Potato Cheese Soup

This recipe came to us right after Rylin was born. Todd's Mom came and stayed with us to help out around the house and make delicious meals!

One day, sometime around noon, I woke up out of my first-child-newborn-nursing haze to the smell of bacooooon. By the time I pulled some sort of clothing on and stumbled out of my room, I was too late! It was not meant for breakfast, but soup?! Grumble, grumble... it better be worth it.

It. Was.


What you need:

1 pound of bacon, cooked extra crispy and chopped
2 Tbsp (or so) of the bacon drippings
1 bunch green onions, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
6-8 potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1-2 cups corn
2 cans chicken broth
4 Tbsp flour
Salt
Pepper
Milk
Heavy cream
Grated cheddar cheese (I know you're using Tillamook. Right? RIGHT?!)


What you do:

1. In a small saucepan, sauté the onions in the bacon drippings. I guess you can use butter if you're not awesome. ;)

2. Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, corn, bacon, and chicken broth to your large stockpot on medium heat.

3. Once the onions are done, add the flour to them to make a roux. You'll have to add some broth from your stockpot to avoid using a ton of fat here. Sorry. Once the flour is completely dissolved, add the mixture to your stockpot. Add salt and pepper.

4. Add milk or water if needed to make sure your veggies are nice and covered.

5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for about 25 minutes. When your carrots and potatoes are soft enough to be cut easily, it's ready.

6. Add enough (about a cup) heavy cream to give the soup a nice creamy consistency.

7. Add enough grated cheese to your liking. I use about 2 cups.

8. Serve and enjoy. If you're Todd or Evan, go back for seconds. :)