Dinner time has been interesting too - when these sweaty people drag themselves through the door at 5:30, they are flat out STARVING, a little grumpy, and they want something “GOOD” – and preferably consisting of bread, pasta, or potatoes.  Especially potatoes.  Last night I was flipping through this month’s issue of Food Network Magazine, did you see it?  They have a pull-out booklet with 50 preparations for stuffed potatoes – ideas ranging from your basic combo of cheddar and chive; to the dressed up Chicken a la King; to the uh, unusual mango and black bean (really?).

Tonight’s dinner is version #8:  brie & ham.   I just ate one from the photo shoot and it was really yummy!  My apologies for such a basic ‘recipe’ today, but honestly, what’s not to like about a three ingredient main dish?  When you’ve got a famished family and large piles of homework, sometimes keeping it simple is key.

Along with a big green salad, dinner is served.  Have a great week!

POTATOES STUFFED WITH BRIE & HAM
Serves: 4
Source:  Food Network Magazine, October 2011.  Special pullout section.

4 russet potatoes (10 lb. bags of Idaho potatoes are on sale this week, 9/14/11 – 9/20/11**)
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper
1+ c. diced ham (Boar’s Head Honey Maple Ham is on sale this week, 9/14/11 – 9/20/11, just ask for a chunk)
1 wedge brie, diced (Sendik’s Brie is on sale this week, 9/14/11 – 9/20/11)
Chopped fresh parsley
Chopped fresh chives or scallions

Bake the potatoes in a 400 degree oven until tender, 1 hour.  Maintain oven temperature.  Split potatoes open and fluff each one with a fork.  Season potatoes with a little salt and pepper.

Cook ham in olive oil until browned.  Spoon onto fluffed baked potatoes and top with cubed of brie (I kind of smushed the ham and cheese down into the potato).  Warm in the oven to melt cheese (about five minutes); top with chopped parsley and chives and serve.

**NOTE:  These potatoes are on the smallish side — I made 10!

Anyway, I made these potatoes to go along with the lobster, and I bring them up today because they are an awesome compliment to any shellfish, and would be great alongside the crab legs that are going on sale tomorrow.  I made a batch the other night, and I threw in extra because I planned on leftovers.  But when I took out the container a day later, there were only two measly potatoes left.  Two.

Who does that? Does anyone at your house?  Like with Cheerios or Pringles or Oreos?  Munch a bunch and then leave two for the next poor sap to come along and find?  For the love of Pete, just finish them, right?!

Found out NTYB had scarfed the potatoes for a midnight snack.  You know they’ve gotta be good if HE’S eating them.

For such a simple recipe,  you’ll be surprised how addicting these ’taters are.  The butter browns slightly on the bottom of the pan, which gives the potatoes a rich and nutty flavor I can’t resist.  I hope you like them!

PARSLEYED REDSKIN POTATOES
Serves:  4

10 large redskinned potates (Arizona Big Red Potatoes are on sale)
kosher salt
chopped Italian parsley, large pinch plus additional for garnish
4 T. butter (I know.  It’s okay.)

Cut your potatoes into quarters (for medium size) or eighths (if they’re large).  Place them in a large saucepan and cover with cold water.  Add a hefty pinch of kosher salt.  Bring potatoes up to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer uncovered for 12 minutes, or until you can barely pierce them with a knife.  Drain potatoes and return them to the pan.

Sprinkle the chopped Italian parsley and kosher salt (to taste) over the potatoes.  Place the butter on top of the potatoes.  Cover pan and place over low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with additional chopped parsley.  Serve immediately.

So listen, I will say this right from the get-go:  this is NOT the most exciting dish you will ever eat.  There’s no glitz and glamour in pork chops and gravy, but hey - we can’t pull off a fancy pants dinner every night, can we?  Sometimes the simplest things are the best.  This dinner is a total kid pleaser, so it’s got that going for it, which is nice (movie line, anyone?).

The entire time I was making this meal I was thinking about my college days in South Carolina, where our cafeteria was notorious (rather, infamous) for ladeling country gravy over anything that was sitting still – white rice, biscuits, chicken fried steak, and of course potatoes.  It’s really no great wonder my button-fly GUESS jeans didn’t fit after freshman year, but this gravy is much lighter than Winthrop’s version – so fitting into your jeans after this meal shouldn’t be a problem.

Hope you like it.  Have a great week! 

PORK CHOPS WITH COUNTRY GRAVY & MASHED POTATOES
Serves:  4
Source:  cookinglight.com

3/4 t. salt, divided
4 (4 oz.) boneless center-cut pork loin chops, about 1″ thick (Sendik’s Boneless Chops are on sale this week, 5/18/11 to 5/24/11)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 T. butter
1 1/3 c. 1% milk
3 T. flour
1/2 t. poultry seasoning
1/4 t. black pepper

Creamy Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Sprinkle  1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper evenly over both sides of pork chops.  Add the butter to the pan, stirring until butter is melted.  Add the pork to the pan and cook UNDISTURBED for three minutes on each side.  Remove pork from pan, and keep warm.

Combine milk and flour, stirring well with a whisk.  Add the milk mixture to the pan, stirring with a whisk.  Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, poultry seasoning, and black pepper.  Return pork to pan.  Cover; reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes or until gravy is thick and pork is done.

While pork cooks, prepare mashed potatoes.  Serve potatoes with pork.
CALORIES: 322; FAT: 10.5g; PROTEIN: 26.7; CARBOHYDRATE: 29g; FIBER: 2.2g

CREAMY MASHED POTATOES
Yields 6 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)
Source:  cookinglight.com

4 c. cubed peeled Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 pounds)
1/2 c. 1% milk
1/4 c. low-fat sour cream (Daisy Brand is on sale this week, 5/18/11 to 5/24/11)
3 T. butter
2 T. fresh chopped parsley
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes in a saucepan; cover with water.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until tender.  Drain.  Return potatoes to pan.  Add milk and remaining ingredients; mash with a potato masher to desired consistency.  Taste and adjust seasonings; serve with pork chops.
CALORIES: 215; FAT: 7.1g; PROTEIN: 4.5g; CARBOHYDRATE: 34.5g; FIBER: 2.4g

And what mommy wants, mommy gets.

HA!

SHRIMP WITH INDIAN SPICED POTATOES
Serves: 4
Source:   epicurious.com

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (got mine at the Meat & Seafood sale last week!)
5 T. vegetable oil, divided
4 t. minced peeled ginger, divided
3 garlic cloves garlic, minced and divided
1 T. curry powder
½ t. turmeric
Generous ¼ t. cayenne pepper
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 1lb package frozen plain hashbrowns (Oreida Potatoes are on sale)
1 c. frozen peas (not thawed) (Westpac Frozen Veggies are on sale)
Chopped cilantro to taste
Hot sauce for serving

Toss the shrimp with ¼ teaspoon salt.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a very large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot, then cook half of ginger and half of garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add shrimp and cook, stirring, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to a dish and cover.

Wipe skillet clean and heat remaining oil over medium high heat until hot, then cook remaining ginger and garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add spices and cook, stirring, 1 minute.  Add scallions and 1 ¼ teaspoons salt and cook, stirring, until softened.  Stir in hash browns and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are cooked through and are golden and crispy in patches, about twelve minutes, stirring in peas about halfway through.  Stir in shrimp and chopped cilantro.  Serve in shallow bowls and garnish with cilantro sprigs if desired.

It should be noted here that No Thank You Boy did not offer up any of these compliments.  NTYB observed silence and then excused himself to make a roast beef sandwich.  Sigh.  Love the kid dearly, but let’s nevermind him.  You should never judge a recipe based on his opinion.

Anyhoo, I noticed these antibiotic free turkey products recently, and since they’re on sale this week, I decided to give them a go with this dish.  ‘Course, the amount of olive oil required for this recipe probably cancelled out any benefit there was from eating antibiotic-free turkey.  Also, just to gild the lily, we had these delicious pan roasted potatoes with bacon and thyme as a side dish.  That’s how I roll.

In the event you have an abnormal aversion to copious amounts of olive oil and bacon drippings, please remain on the line for the next available recipe.  Cue the Muzak.

I followed the turkey recipe to the letter, but took some liberties with the potatoes.  This dinner could not be easier, I pinky promise you.  The turkey cooks so quickly, there’s really no chance of it drying out, and I love the idea of serving it over a bed of greens!

Hope you like it.

TURKEY MILANESE
Serves: 4-6
Source:  foodnetwork.com, Giada De Laurentiis

• 1 ½ lbs. turkey tenderloins (Plainville Farms brand is on sale)
• ½ c. flour
• ½ t. salt
• ½ t. freshly ground pepper
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 c. Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/3 c. olive oil, plus a little extra for the greens
• 5 c. baby arugula (I used the mixed baby greens that are on sale)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (on sale)
• 1 small block Parmesan
• Lemon wedges for serving

Cut the tenderloins into ¾” thick slices.  Place the turkey slices on a cutting surface and cover with a sheet of heavy duty plastic wrap.  Using a meat mallet or a heavy small saucepan, pound the turkey until 1/8 – ¼” thick.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.  Place the eggs in a second bowl.  Place the breadcrumbs in a third bowl.  Season the turkey cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper.  Dredge the turkey in the flour, and shake off any excess flour.  Dip the turkey into the eggs, and then in the breadcrumbs to coat.  Repeat with all remaining turkey cutlets.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Oil is ready when a pinch of flour sizzles immediately upon contact.  Cook the turkey in batches until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.  Add more oil as needed.  Remove cutlets from the skillet and drain on paper towels.

Arrange the greens and tomatoes on a large serving platter.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Arrange the turkey on top of the greens.  Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan over the turkey.  Serve with the lemon wedges on the side.

ROASTED POTATOES WITH BACON & THYME
Serves: 4
Source:  adapted from foodnetwork.com, Giada De Laurentiis

• 4 thick-cut slices of bacon, roughly chopped
• 5-6 medium to large redskinned potatoes, cut in to wedges (on sale)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ t. salt
• ¼ t. freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ t. dried thyme (or more to taste)

Preheat the oven to 450.

Place the potato wedges in a pan of salted water and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook potatoes for 12-15 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Heat a large, oven safe skillet over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook until browned and crispy, 10-12 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to paper towels to drain.  Add the potatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper to pan, and toss to coat in the bacon drippings.  Transfer pan to the oven and roast potatoes for 20 minutes; remove and stir in the thyme and reserved bacon.  Continue to roast until potatoes are golden brown and crispy, about another 10 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a large serving bowl and serve immediately.

Wait, I believe that’s someone else’s slogan.

But I ask you:  what better way is there to finish off a long, frigid week than with a big bowl of Salmon Chowder?  It’ll warm your belly, bring a smile to your face, and defrost your outer abominable snowman.

Hope I’m allowed to make such claims.  Maybe I should just stick to the topic at hand.

I didn’t deviate much from the original recipe, other than that I didn’t add the fresh lemon juice at the end.  I was feeling lazy.  Also, I did substitute a leek for one of the two cups of scallions – I was feeling sorry for it, sitting all by its lonesome in my produce drawer.  Oh, and I added a little bit of flour to thicken things up a little bit…so looking back, I guess I did deviate after all!  I’m a deviant, what can I tell you.

Now, you could cut back on the fresh cream if you were so inclined…if say, you’re in the ‘less is more’ camp.  You won’t find me in that camp.  Less is not more.  Less is less.  More is more.  Thank you.

Now you know that I’m both indulgent and deviant.  Hope we can still be friends.

SALMON CHOWDER

Serves: 6

Source:  epicurious.com

• ½ lb. red potatoes (for me this was four medium, and these are on sale)
• ½ lb. sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4” strips
• 2 c. chopped scallions (2 bunches)
• 1 c. frozen corn, thawed
• 1 T. finely chopped garlic (3 cloves)
• ½ t. dried thyme
• ½ California bay leaf
• 1/8 t. dried hot red pepper flakes
• 1 ½ T. flour
• 3 c. whole milk
• 2/3 c. heavy cream
• 1 lb. salmon fillet (I used the sale wild-caught sockeye)
• ½ t. salt
• ¼ t. black pepper
• 2 t. fresh lemon juice

Cut potatoes into ½ inch cubes, then cook them in a 1 ½ quart saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, 8 -10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Cook the bacon in a 5 quart Dutch oven over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot, then cook scallions, corn, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the scallions are tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the flour to the pan and cook, stirring, for two minutes.  Gradually whisk in the milk, and bring just to a boil.  Reduce heat to moderately low, then add the cream, potatoes, salmon, bacon, salt, and pepper and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until salmon is just cooked through and begins to break up as you stir, 5 to 8 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Discard bay leaf before serving soup in heated bowls.

“There’s no food in this house!”

“I’m starving!”

“We have nothing to eat!”

“Don’t you work for a grocery store?!” Wah, waah, waaaah.

They were right; it was grim.  But I took a closer look and found half a bag of potatoes (left over from last week’s pork roast night), some shredded cheese, and a few slices of bacon.  Who knew these meager ingredients would turn out to be the makings of a lunch that would knock the socks off my three hungry punks?

I did have to fend them off with Go-gurts and goldfish for the hour it took to bake the potatoes.  But they all agreed, lunch was worth the wait.  And it was such a hit, I’m sure I’ll be making these potato skins again the next time I have half a bag of russets hanging around.

Looking ahead to next weekend (because really, is it ever too early to start thinking about the weekend?), these spuds would be an excellent, easy, and CHEAP addition to your Super Bowl spread.  That’s assuming you’ll be watching the game.  I’ll watch it too, I guess – though I couldn’t care less which team wins or loses.  For me, the Super Bowl is a good excuse to get together with my favorite neighbor friends and drink beer on a mid-winter Sunday afternoon.  Of course, the junk food and commercials are fun too.

Have a great week, everyone!

STUFFED POTATO SKINS

Serves:  6 as an appetizer

Source:  adapted from epicurious.com

• 3-4 medium russet potatoes (grab a bag while they’re on sale through Tuesday)

• Cooking oil

• 5 slices of bacon

• 2 c. your favorite shredded cheese
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 T. chopped fresh parsley

• 2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
• Sour cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 425.  Scrub the potatoes and rub them with cooking oil.  Place them on a baking sheet and bake them for one hour, or until tender.  Remove potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool.  Maintain oven temperature.

While the potatoes are cooling, place the sliced bacon on a baking sheet and bake them until browned and crispy, about 7 minutes per side.  Transfer bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.  When cool enough to handle, crumble bacon coarsely.

In a medium mixing bowl, toss together the shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, cayenne pepper, and parsley.  Set aside.

Slice the potatoes lengthwise into quarters.  Use a spoon to scoop out the pulp, leaving about half an inch of potato in the skin.  Place the skins on a lightly oiled baking sheet (pulp side up); season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the cheese and bacon mixture on the skins.  Bake the potato skins for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and skins are beginning to crisp.  Transfer to a serving platter; sprinkle with sliced scallions, and top with sour cream if desired.

I had such a chuckle this morning when I turned up to spin class and the instructor had a New Year’s resolution playlist. So cute.  Halfway through the class (right about the point where you feel like you’re gonna fall over and d-i-e die), Weird Al came on with his Grapefruit Diet song.  So, I just had to laugh.  Or else I was gonna cry!

(Grapefruits are on special this week, by the way – in case you’re inspired to give that old diet a try.  The woman on the bike beside me said she did it for a week in her twentys and hasn’t eaten another grapefruit since.)

I might stock my fruit bowl while grapefruit are on special, but I’m not about to fall off the grapefruit deep end.  Wouldn’t be too interesting to blog about, would it?  I am planning on lightening up a little bit though, so I made one of my favorite meat loaves this weekend.   This recipe makes a huge meat loaf, just so you know.  I usually make the whole thing, then divide it in half and freeze one for a rainy day.  Leftovers make fabulous sandwiches!

On the side we had simple steamed asparagus (on sale), and some lovely parmesan smashed redskin potatoes (also on sale).  It was a great dinner!  Enjoy!

TURKEY MEAT LOAF

Serves:  8-10

Source:  The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten; pp. 138-139

• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 2 T. good quality olive oil
• 2 t. kosher salt
• 1 t. freshly ground black pepper
• ½ t. dried thyme
• 1/3 c. Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ c. chicken broth
• 1 ½ t. tomato paste
• 5 lbs. ground turkey breast (on sale)
• 1 ½ c. plain dry breadcrumbs
• 3 extra large eggs, beaten
• ¾ c. ketchup

Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium pan, over medium heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until the onions are translucent but not browned, approximately 15 minutes.  Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well.  Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.

Combine the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl.  Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased baking sheet.  Spread ketchup evenly on top.  Bake for one hour, or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees and the meat loaf is cooked through.  Allow to rest for five minutes or so, then slice thickly.  Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.

PARMESAN SMASHED POTATOES

Serves:  6-8

Source:  The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten; p. 158

• 3 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled (on sale!)
• 1 T. plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 ½ c. half and half (I used whole milk)
• 1 stick butter (I used half a stick)
• ½ c. sour cream
• ½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ t. freshly ground black pepper

Cut the redskins in half if they’re on the big side.  Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of salt in a 4-quart saucepan with cold water to cover.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer covered for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely tender.  Drain.

In a small saucepan, heat the half and half and the butter.

Put the potatoes into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix slowly for a few seconds on low speed to break them up.  Slowly add the hot cream and butter to the potatoes, mixing on the lowest speed (the last quarter of the cream and butter should be folded in by hand).  Fold in the sour cream, Parmesan cheese, the remaining salt, and pepper; taste for seasoning and serve immediately.  If the potatoes seem to thick, add more hot cream and butter.

I think we should take a break. Heaven knows I’ve enjoyed our time together and lovely memories of you will linger on (mostly on my thighs). Fondly I’ll remember you, dressed in rich gravy – you, with creamy mayonnaise and crisp lettuce on toasty nine grain bread – you, in a steamy, homemade broth with thick egg noodles and chunks of carrots. It’s been fun. But it’s time for me to move on. It’s not you, it’s me.

Goodbye doesn’t mean forever,

Leah

Got that off my chest, what a relief. Breaking up is never fun or easy.

As you can tell from my “Dear John” letter, I’ve had just about enough turkey – and I’m sure you’re all on poultry overload by now too! Last night I decided to go the fish route with the tilapia that’s on sale this week. I came across this recipe a few months ago and have been meaning to try it ever since.

It contains an unusual ingredient that I hesitate to reveal. But since I’m soul-searching today, I guess I’ll divulge that this fish is, in fact ‘crusted’ with…

Boxed potato flakes.

I know, I know! Don’t go hatin’! I don’t even know why I have these in my pantry but they’re there. I must have been having a lazy moment a while back and didn’t feel like mashing my own potatoes. Don’t go judging me. It probably won’t happen again.

Anyway, if you do happen to have some boxed potato flakes in your cupboard, and frozen tilapia fillets in your freezer, then chances are, you already have the ingredients on hand to make this dinner! I managed to pull this dish together in under 30 minutes.

I thought it was pretty good, I have to say. The honey-mustard mayonnaise is an interesting alternative to traditional tartar sauce, and the potato flakes create a crunchy coating on the fish. The same procedure could easily be used on any other type of white flaky fish.

Enjoy!

POTATO CRUSTED TILAPIA

Serves: 4

Source: oceana.com

• ½ c. mayonnaise
• 2 T. Dijon mustard
• 1 – 2 T. honey (adjust this according to your taste)

• 4 tilapia fillets, thawed if frozen, patted dry with paper towels
• ½ c. flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ c. milk
• ½ c. potato flakes
• ½ c. bread crumbs
• Neutral cooking oil

Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Have handy three shallow bowls or pie plates. Set up a breading station as follows: In one shallow bowl, place the seasoned flour. In another bowl, beat the eggs and the milk together. In a third bowl, combine the potato flakes and the bread crumbs. Line up these bowls near your cook top.

Place a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. While oil heats up, season the tilapia with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge one fillet in the flour, shaking off excess. Dip the fillet in the egg and milk mixture, then dredge the fillet in the potato flake and bread crumb mixture. Repeat with the remaining fillets. When oil is hot (a pinch of flour will bubble immediately upon contact with the oil), carefully place the fish into the pan. Saute for about 2 minutes; carefully turn fish. Saute for an additional minute or two, or until fish is a lovely golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to briefly drain. Serve tilapia with honey-mustard sauce.

I couldn’t resist, even though I’m supposed to be off of my foot. But the beauty of this recipe is that it’s QUICK and EASY, and requires almost no prep work (ie, little time spent standing over a cutting board). Let’s just don’t tell my friend Dr. M. that I left the couch for a wee bit of time today. He’s not the sort you really want to tangle with. It’ll be our little secret!

You can’t possibly mess this up. Fiddle with it until it tastes the way you want it! Though the soup is easily doubled, it isn’t really freezer friendly. However, it gets better as it sits overnight, so if you have any left, you should send it with your husband for lunch tomorrow!

You’ll notice the potatoes aren’t actually baked. I’m sure the name must have come from all of the traditional potato toppings that really make the soup. My punks adore it; hope yours will, too!

LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP

Serves: 4

Source: ??

• 2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced (this was about 6 of the sale russets)
• 3 c. chicken broth (plus additional to thin if necessary)
• 1 c. half & half (or so, adjust this to your taste)
• ½ c. sour cream (again, adjust this to your taste)
• ½ c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (there’s a medium cheddar on sale this week, 10/21/09 – 10/27/09,  if you don’t mind grating it yourself!)
• 4 sliced scallions (green tops only)
• 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• ½ t. garlic salt
• Salt and pepper to taste

• Garnishes: Additional shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, cooked and crumbled bacon, sliced green onions

Combine potatoes and broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Let cool slightly, then transfer potatoes and broth to a blender or food processor – or, if your blender is broken like mine, use a stick blender. (* SEE NOTE on blending hot liquids). Blend until fairly smooth with some small chunks of potatoes remaining.

Return mixture to saucepan and bring back to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in half & half, sour cream, cheese, green onions, bacon, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Adjust the thickness of the soup with additional chicken broth if necessary. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes more. Spoon into heated soup bowls and allow diners to top with garnishes as desired.

NOTE * BLENDING HOT LIQUIDS 101: If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve heard it before. Unless you enjoy cleaning soup off of yourself, your cabinets, and your ceiling, please, please, please do not 1). Fill your blender to the top with hot soup, and then 2). Put the lid on tightly, and then 3). Turn it on full blast. I’m telling you these things because 1). I like you, and 2). I don’t want your scalded self and your messed up kitchen on my conscience!

Instead, fill the blender about 2/3 full with the soup. Cover loosely with the lid, then hold the loose lid in place with a folded dish towel. Start the blender on low; allow the steam to escape, then gradually increase the speed. Safety first, my friends!