Welcome Home Weekend

Hi, friends! How is your January going?? It’s been a busy week around here. I’ve been organizing like crazy while taking care of my sick kitten! On Sunday we took her into the emergency vet where she was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection. I’ve been giving her antibiotics and hand-feeding and giving her water in a syringe. But her fever is gone and I think she is making progress!

New Projects

Cozy Winter decorating Ideas

This week I shared some easy ways to transition your home from the holidays to winter. I have found that adding some cozy winter elements makes it easier when I take my holiday decor down. This year I experimented with a couple fun winter mantel ideas. I also added a fun winter tablescape with my little houses and added a few cozy elements to my kitchen!

Black Painted Window Frames

I started painting my window frames black and I love it! I have all of the tips and tricks on how to paint your window frames black on this post!

Snowflake Winter Wreath

This snowflake wreath is so fun to make! All you need are simple 1×2 boards. I have all of the cut angles on the post!

Giant Farmhouse Snowflake

You can make a larger snowflake and put it on a mantel or shelf for Winter!

DIY Popsicle Snowflakes

This is a fun one to make with the kids! Turn popsicle sticks into snowflakes. See how many different patterns you and your kids can make! You can hang them up inside or outside on your door!

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

It seems like everyone is sick this time of year. This is our favorite chicken noodle soup and you can make it so fast in your Instant Pot!

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Or make it in your slow cooker! It’s so yummy!

Welcome Ann from Dabbling and Decorating!

I am super excited to feature Anne from Dabbling and Decorating! She’s one of my favorites to follow on Instagram! Anne is living my dream life with homes in Maine and Vermont!

Anne also love to thrift and she find the best things! You can see her favorite 12 thrift store finds where one of her favorites is this amazing apothecary hutch!

I also love how Anne hung vintage snowshoes on her door for winter! You will love following along with Anne on Instagram at @dabbling_and_decorating!

Welcome Home Saturday

The Tattered Pew / The 8 Best Home Organization Ideas To Inspire You

Tatertots & Jello / Cozy Winter Decorating Ideas

White Arrows Home / A New Year and New Books To Read

Noting Grace / Kitchenette Inspiration and Makeover Plans

Dabbling and Decorating / Romantic Table Setting Pretty In Pink

What are YOU loving this week??

Share YOUR favorites with us in the comments!

xoxo

The post Welcome Home Weekend – January Ideas! appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.

Tex-Mex Cheesy Potato Crock-Pot Soup. Put a spicy spin on cheesy potatoes with this warm and comforting recipe. It’s perfect for Fall and Winter!

Crock-Pot Cooking is a Busy Mom’s BFF

We love making soup when the weather cools off. And making soup in the crock-pot makes things super easy! All I have to do it put the ingredients in and let them cook while I go about my day. In my opinion, a crock-pot is a mom’s BFF.

7 Delicious Crock-Pot Recipes

I’m joining 10 of my creative friends today, who are all sharing some AMAZING and EASY crock-pot recipes. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see ALL of the crock-pot ideas!

Crock-Pot Potato Soup is a Favorite

One of our favorite recipes to make in the crock-pot is potato soup! My Tuscan Potato Soup is my daughter’s favorite. And, my kids LOVE mashed potatoes, so making potato soup is a no-brainer.

Tex-Mex Cheesy Potato Crock-Pot Soup

This year, I thought it might be fun to add a little spice to our usual potato soup recipe, with some jalapenos, spices and pico de gallo.

Condiments for Tex-Mex Potato Soup

You can add some toppings to your soup. I put our toppings in small dishes and set them out so people could add whatever toppings they liked. Some toppings we used are cilantro, sliced jalapeno, pico de gallo, mexican shredded cheese and green onions.

Tex-Mex Cheesy Potato Crock-Pot Soup Recipe

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Tex-Mex Cheesy Potato Crock-Pot Soup Recipe

Tex-Mex Cheesy Potato Crock-Pot Potato Soup. Put a spicy spin on cheesy potatoes with this warm and comforting recipe. It's perfect for Fall and Winter!

Servings 10

Equipment

• crock-pot

Ingredients

• 10 small yukon gold potatoes (you can substitute these for different types of potatoes), cubed (you can peel them if that is what you prefer)
• 1/2 large red onion
• 3 small jalapeno peppers (2 minced, one sliced)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 package cream cheese (4 Tbs.)
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
• 20 ounces chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup 2% or whole milk
• 4 Tbs. cream cheese
• 1/2 cup Pico de gallo
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend)

toppings

• cilantro
• lime
• pico de gallo

Instructions

• Put cubed potatoes, chicken broth, minced garlic, minced jalapenos and spices in your crock-pot. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
  
• When potatoes are cooked through, use a potato masher or blender to mash the potato mixture. Add cream cheese, and milk to the hot mixture and blend. If blending in a blender, put soup mixture back into the crockpot.
• Put egg yolks in a small bowl, add milk and mix well. Then add the yolk and milk mixture into the crockpot and stir it into the soup.
• Add 1 cup of cheese and stir.
• Serve. Garnish with remaining cheese, limes, pico de gallo or salsa, cilantro and anything else that sounds good!

My daughter’s friends were over when we made it the other night and they agreed that it is SO good! Everyone had second helpings! I love it when the kids like a recipe as much as I do! Give it a try!!

7 More Delicious Crock-Pot Recipes

Check out these other  Fall Slow Cooker Recipes

Easy Paleo Chili // White Chicken Chili // Tex-Mex Cheesy Potato Soup

Cajun Chicken Fettuccini // Crock Pot Candied Pecans // Classic Chili // Gluten Free Stuffing 

Pin Tex-Mex Cheesy Potato Crock-Pot Soup for later

What’s your favorite thing to make in your crock-pot? Share it with us in the comments!

Have a Delicious Day!

xoxo

The post Tex-Mex Cheesy Potato Crock Pot Soup appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.

I’m excited to share one of my very favorite recipes with you!! AND – I am joining some super talented sites that are sharing their favorite soup recipe too. Be sure to see ALL of the soup recipes at the bottom of the post!

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you might know that one of my most treasured possessions is the recipe book my mom made me about 20 years ago. It’s full of memories — amazing family recipes that have been passed down through generations, family traditions as well as some crafts we made over the years. I use it all the time! Some of our very favorite memories and traditions come from this recipe book.

Treasured Family Recipes

Some other recipe that I have shared from this treasured book are — Mom’s Amazing Breadsticks, Mom’s Texas Sheet Cake, Cay’s Firehouse Special, Hawaiian Haystacks, My Grandma’s Chicken and Noodles, Grandma’s Famous Polish Pierogi Recipe.

Mom’s Famous Beef Stew

One of our favorite recipes is my mom’s famous beef stew. I remember eating steaming bowls of her stew as we huddled around the kitchen table on snowy, cold Michigan winter nights. When I make her stew it brings back all of those memories. The stew is full of tender chunks of potato, carrots and parsnips in a thick tomato sauce with savory pieces of beef. It’s perfect to dip crusty sourdough baguettes. And one of the things I love most are the left-overs! Warm it up the next day and it’s even more flavorful and delicious!

Why Make Beef Stew in the Instant Pot

You can make her version of the recipe that cooks for 3 hours on your stove top. But if you are a busy mom like me, you might not have time to watch over a pot on your stove for 3 hours. Cue the Instant Pot! This recipe gives you all of the homemade taste and feel of Mom’s Famous Beef Stew, but instead of waiting 3 hours to eat, you only have to cook it for 35 minutes in your Instant Pot. Yay!

Saute Beef Stew Meat and Onions in the Instant Pot

One of the things I love most about my Instant Pot is the saute feature. I put a little olive oil in the bottom of my inner pot, added my beef and onions and browned them before adding the other ingredients. Then I just added those, locked the lid in place and set the pot to 35 minutes on the “pressure cook” setting which means high heat.

How to Manually Release the Pressure in Your Instant Pot

I warmed our baguette while the stew cooked. You can let the stew come back down to pressure naturally, or if you are in a hurry, you can turn the pressure value to “pressure release” and manually release the pressure. If you decide to do this, make sure to put a cloth over the pressure release and be careful turning the valve, it is hot! Putting a cloth over the valve will capture the steam that comes out and any spurting of hot liquid. Once the steam stops coming out, the pressure valve will drop and you can turn the lid and open the pot.

You can top Mom’s Famous Beef Stew with parsley, chives, sour cream and/or cheese. And it’s great with no toppings. It’s the perfect soup for a cold winter night!

How to Make Beef Stew in the Instant Pot

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Mom's Famous Beef Stew in the Instant Pot

Mom's Famous Beef Stew in the Instant Pot. My mom made a beef stew that was full of savory veggies and tender meat. I've taken her recipe and converted it for our Instant Pot. Instead of taking 3 hours, you can have Mom's Famous Beef Stew in 35 minutes! 

Course dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword dinner, easy dinner, beef stew, instant pot, instant pot stew, soup, comfort food, family recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds stew meat or 1 chicken, cut up
• 3 full carrots, chopped
• 5 small potatoes, chopped
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large rutabaga or parsnip, chopped
• 1 large can, 28 ounces tomatoes diced or pureed
• 1 can, 24 ounces beef or chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 T. rosemary
• 1 T. oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 T. cornstarch

Instructions

• Peel and cut up vegetables.
• Set Instant Pot to saute setting. Add cut up beef or chicken and onions. Cook for 5 minutes until meat is browned. 
• Add all other ingredients. Lock lid in place and set Instant Pot to high heat setting and set timer for 35 minutes. Make sure the valve is set to "pressure"
• After Instant Pot timer is done, let pot naturally release. Or you can manually release the pressure by turning the pressure value to "pressure release" and let steam come out. Be sure to put a cloth over the release valve to catch any hot liquid that can be released. 
• If you want stew thicker, put cornstarch in a small bowl with 1/2 cup water, mix together and add to pot. Stir until liquid is thicker. 
• Serve! You can serve your stew plain, or add toppings such as cheese, sour cream, parsley or chives. Serve with a warm baguette. 

Notes

I hope you enjoy my mom’s famous beef stew! Share it with your friends!!

And be sure to check out the other Favorite Soups my friends are sharing — I can’t wait to try these!! 

I can’t wait to make this easy Crockpot Chili Recipe from my cute friend Leslie @My 100 Year Old Home

This hamburger and potato soup looks amazing from Rhonda @Hallstrom Home 

My sister’s Red Lentil Vegan Soup is SO good! @Modern Glam Home 

I love a good Instant Pot recipe and this 8 Can Taco Soup recipe looks so good from my BFF Tauni @Tauni Everett

I’ve always wanted to try making Seafood Stew. This looks so good from Janine @Happy Happy Nester

This Healthy Lentil Soup looks amazing @Finding Lovely 

Have a Delicious Day!

xoxo

Pin this soup for later – you won’t regret it!! 

The post Mom’s Famous Beef Stew in the Instant Pot + 6 more amazing soup recipes! appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.

We are big fans of soup in our house, and I thought it would be fun to round up some amazing sounding soups that look perfect for Fall!!

When I think of fall soups, I think of sweet potatoes, butternut squash, apples, and chilis! YUM!!

But, when fall is in the air, really any soup is perfect to warm you up! So, here are 22 Slow Cooker Soup Recipes to inspire YOU!

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato & Apple Soup @ 100 Days of Real Food

 Crockpot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili @ SkinnyTaste

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Pizza Soup @ Melanie Makes

Pumpkin & Beef Autumn Stew @ Pick Up the Whisk

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup @ The Chic Site

Slow Cooker Turkey & Stuffing Dumpling Soup @ Baked By Rachel

Autumn Chicken & Apple Cider Chili @ Foxes Love Lemons

Santa Fe Soup with Cheese @ A Zesty Bite

Crockpot Butternut Squash and Parsnip Soup @ The Roasted Root

Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup @ A Family Feast

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato & Wild Rice Soup @ The Pretty Bee

Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup @ Recipes that Crock

Slow Cooker Chicken Pie Soup @ Baked By Rachel

Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup @ Cooking Classy

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup @ Kitchen Confidante

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili @ Tatertots and Jello

Crockpot Pumpkin Red Lentil Chili @ Kitchen Treaty

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Chili with Porter @ Oh My Veggies

Spiced Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup @ Perfection Pending

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato, Chicken & Quinoa Soup @ Chelsea’s Messy Apron

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup @ Creme de la Crumb

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash with Maple Roasted Chickpeas @ Two Peas And Their Pod

The post 22 Slow Cooker Soup Recipes for Fall! appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.