Skillet Nachos

This is from Better Crocker's Quick and Easy Cookbook. I changed a few things because I didn't have chili beans in sauce. I used a can of chili and it worked. I didn't use the full cup of salsa, but I think it could have used a little more spice. My kids ate it so I won't complain. Also, Aaron wasn't here and we ate the whole thing, so it barely fed 3 and a toddler - who ate about a 1/4 cup of the beans.

1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 medium green pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 small zucchini, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup chili beans in chili sauce (from 15 oz can - I used the whole can)
1 cup thick and chunky salsa
4 oz tortilla chips
1 1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (6 oz- again I used Cheddar Jack)
Sliced olives, if desired - oh we did!

1. Heat oil in 12 inch skillet over high heat. Add bell pepper and zucchini, stir-fry about 2 minutes or until crisp tender. Stir in beans and 1/2 cup of salsa; cook until hot. (I skipped the next step)
2. Remove mixture from skillet. Wipe skillet clean. Arrange chips in single layer in skillet. Spoon vegetables over chips. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. Cover and cook over medium-high heat about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with olives. Serve with remaining salsa.

Instead of putting the chips on the bottom of the skillet, I just added the cheese and olives, and melted the cheese. Then I let the kids put the chips on their plate and I spooned the mixture over the chips. Then the chips aren't hot and soggy.

Baked Potato Soup

Sorry for the long hiatus. With the holidays and the surgery I wasn't making a whole lot of new meals. But I have done a few new things. I hope I get to them all.
First up Baked Potato Soup
I really messed with the recipe. I was trying to make it slightly larger to feed another family. But I only had 6 slices of bacon. So this is what I came up with.

6 slices of bacon
1/2 c. onion, diced
3/4 c margarine or butter
3/4 c flour
4 cups milk
3 cups water
3 chicken bullion cubes
7 small potatoes baked, peeled and diced
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese (mine was cheddar jack)
1 c. sour cream
2 green onions chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2. In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over medium heat (I added some bacon grease for flavor). Sautee onions until tender. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, water an bullion cubes, stirring constantly until thickened.
   
3. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes and green onions, bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted.

They recommended using baker potatoes that were oven baked. If they were baked earlier and cooled it might be easy, but I microwaved mine and then tried to peel and cut them. It took to long. It would have been easier peel and dice them and then boil them. Then you can use the water for the soup.
It was really good and creamy - probably because I used whole milk - it was about to go bad.