weeknight potato soup

Tonight I made potato soup for the hubby and me! It turned out well, so I'm sharing. The recipe, that is. :o) This is a Linnea original.

Quick Potato Soup
Serves 2-4

3-4 medium red potatoes, or 2-3 peeled russet potatoes
1 large carrot
5-6 strips thick bacon
1 can cream of chicken soup
skim milk
1 clove garlic
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper
paprika
chives

1. Cut the potatoes into 1/4" cubes, leaving the skin on.
2. Peel the carrot and quarter it lengthwise, and then cut thin slices.
3. Combine the carrot and potatoes in a medium saucepan. Add the cream of chicken soup. Use the soup can to measure 1.5 cans of skim milk into the pan. Find the garlic press and squish the clove of garlic into the pan. Stir to combine.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer - keep it uncovered to avoid a mess. Meanwhile, cook the bacon. I used the microwave to keep the smell contained. Trim the fat from the bacon, cut into bite-size pieces, and add to the soup.
5. Add black pepper, paprika, and chives to taste. I didn't add any salt because the bacon is salty enough.
6. When potatoes and carrots are tender, add 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, stirring until it melts.
7. Serve!

Optional:
8. Rake in the compliments from hubby
9. Blog about it
10. Take the leftovers to school and eat it for lunch!

homemade mac n' cheese

I needed a side dish to take to our friends' house last night for dinner, and I was totally stumped... until I remembered this deliciousness. I didn't have enough potatoes, though, so I swapped in elbow macaroni. I also had onion this time, so I added that, and topped it with bread crumbs and paprika after it was finished baking. And I used my new vintage Pyrex dish. Love.


There's the ready-to-go dish in my picnic basket!
It was a big hit - I'm surprised we have even a spoonful left!

comfort food

Since it is a (broken) furnace-like 40 degrees here in western New York, some comfort food was in order. Enter:

Potatoes Au Gratin, a new family favorite.
(adapted from All Recipes.com)

The cheesy goodness is just too much to contain! See the overflowing dish?

Recipe:
5 or so red potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4" pieces
buttered 2 quart dish - I used a glass loaf pan
two garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt (and pepper to taste, if you want. I skipped that.)
2 cups milk - skim works just fine
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup parmesan (I used powdered, but shredded would've been yummier yet)
breadcrumbs, if desired

1. Butter the dish. Seriously. I suppose you could use cooking spray or something healthy like that, but who would want to? :o)
2. Peel and slice potatoes, and lay them down in a single layer in the buttered dish.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F. (The original recipe says 400 F)
In a sauce pan, melt the butter and add the minced garlic. All at once, add the flour and salt, whisking to combine.
4. Continuing to whisk, add the 2 cups of milk. Here comes the waiting game: whisk continuously until the mixture thickens. Not boils, just thickens. Just keep whisking. My wrist got really tired.
5. Once the mixture thickens, add all the cheese and whisk until it all melts. Remove from heat.
6. Pour a layer of cheesy sauce goodness over the first layer of potatoes. Add a second layer and pour on another layer of sauce. Repeat until you're out of potatoes, and make sure every last drop of cheese is slurped up makes it into the dish. I added a topping of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs here, but they disappeared with baking. Ineffective, I guess.
7. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil to prevent the awesomeness of cheese from coating your oven's wire racks. Place the glass dish on the baking sheet and cover with more foil.
8. Bake at 350 F for 2 hours, or at 400 for 1.5 hours. Check partway through to make sure it's not spilling over.
9. EAT!