Crock Pot Sunday

Well it's about time I got over here to post isn't it?

I started to write some heartfelt post about how real life gets in the way, but blew that off, mostly because the smell of cooking bacon was making me drool.

Today is Crock Pot Sunday -- I love to make a big enough batch of something on Sunday that I don't have to cook on Monday (not that I do much of the cooking these days).

Today is:  Loaded Potato Soup.  The temps have turned cool here in Iowa, and it's rained for nearly 3 days running now, so why not make pototo soup and 7-up biscuits?

Has there ever been a bad recipe that started with the phrase

"Melt a stick of butter"?

I try to always spray my Crock Pot, but not sure it retains the non-stick property 

after I spend so much time stirring things together (?)

I try to keep a bag of hashbrowns in the freezer since I live so far

from town.  I punch a few holes in the bag and microwave this while the

butter melts, so they are nice and soft.  This way the soup is ready to eat in just a couple/three hours

I also buy Vidalia onions when they are in season and chop them up and freeze them for winter use.

There would be a picture of this step .....  however ....

I had a little helper, and she was giving me a fright playing with the gas stove knobs.

"no" is just not in her vocabulary yet.

After the onions are nice and translucent, stir them into the potatos until well absorbed.

I actually hate using canned soups.  In fact, it's a running joke how many of the

quick dishes I make contain them

but honestly

a Grannys gotta do, what a Grannys gotta do.

A brick of cream cheese is added to the pot, this does give the finished soup a silky texture

The original recipe calls for a quart of heavy cream.  I just can't do it.  

I do use whole milk, because with a 1 year old in the house, we always have it on hand.

I'm out of black pepper - sorry.  Salt and Pepper to taste.

It will now simmer for about 3 hours. It can easily be ready for a hearty weekend lunch

if you have it on by 9:00 in the morning.

Meanwhile I bake the bacon

(I just took the stove apart to clean it yesterday I'll be damned if 

I'm gonna fry bacon today)

I overcooked it a bit...but it's all good.

Stir it in just before serving.

A bowl full, with a light sprinkling of cheddar cheese...

A fluffy buttery 7-up Biscuit

(I'll put that recipe up another day)

And there you have the perfect bite.

ahhhhhhhhhh

******************************************************

Loaded Potato Soup

1 stick butter

1 bunch of green onions

     or a 1/2 cup chopped onions if you live too far from the market to just run up and get green onions

1 bag shredded hash browns - thawed and softened in microwave

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 brick Cream Cheese 

1 quart whole milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

Variations:

Use non-fat soups with non-fat cream cheese and skim milk.  Why you would do that, I have no idea.

Try a can of cream of shrimp, and a can of clam chowder, with the cream cheese, then throw in a bag of crab or lobster bites just before serving.  Serve with oyster crackers.

In place of the cream cheese use Velveeta for an old fashioned pot-luck flavor and serve with saltines.

Just play with it....you can't go wrong!

Just don't overcook, or the milk with curdle.  

It's true, I don't cook that often anymore, my daughter does the vast majority of the cooking....but when I do it tends to be things that are fast and easy, and have been child approved by my own picky eater.  I would agree with you that too much of it starts with a mix, or pre-packaged food, but truth be told, as a single mother for the past 21+ years, I just had to take some shortcuts to make life manageable.

So....make a salad why don't cha?