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Mmmm…potato soup

Being that I’m all knocked up and stuff, I sometimes I get cravings. STRONG cravings. Today, I woke up from a nap (ahh…the sweet bliss of a nap) craving potato soup. I love a good potato soup and the weather has been perfect for it (cool and rainy). I’ve never actually made potato soup, though, so I had to find a recipe. I found this on allrecipes.com and used it as a guide. I did change quite a bit about it, though. It turned out SO well. Completely satisified my craving and its a definite “keeper” recipe.

Potato soup

Ingredients

1 package of bacon
2 Tbsp bacon grease (reserved from frying bacon)
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 c flour
3 cups chicken stock
5 cups milk (I used 2 % but I don’t think it would matter)
5 green onions, chopped
4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-3 tbsp salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Cheddar cheese

In a large dutch oven (or whatever soup pot you’re using), fry bacon. Drain and chop small. (I fried up the whole package and ate some, so I’m not totally sure how much ended up in the soup.Probably about 2/3 of the package?) Drain all but 2 tbsp of the grease from the pot (make sure to leave the brown bits at the bottom too) Add butter to grease and melt. When butter is melted, add green onions and saute for a minute or two to soften. Then add the flour, stirring together with the fats. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in chicken stock and milk, about a cup at a time. Add 2 Tbsp salt, then add potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes to the desired consistency (I left some small chunks, but most were mashed). Stir in pepper and bacon. Taste and add salt accordingly. Top with cheddar cheese when serving.

The original recipe called for sour cream, but I left it out. Troy really doesn’t like it, and the soup didn’t need it. I honestly can’t imagine that it would add anything to the soup but if you want to try it, go ahead. I also really like the texture that using the potato masher gives, but you can certainly use the immersion blender if you want. I prefer some small chunks in my soup though.

Also, this makes A LOT. Enough for 6 people at least. So if you’re making it for less, either cut the recipe in half or be prepared to eat potato soup as leftovers for a few days.

The Omnivore’s Hundred

I came across this list at a blog I recently started reading, Reservations Not Required. The Omnivore’s Hundred is an interesting list of 100 items that Andrew Wheeler, co-author of the British food blog Very Good Taste, thinks every omnivore should try at least once in his life. He offered this list with the following instructions:

1. Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2. Bold all the items you’ve eaten
3. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4. Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

Try it out!

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos Rancheros
4. Steak Tartar
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Clamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese (don’t ask, it was trickery)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

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