“Mom, you know what you haven’t made in a while?” What’s that, Nate?” “Potato Soup”. Oh yeah, I thought.

Chicken Tetrazzini had been on today’s dinner menu… that is until I cracked another one of my teeth. Oh yeah. It hurt. But that was AFTER another tooth began hurting terribly on Friday evening/Saturday morning just in time for my lunchbox segment for my favorite wholesale club, BJ’s on WBTV 3 in Charlotte.

My cracked tooth was fixed by my wonderful dentist Dr. Tim Sims. “Let’s be conservative and see if we can fix this thing without a crown.”

I love this man. I need to bake him a banana bread.

You know what’s hard about blogging about your recipes?

1. You can never surprise your dinner guests because I get so excited to share with you my new recipes that I put them on before my guests arrive. You guessed it. Those stinkers always look at my website or facebook page to see what I’m up to. Darn them!

2. You know what else? Everyone knows what I’ve made and then when I walk into a place, they are disappointed when I do not think to bring them some. This happened today. At the dentist office. I felt bad. Really bad.  An hour later I was on my way home, NOT ready to chew on chicken, but instead to swallow something soft! I had been told to see my endodontist about the other tooth because my root canal had to be either “retreated” or “redone”. I’m hoping for retreated.

On the bright side, I got to enjoy a wonderful warm bowl of this creamy, cheesy goodness with my family. Don’t wait for a root canal. Make some soup today!

1/2 lb. bacon, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock or enough to cover your potatoes
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup cheddar cheese

Cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside. Add chopped celery and onion and cook until tender. Add your minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Now add potatoes and enough chicken stock to cover your potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender.

Add cream and then puree half of the soup. Add your cheese and stir until it melts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Culinary generously gave me a Smart Stick Hand Blender. I love it because I can blend all of the ingredients in the pan. I don’t have to transfer the hot potato mixture and liquid in batches in my blender. This hand blender also comes with a chopper, whisk and a measuring beaker. I just keep it charged and ready to go when I need it! It’s just wonderful!

Top each bowl of soup with a little extra shredded cheddar cheese (I know, I know), minced green onions or chives and bacon pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From our hearts to yours,

Elise and family