Real Recipe Friday

We've made it to another Friday, and that means another recipe for YOU! I love the idea of sharing recipes on Fridays. Whatever I can do to make your family mealtimes easier and more delicious, I'll do.

Since it's cooling down in this area of the country, I decided I'd share a soup recipe today. For those of you new to my blog, I live in MN, land of 10,000 lakes, 10,000 mosquitoes, and 10,000 snowflakes (times a million)! Although yesterday, it was really cool in the morning but by afternoon, the temp had risen to nearly 80! I about suffocated when I went outside in my cozy sweats to find it sweltering hot and muggy!

A few days ago I made Baked Potato Soup for dinner. Youngest Son was craving it. I found this recipe on the Internet last winter and the family loved it (except Eldest Son...he doesn't eat potatoes!). It's from Cooking Light.com. The bulk of this recipe called for low fat ingredients, but I did not use them, so I will just list the ingredients I did use. If you want to use the low fat version, please go here for the original recipe. The great thing about this recipe is that you can bake the potatoes anytime during the day, and then throw the soup together right before dinner. It's quick and easy!

4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 cup flour
6 cups skim milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I used a bit more:))
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions
8-10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
One bouillon cubed, crushed or a spoonful of chicken soup base (I use the pasty stuff that comes in a jar and you leave it in the cupboard...it's by FAR makes the best tasting chicken broth)
The original recipe does not call for the chicken bouillon, but I find it gives the soup a better flavor. Typically I use a chicken soup base to flavor my chicken broth, but this time I didn't have any so I just crushed the bouillon cube and just threw it into the soup.

Preheat oven to 400 and bake potatoes for one hour or until soft. Remove. Cool. Then peel potatoes and coarsely mash into bowl. Discard skins.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife. Place flour in a large dutch oven. Gradually add mild, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium hat until thick and bubbly (original recipe said 8 minutes, mine took longer). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese (I added a bit more), salt & pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Stir in sour cream, bouillon, and 1/2 cup of the green onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes until thoroughly heated (do not boil as this is a creamy soup and it will scorch!!!).

Serve in bowls. Top with more cheese, green onions and crumbled bacon.

Doesn't this soup look yummy? This is my soup happily posing for you in a beautiful red Fiesta ware bowl! The three of us gobbled it down in no time! In fact, I had the leftovers the next day and it was still good. Alongside the soup I served a crunchy french baguette and called it a meal. A salad would be wonderful with it too.

I hope one of these days you get a chance to make this soup for your own family. I would say I know you'll love it, but you just never know. People have different tastes. I know this is a keeper for us!

Have a great weekend!
Hugs,

Amy

p.s. I have a bit of good news for you! Doug will be freelance engineering some SEC football games for ESPN Radio! He will be traveling to Auburn, AL for the Auburn/LSU game next weekend, and the weekend after that he might be headed to Waco, TX for the Baylor game. Can I just tell you how GEEKED he is to be doing these games? This is REAL football, CRAZY football, FAN football and he is beside himself with excitement. Mind you, he's done this sort of thing for NFL games for years, but THIS is an opportunity of a lifetime for him....real college football! God continues to provide for us in great ways.