Creamy Potato Soup

Oh my goodness!  Seriously, I've been so excited to share this potato soup recipe with all of you.  It. Is. So. Good.  SOOOOO GOOD!  Scott and I both loved it.  It took a little bit of time with all of the chopping I needed to do, but it was WELL worth it!

The original recipe came from Pinterest (where else??) You can see the pin below.



Here's my take.  I only had to make a few adjustments, and I had most of these things on hand.

Creamy Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 5 slices of bacon, chopped
• 2 small onions, diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled & diced
• 3 medium celery stalks
• 4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 medium red potatoes, diced
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 4 cups (1 quart) heavy whipping cream

1. Get a 6-8 quart pot. 

2. Start chopping.  I began with the bacon so I could get it cooking while I chopped the other veggies.

3. While the bacon is cooking, chop up the onions, carrots, and celery.

4. When bacon is crisp, removed to paper towels to drain.

Mmmm....bacon.....

5. Throw your chopped veggies right into the bacon fat, and cook until the onions are translucent. 

6. While the veggies are cooking, peel and dice the Russet potatoes, and dice the red potatoes.

7. When the vegetables have finished cooking, throw the potatoes in the pot and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Add the flour and stir constantly over low heat until the flour has cooked and the mixture has thickened slightly (about 5-7 minutes).

Adding the flour

After cooking

9. Add chicken stock and bacon, and season with salt and pepper.

10. Over medium-high heat bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. 

11. Add the whipping cream and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Seriously, I beg you all to try this soup.  If you like potato soup, and you are looking for a warm, comforting food on a cold day, THIS IS YOUR SOUP!! :)

Please let me know if you try it!  I'd love to know what you think!

Potato Salad

Happy June 1st everyone!!  :)  Because it's so close to summer I can taste it, and because it's 80+ degrees here, I decided that you needed this potato salad recipe.  You can thank me later.  :)

Potato Salad
Ingredients
-5 lbs red potatoes
-1/2 doz. eggs
-1 medium sweet onion
-3-4 medium celery stalks
-1 1/2 regular size jars Hellman's mayonnaise
-1/4 c. red wine vinegar
-celery seed, salt, & pepper (to taste)

1. Boil potatoes until tender enough to poke a fork into. (Don't over cook, you're not making mashed potatoes. Also, I was told to boil, then peel and chop the potatoes. Peeling them really wasn't fun when cooked. I also think some potato pieces were undercooked. Next time, I think I'll peel, chop, then boil.)

2. While the potatoes are boiling, also boil 6 eggs. Bring water to a rolling boil and let boil for about 9 minutes.

3. Let potatoes and eggs cool.

4. Once cooled, peel and chop the eggs. Toss in with the potatoes.

5. Chop up the onion and celery to your desired consistency.

6. Add the mayonnaise and stir until coated. (Add more mayo, if necessary.)

7. Pour in the red wine vinegar and stir.

8. Add celery seed, salt, and pepper to taste. (P.S. "To taste" is fun because you get to TASTE. But seriously, throw in a lot of celery seed. You don't want a bite that doesn't have some!

9. Chill and serve!

Potato Casserole

Today I'm sharing a recipe that I got from my aunt.  It is a requirement to make for family get togethers because everyone LOVES it. My cousin and I have more or less told her that if she doesn't make this (or her delicious taco dip) that she is not necessarily welcome to attend! ;) haha So, I don't know where she got the recipe, but I had to get it from her because she wasn't coming to one of our summer family events, and someone had to make potato casserole....

Potato Casserole

Ingredients

• 32 oz. bag frozen hashbrowns, thawed, rinsed, drained
• 3/4 cup butter, melted (save 1/4 cup for topping)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 16 oz. sour cream
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1-2 cups corn flakes (for topping)

1. Mix all ingredients, except 1/4 cup of the butter and cornflakes in a large bowl and spread in greased casserole dish.
2. Crush cornflakes and mix with 1/4 cup of butter for topping. Sprinkle on top of casserole.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Is it THAT easy? Yes, it is THAT easy. The casserole looks very similar coming out as it did going in. Essentially, the cornflakes are browned a bit, and no, I didn't really crush the cornflakes here. I thought I had all the ingredients because I had picked up a couple of things at the store a couple days before. I realized that I forgot the cheese, and I had to run to the store to pick that up. When I got home, I realized that I also needed a can of cream of chicken soup. Went back to the store. Luckily, the grocery store isn't that far away at all.

In closing, it is always easier to make things when you have everything you need......