Potato Soup for a chilly day meal

Potato soup has always been a favorite at our house.  Raising 4 hungry boys on a budget was never easy - but a challenge that I embraced!  Soup fit the bill perfectly, and I often baked corn bread to go along with it.  As you can see there are bacon bits in this soup, but that's not necessary.  If you are on a vegetarian diet you can easily change this recipe to suit you.










Let the creating begin!


I start out by peeling and chopping into cubes about 5-6 medium potatoes. Then I add a carrot or several baby carrots and chop them into 1/2" pieces.  I also add 1 rib of celery usually, but it's not necessary.  I pour water over them in the saucepan - just enough to cover - and bring it to a boil.  I usually add 2-3 chicken bouilon cubes to the water for extra flavor.  You can also use vegetable broth instead of water for flavor and to eliminate meat.

It takes about 15 minutes.  If you like chunky soup you don't have to boil them as long. We like ours to have some chunks, but I also mash them to make it thicker.

 When they are finished boiling I just get out my trusty potato masher and mash the whole thing together.  The carrots mash a little - but not too much.  You can still have nice-sized pieces....Meanwhile in a large saucepan I melt 3-4 Tablespoons butter (real) and saute 1 large onion.

  If you want bacon, skip the butter, then chop 3-4 slices of bacon first and cook it in the pan. Remove bacon and keep 3-4 tablespoons of the bacon grease to saute your onions in....yum!  Now sprinkle 3 Tablespoons flour over the bacon grease (or butter with the onions, depending on what you used) and stir well. Let it cook for a minute on medium heat.  If it's too dry, it's ok to add a little more butter or grease. 

Slowly add 2 cups of milk (I use 2 % but you can use whole milk, too) to the roux you've made with the flour mixture and stir until it begins to thicken and bubble just a little.  Keep stirring!  And now you can add the potato mixture and stir some more.  After this all heats together well and is thickened nicely I usually add my favorite cheese.  We like American or Cheddar...mostly cheddar.  But you can also make this soup without any cheese and it's more like a chowder.  You can also add ham chunks.  It's very flexible - you really can't hardly mess it up...add more cheese to thicken it more or add more milk to thin it out.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  I think you're really gonna love this soup!

Potato Soup recipe:

4-6 medium potatoes (I like Yukon Gold)

1 large carrot, sliced or 1/2 cup baby carrots, sliced

water to cover or vegetable broth

3-4 slices bacon, chopped, or 3-4 tablespoons real butter

1 large onion

1 rib celery

2 cups milk

3 Tablespoons flour

American or Cheddar cheese (1/2 - 1 cup)

1/2-3/4 cup chopped ham, optional

salt & pepper to taste

Peel and chop potatoes. Chop carrots & celery. Place all in medium saucepan and cover with water or vegetable broth. (can add 2-3 chicken bouillon cubes when water boils). Bring to boil, then turn down and simmer for about 15 minutes or till veg are tender.  Mash with potato masher till consistency you like....less for more chunks.

Meanwhile, brown bacon in large saucepan.  Remove bacon to be added at end and leave bacon grease in pan. (If using butter, then put it in the saucepan to melt on medium heat.) Chop onion and add to hot butter or grease & saute till tender (5-7 minutes) on medium heat... Do NOT let butter burn....you will not like the flavor, trust me! :)  Sprinkle flour over onion mixture and stir well. Let cook for only a minute, then slowly - very slowly! pour the milk into the pan and keep on a-stirring! Cook till thickens, then once again - very slowly pour the potato mixture into this pan and stir some more!  Heat well & add cheese till melted.  Add bacon bits and ham just till heated.  Serve!  Sprinkle more cheese & bacon over the top of each bowl.  Enjoy!

Quote of the day: “After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations.” 

― Oscar Wilde, in the book "A Woman of No Importance"

Shepherd's Pie

So Shepherd's Pie was on the menu for tonight's dinner....and here's what happened..
(By the way, you will NOT find perfection on my website....I will daringly show my mistakes as well as my victories in both cooking and sewing so that you know we are all learning together!)  ;0

So this was looking pretty good, right?  I thought so!  However...I deviated from the recipe just a tad...
I tend to think most recipes for Shepherd's pie leave a lot to be desired where the sauce/gravy is concerned.
So I experimented.  Not always a good idea to deviate too far, you know...
I added the beef broth as instructed but wanted more "beefy" flavor so I also added a pkg of dry gravy mix....then I figured it would be too thick, so I added more beef broth.




This is the result....the gravy came over the top onto the cheesy part!  Didn't look pretty, but I must say - it was delicious!

So next time I just need to add less liquid and it'll be perfect, right?  

I won't hold my breath...

Here is the recipe:

Shepherd's Pie Mary Lou's way

4 large potatoes, peeled, cubed

3 Tbsp butter

3-4 Tbsp milk

1 1/4 lbs ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup or so of frozen peas

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon ketchup

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup beef broth

1 pkg brown gravy

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp corn starch mixed with 3 Tbsp water

1 - 1/4 cups shredded cheddar

Instructions: (Preheat oven to 325)

Bring a large pot of water  to boil. Add cubed potatoes, cook till soft - 15-20 min.  Drain & add butter (to taste) and milk - adding a little at a time to get thick consistency...don't add all at once or it may be too thin.

Brown ground beef and then add onion, celery, carrots and saute till veg are tender, but not too soft. (7-10 min). Add garlic, peas, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth and gravy mix. Simmer 3-5 minutes. If it's too thin add the corn starch/water mixture and simmer 3-4 more minutes. 

Carefully pour the ground beef/veg mixture into a  2-Quart casserole dish or a 9 X 13 pan and spread evenly.  Smooth mashed potatoes over the top. Cover with 1/2 of the cheddar cheese, adding the rest of the cheddar about 10 minutes before removing from oven.  Bake at 325 for about 20-30 minutes till bubbly and golden brown.

Hope your's turns out delicious, too!  I welcome comments...but please be kind...I'm sortof new at this!

Quote of the day: "Go and be as the butterfly!" (from Jan Karon's books)