Potato Soup...

So from here on out, Maggie and I are going to post various recipes every Thursday and ways to save money through cooking at home - forever known as TASTY THURSDAY. Going forward, we will share our ideas on cooking with minimal ingredients and using recipes for more than one meal - perfect way for a single gal to save money. Like Maggie said in the beginning, we have different perspectives, but both have a love of cooking and have found ways to save in the process.



Let the first TASTY THURSDAY begin...

The other day, we had a random cold, rainy day, one of those days where you feel like it's instantly Fall and you should be getting ready for Halloween - but it's actually April. The kind of day that you have to make soup - it's an unwritten rule. So I wanted to share my new found and slightly altered recipe because it's AMAZING!! AND...it makes enough to last a week of meals. I know it sounds simple and possibly boring, but this isn't your normal potato soup...this is dinner every night for a week and an occasional lunch. This is the kind of soup that you make meals around - this is another Sunday afternoon experiment that turned out wildly successful. I have paired it with a yummy cobb salad, packed it for lunch, added chicken to it for a meal in-and-of itself and had it as an appetizer to a BBQ chicken and salad dinner. Plus, let's be honest,  you can always cook up a yummy grilled cheese to pair with it for any meal.

TIP: Prepare one to two dishes every week (I like to cook on Sundays - we'll talk more about that later) to eat throughout the week. If you're like me and are thinking, "But I hate leftovers" - choose things to cook that you don't mind eating again. I used to hate reheating meat or rice or eating a leftover salad with dressing on it so I've found that I just make a sauce (spaghetti, alfredo, etc.) that can be added to fresh noodles or salad the night you eat it. Soups are another good choice (like this AMAZING one) or dishes that can be paired with many different options throughout the week so that you don't get tired of eating the same thing. Here are a few suggestions (I'll post my recipes for these items throughout the month of May): chicken enchiladas, potato soup, chicken tortilla soup, spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce and tuna salad to just name a few. In addition, I always keep items on hand to make a yummy Cobb or Greek salad to add some freshness to any meal. As my mama always says, "You gotta get your greens!"

RECIPE: LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP (adapted from this recipe)

http://damndelicious.net/2013/10/14/loaded-baked-potato-soup/ 

5T butter (salted)

1/4 cup flour

4 cups whole milk (you can also use heavy cream, but I prefer Whole Milk)

2 cups shredded cheese (I used Swiss and Sharp Cheddar - feel free to experiment)

15 oz. chicken broth

Basil and Celery Salt and Salt and Pepper to taste

4 Large red potatoes (I keep the skins on - cut into chunks) - feel free to add more for a thicker soup

1 white onion

1 container mushrooms

Garnish: 

Bacon

Chives

Sour Cream

• Melt butter in a large stockpot or saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and chicken broth, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. 
• While butter mixture is cooking, sautee mushrooms and onions in a skillet over medium heat - you can use butter or olive oil. 
• Stir in potatoes and sauteed mushrooms and onion to butter/broth mixture. 
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
• Serve immediately, garnished with green onion, cheese and bacon, if desired. 
• ENJOY!!!