! So today I am excited to share this delicious meal with you all.

This recipe is action packed with flavor!! From the honey, garlic, and Dijon mustard to the addition of green crispy veggies!! Not to mention the taste of the savory meat and potatoes which I LOVE!! If you are looking for a new dinner recipe to add to your rotation, then let me show you how to create this scrumptious meal.

1. Let’s Get Our Ingredients Together

To make the cooking process of this recipe smooth I recommend to prep and pre-measure your ingredients before you start cooking. This was a total lifesaver and made my clean up process fast and easy!! I chopped and seasoned my potatoes, seasoned my snap peas, and I placed each flavoring ingredients in my small white ramekins I found on Amazon. They are so useful when I need to prep my ingredients before cooking.

2. Season Your Meat

Be generous with seasoning your chicken. This is important so that you have flavor in every bite. I decided to a rub a little bit of olive oil to the chicken using my spatula and cooking tongs. I don’t like to get my hands too messy while prepping my food. After lathering my chicken thighs, I heavily seasoned them on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Don’t be afraid of this step, be generous.

3. Time To Brown The Chicken

Now that you have your chicken seasoned it’s time to brown it. Make sure you add the chicken to a large skillet. I used my All-Clad 4QT saute pan. It’s perfect for browning meats, veggies and much more. Be sure to add a least a tablespoon of olive oil, heat and then pan sear each side for 3 minutes until the skin is golden and crisp. Lastly, you will want to drain some of the liquid until you have at least 2 tablespoons left.

4. Add Garlic

Time to toss in the garlic and let it cook for 1 minute until you smell it. I try to toss the garlic in between the meat so that it has a chance to cooks on the skillet surface. Infusing the garlic with the broth from the chicken is nice.

5. Add the Dijon & Whole Grain Mustard

Let’s add both mustards by mixing them in between the meat using a wooden spoon. Please make sure you don’t skip out on the whole grain mustard for you will miss out on a wonderful sensory experience with this dish. During this step, I decided to let the chicken simmer in the sauce for about 15 minutes covered on low heat to ensure the chicken cook through a bit more. The reason why was due to the thickness of the chicken thighs. So keep that in mind.

6. Toss In The Potatoes

It’s time to toss in your pre-seasoned potatoes and smother them into the sauce that simmering with the chicken. Boy, the flavor that you will create will be AMAZING!! During this step, I turned the heat down to a setting low and let all of the ingredients cook for another 10 minutes before you move onto the next step.

7. Add Some Fragrant Rosemary

Now, that you have your ingredients cooked its time to transfer your creation to the oven. If your pan is not oven safe, then do as I did. I decided to finish this recipe inside my 3Qt Corningware baking dish, just for presentation purposes. Let’s not forget to add 2-3 spring of rosemary. I would recommend covering your dish with some aluminum foil before baking in an oven that has been pre-heated to 400 degrees. Once in the oven, you will want to cook this for 30-40 minutes or until your potatoes or fork tender.

8. Vegetable Time

After 30 minutes it will be time to add your green beans. I have tried it with the beans, but I have 2 guys in my family that just detest green beans. So, I decided to opt for snap peas. They are sweet and have a yummy crisp to them, and my guys loved it!! Now once you have decided on the veggies, you will want to add them and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Bon appetite!! It is time to dine with your family and feast on this yummy Honey Mustard Chicken and Potatoes. Bite by bite your family will be asking for more. Side note: The recipe card I will be sharing has the recipe doubled, so if your family does not need as much then just cut the recipe in half.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe and give it a try with your family soon. If you are looking for more new recipes, stay tuned!! Next up will be Shrimp Mac and Cheese!! Until then, thank you for visiting and happy cooking!!

Yummy Honey Mustard Chicken & Potatoes Recipe

honey mustard chick-pot blog feature

Ingredients

4-8 chicken thighs, bone in (with or without skin)
Salt, garlic powder, and pepper, to season
2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup of honey
6 Tablespoons of wholegrain mustard
4 Tablespoons of honey Dijon mustard
4 Tablespoons of water
1-1/2 pound of baby red potatoes, quartered
8 ounce of green beans, snap peas or asparagus
2-3 springs of rosemary (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the over to 400 degrees. Generously season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Sear chicken thighs for 3 minutes each side, til then skin becomes golden brown and crispy.
Drain chicken juice only leaving at least 2 tablespoon left for flavoring.
Add the garlic in the same pan around the chicken and cook for 1 minute until you smell the fragrance from the garlic.
Add the honey, both mustards to simmer for 2 minutes.
Add in your potatoes and mix into the sauce (I recommend to cover and simmer for 15 minutes just incase your chicken thighs are thick.
Now you can transfer you mixture into the pre-heated oven, add the rosemary and baked cover for 30-40 minutes or until your potatoes or fork tender.
Remove from the oven and add your vegetable choice and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

https://chichomelife.com/yummy-honey-mustard-chicken-potatoes-recipe/

Simple & Yummy No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake

May 30, 2016 By Natasha Hopkins Leave a Comment

With summer being right around the corner I am sure many of you are getting ready to celebrate many milestones with your friends and family. Many students are getting ready to graduate from elementary, middle, high school and even college during this time of year and with that comes a lot of celebrations! We also have significant holidays coming this summer which will call for fun picnics at the beach, park or even at your favorite spot called home.

Wouldn’t you agree that there is no celebration without some yummy food? I say yes to that! Because regardless of the party you go to you may be asked to bring a dish to share with your dearest friends. When that happens, do you find yourself experiencing a brief moment of panic? What should I make? How much time do I have to make it? I am too busy!! HELP!!! Right? I do at times because I am a working mom that travels continuously, I am a wife and again a mom with a busy middle school-aged child that’s in sports and band!! So when the time comes to preparing something for the next party I am thinking…. what can I make that taste delicious and take minimal time to make it.

Well, remember a few weeks back when I visited the Vintage Market Days in Dripping Springs, TX earlier this May? If not, check out my previous post “Vintage Market Days of Austin Hill Country Review.” In that post, I shared my 1st time shopping experience, and I also shared a new vendor that I fell in love with called Mad Dash Mixes by Sherri and Manny Leal. They sell dry mixes of salads, soups, desserts and more.

I love their idea of dry mixes because they help cut your cooking time in half and you still have delicious tasting food for your family. During my shopping time with this vendor I ended up purchasing several different dry mixes, but the one I want to share with you today is the yummy “No Bake” Key Lime Cheesecake.

Did I say “No-bake” Key Lime Cheesecake? Yes, I said it!! So, I bet you are thinking… SHARE!!! And, I will because this is the perfect dessert to make for your summer parties. First of all, this key lime dessert is sweet, yummy, cool and refreshing for the upcoming hot summer days. So with that said let’s jump right in..

The “No Bake” Key Lime Cheesecake mix comes in a packet as you see in the photo for only $6.00. The package will make enough for one cheesecake or 6-8 servings. The lime’s in this photo is just for the picture, and I eventually used it for garnish.

When I initially got started, I was going to serve my desserts in these see-through glasses, but later on in this post, you will notice that I changed my mind and decided to serve them in my ramekins from pier 1. I also wanted to display them on my DIY serving tray I made. If you would like to know how I crafted this item, then please leave me a comment below.

What’s so cool about this recipe this that there is no MSG and it’s gluten-free (Note: depending on what ingredients you add can change the “Gluten Free”)!! Now, you are probably thinking what items do I need to grab from your local grocery store? Guess what? You will only need three things: 16oz of Softened Cream Cheese, 8oz of Cool Whip and an 8” graham cracker crust or loose graham cracker crumbs if you are planning on making single served mini cheesecakes as I did.

Make sure you soften your cream cheese for it will make it easier to blend. Then make sure you have your cool whip ready for the next step! I LOVE extra creamy cool whip!! How about you?

Once you’ve added your cool whip, begin to mix the two ingredients. I am using my Kitchen Aid mixer that I owned for years! However, I want to upgrade to the Kitchen Aid stand mixer this Christmas. (smile)

Now this step is completely optional, but I decided to add food coloring to my Key Lime Cheesecake. I added a few drops of green and yellow coloring to make my dessert appealing to the eye and guests too!

As you can see I decided to use my ramekins instead and now you can see how to food coloring made this dessert colorful to the eye!! At this point, you will want to refrigerate these yummy treats for 4 hours.

After these lovelies got a chance to refrigerate for a while, I decided to garnish them with whipped cream and a slice of lime. How pretty and delicious, right? My family enjoyed them so much!! For me, I was so happy that they taste amazing and only took less than 30 minutes to make!! If you are looking for a dessert that is cool, refreshing and yummy then you must give Mad Dash Mixes a try! I am so happy with my purchase from them that I had to share them with you all here too! Until next time..have a great day!

French Macarons Made Easy With Lekue

February 18, 2016 By Natasha Hopkins 2 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I am a HUGE french macaron lover. I love the texture of the light and airy crunch of the cookie shell with a smooth and sweet cream filling. For some time now I have been so curious to learn how to make these delicate treats, but I have been afraid to due to the complexity of the recipe. I have watched numerous YouTube videos, search different recipes on Pinterest, and even searched for blog articles for the easiest way to make these cute, sweet little things.

One day I was shopping with my friend at my local Sur La Table store and came across this interesting Lekue Macaron Kit! This kit was about $40, and within the kit it contained: a silicone mat that holds 48 cookie shells, a recipe book with different macaron recipes, a DecoMix pen to place your cookie dough inside, and 6 different frosting tubes for your cream filling.

I was so excited to find this gem that I could not resist the purchase and decided to take this kit home and start cooking! My initial thoughts were that I could make these quickly and have them ready for special occasions like Valentine’s day right? But after reading the instructions on how to make french macarons and learning that the total time to invest in making these yummy treats turns into a 2-hour project…I thought to myself, this must be a serious recipe and I better do a bit more research.

So I turned to many blog posts and YouTube and found a few videos that showed how to bake french macarons properly. As a result of watching the various videos, my confidence was boosted, and I was ready to bake away on Valentine’s day afternoon. So now you are probably wondering, what items did I need to create these yummy treats, right? Well, here you go!

French Macaron Supply List:

Powdered sugar
Almond sugar
3 egg yolks
sugar
vanilla extract
salt
food coloring of choice
mixing bowls
mixing spatula
measuring cups
electric mixer
baking sheet
Lekue macaron kit

So let’s jump right in! I got my ingredients together as you can see in the picture below. I like to have everything prepped and ready to go so that I am not frantically running around my kitchen looking for ingredients as I bake. Note: Please leave your egg whites out at room temperature before mixing your creation. I heard that it would have made the mixing process easier. As far as the recipe goes, I decided to try the Basic Macarons recipe on page 10 of the recipe guide that came with this kit.

The next step in this process was to sift my powdered sugar and almond flour together in one bowl. This is an important step to avoid a lumpy cookie batter. So please take your time in this step so that your creation will look good and taste yummy too! I sifted a 1/4 cup at a time, but you will get the feel of what is easier for you. Be flexible and take your time.

Once you have your ingredients sifted together, you can set that aside and begin to work on the meringue. Using an electric mixer, I have a handheld kitchen aid, but my goal is to purchase the beautiful KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer! Swoon!! Ok… Let’s move on. I began to beat the egg whites and gradually added in sugar. You will want to blend until your egg whites begin to form stiff white peaks.

Once you have the egg white mixture completed, then the magic begins! You will now want to add your sifted combination of almond flour and powdered sugar. Note: when mixing use a Spatula Spoon and begin to fold the mixture together until your mixture is smooth, somewhat of a paste texture and not runny. Over mixing can create a runny appearance which can alter the finished look of the cookie shell.

After folding the mixture, you can now add some COLOR!! This was the exciting step for me. I used my food coloring from my local grocery store and added a few drops. Note: If you want to have vibrant pink cookies you will want to add 5-10 drops. Because when the cookie bakes the color will be lighter than the wet mixture. So don’t be afraid. I promise your cookies will look beautiful.

After adding color to your mixture, it will look like the picture below, and you can begin to add your mix to the cute Decomix Pen!! Let me tell you how much I love this pen!! Thank you Lekue for creating this awesome gadget! I love that I can use it for decorating cookies projects. Versatility is awesome!

Might I add that this device is easy to clean too! Fantastic invention and I recommend this one for sure!! The Decomix pen and the silicone mat are both dishware safe too! You bake and toss right into the dishwasher. A girl’s dream for easy cleanup. Once you get your mixture inside the device, you can now begin to fill in the cooking sheet. This is so easy since the silicone mat has a template right on it, so as a result, you will not have to worry about measuring the correct size each time you dispense the cookie batter onto the mat! Note: before place the batter on the mat make sure you place your mat on top of a baking sheet. I will explain why below.

Once you have your cookie batter onto the silicone mat that is resting on top of the baking sheet, you will want to lift off the sheet and tap it on the counter top a few times. This process will help remove any air bubbles that are inside each cookie. If you do not complete this step, you will end up with cookies that may crack during the baking process. Another thing you will want to do is let your cookie batter rest for 30 minutes before placing them in the oven to bake. You will know the cookies are ready for baking when you touch them and the cookie dough does not come off on your fingertips. This process will also ensure that your cookies will end up with a smooth surface and achieve the beautiful feet you see on french macarons.

After your macarons have rested for 30 minutes, you are ready to toss them in a preheated oven at 300 degrees for 18-25 minutes. The cooking time may range depending on how fast your oven heats up. While your cookies are baking you can create your favorite filling I decided to make a Strawberry cream cheese filling. Once my cookies completed the baking process, I let them cool and began to add my filling using the DecoMix pen again. Did I tell you how much I love this pen? I guess I did already.

I love how my little macarons have their little feet to then. So cute!! Just like the ones I have purchased in the store! Hallelujah!! Success for my 1st time. When it comes to filling them there is no right or wrong way of doing this. I like them full, so I tend to overfill, but my family does not complain about that at all.

Once your filling is completed, you are ready to serve and enjoy. I decided to serve them on my cute Eiffel Tower Cakestand from Sur La Table. I purchased them at 50% off the day before Valentine’s which by the way is a great time to buy your holiday-themed servewear for a great price. If you are still looking for a great deal Sur La Table is still running a 50% off sale on this cute decor!! Stock up now and have them ready for Valentine’s day 2017!! Or if you are like me, you don’t have to wait until Valentine’s day to use them. I love my family 365 days and beyond.

My family and I enjoyed these cute and sweet delights. The recipe was yummy, and it yielded for 48 cookies total. I was so happy with the results that I’m ready to bake these again for Easter and Mother’s day too! I feel that this would make a great treat anytime of the year, so I challenge you to give it a try and share your results too.

I just had to share some of the other cute sale items I saw at Sur La Table. I may have to go online to purchase the remainder of the collection! So cute!! Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope that you get a chance to try this recipe out for yourself! Until next time, have a great day!

Basic French Macarons

macarons

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
3 egg whites
1 pinch of salt
1/4 sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Sift the powdered sugar and Almond flour together in a bowl,
In another bowl whip the egg whites with an electric mixer, add salt and gradually add the pain sugar until obtaining a thick meringue.
Add half of the powdered sugar and almond flour and stir gently with a spatula from top to bottom.
Add the vanilla extract and the remainder powdered sugar almond mixture and stir to blended.
If you want to add color them drop in your color of choice and mix.
Pour part of the mixture into the Decomix fitted with the large round tip and make circle in the size indicated by the marks on the Macaron baking sheet.
When the batter expands, it will not spill over.
Allow to rest for 30-35 minutes prior to baking.
Preheat oven to 300F and bake for 18-25 minutes until firm to touch.
Repeat the same process with the rest of the batter.
TO MAKE THE FILLING: Fill it with marmalade, chocolate, hazelnut cream or whatever you desire.

https://chichomelife.com/french-macarons-recipe-lekue-sur-la-table/

Creamy & Delicious Baked Potato Soup

January 20, 2016 By Natasha Hopkins Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you, but when the weather is cold and chilly outside, I instantly begin to crave for a warm & delicious soup. Not the ones you get out of a can, but a nice homemade, creamy and yummy soups. Here’s the catch, I am a busy working mother & wife to my beautiful family of 3, and there are some days I just do not have the time or… I am just too lazy to and prepared to spend hours in the kitchen on a weeknight creating a yummy soup for my family. How about you?

Well, I am so excited to share with you all my latest find!! Now, this may or may not be new to you, but it’s new me. I was at my local H-E-B grocery store when I came across these H-E-B soup or casseroles in a container. At first, I was like what is this? Then I looked a bit closer and noticed that each soup contain all of the ingredients you need to make in my case a Baked Potato Soup for approx $10.00. I also picked up a chicken tortilla soup too!

At first, I was worried about buying prepared food, but I was so curious to try. So when I got home and put away all of my grocery store haul I decided to give this a try. First of all, I was excited that this recipe would only take me 20 minutes to prepare and cook! Happy Mom indeed!! Secondly, I am amazed that all of the ingredients are ready for cooking with the exception of milk and butter. I think I can handle that.

Inside the container, I found bacon bits, shredded cheese, chopped celery & onion, a seasoning packet, butter (not included) and 3 precooked potatoes. Again, the only additions I that had to add was the butter, milk, and water. I can handle that on my busiest days for sure! The following ingredient I had to set aside were the chives, 1/2 cup of cheese, and 2 tablespoons of bacon will serve as the garnish. My last item needs to make this soup a success was a masher. (seen below)

Now that I had all of our ingredients I was ready to start chopping those baked potatoes!! I like my potatoes pretty chunky in my soup. Now if you like yours a little finer, then definitely chop and dice them into smaller cubes. I forgot to mention that I peeled my potatoes which is optional in this recipe.

Then next thing that I had to prepare is my soup pot by warming it up to melt the 5 tablespoons of butter. After that, I added the onions & celery and sauteed them for 3 minutes. Once the 3 minutes were complete, that is when I added the bacon and continued to saute the mixture for an additional 5 minutes. Once you have sauteed this mixture, add or potatoes and mix for 5 more minutes. ***

Doesn’t that look yummy? But we are not there yet. At this point, I added the milk, water, and the spice packet. Continue to mix as the directions specified and then it was time to start mashing away. Did I mention that I love my potato soup chunky? (smile) As a result, I did not go too crazy with the mashin’.

Lastly, after mashing my potatoes, I added the shredded cheese. This will cause the soup to thicken and add a cheesy and delicious flavor to the soup. And let me tell you I LOVE cheese and potatoes!!

Once I got the soup mixture to my liking, it was time to get ready to enjoy this yummy and delicious soup. I grabbed my favorite soup dish, and I was ready to have my cozy and warm soup in a matter of 20 minutes! So, if you are craving potato soup then head on over to your local H-E-B and give it a try. If you don’t have this available at your local grocery store, then I decided to add a yummy recipe below. Until next time Bon Appetit!

Creamy & Delicious Baked Potato Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 Servings

potato soup 10

Ingredients

3-4 Baked Potato
2&1/2 Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Onion Chopped
1/2 cup Celery Chopped
1 cup Smoked Bacon Chopped
1/2 cup Chives Chopped
5 Tbsp Butter
2 cups Milk
1 cup Water
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Instructions

Microwave Potato until soften.
Cut potatoes into small cubes. (Removed the potato peel prior to cutting the potato.) Set aside chives, 2 Tbsp of bacon, and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese for garnish.
Melt 5Tbsp of butter in a large soup pan over medium low heat. After the butter melts, add bacon, chopped celery and onions. Stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add potato pieces and stir-fry for an additional 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add 2 cups of milk, 1 cup of water, and salt and fresh ground pepper; stir to combine. Let the mixture cook for 5 minutes. While the soup is cooking, mash the potato pieces with a potato masher to desired consistency. Do not let the soup boil.
Add the remaining cheddar cheese and cook for 2 minutes over low heat until soup thickens. Garnish with chives, bacon, and cheese.

https://chichomelife.com/creamy-delicious-baked-potato-soup/

Food

Fall Recipes: Yummy Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes