Just do it already!!

It's funny to be sitting here writing a food blog and be talking about rainy cold weather when today is the first day of beautiful weather here in Northern California (at least where I live that is).  I hear the children in the neighborhood playing happily; riding bikes and scooters, playing with chalk and running up and down the street screaming at the top of their lungs.  It's awesome!  I should be out with them soaking up this beautiful weather.  But I thought since my blog is about a week late, I really should try to get in here and as Nike says, Just Do It!!

I am happy to say that the germs have left my house!  We have survived and more importantly I did not get sick!  Hooray!  Because as everyone knows, when Mommy is sick the whole house falls apart!  In between taking care of three sick guys last week and preparing for my son's sixth birthday and working nights at a local church loving on some of the sweetest children ever, I FINALLY have a meal to blog about!!

Pampered Chef calls this Loaded Baked Potato Chowder.  I just call it the Poor Man's Potato Soup.  Easy and delicious, my two year old eats it up and asks for more!  I'll post the recipe at the bottom of this blog.

What you do is take three big potatoes (sometimes I do four) peel and slice them in half (I use my color coated santouku knife 5 inch blade) and put them in your Deep Covered Baker.  Add 1/2 cup milk (I prefer whole milk for my soups) and throw it in the microwave for about 11 minutes. 

While that is nuking take your creme cheese and whisk it until it's smooth.  Actually I am going to tell you to do something entirely different.  Yes, I change a recipe now and then!  If you have not tried the Kraft Philadelphia Cooking Creme - run to Wal-Mart ($2.50 each) and get it!  Now!  Well, wait till my blog is done and then go!  What I have found is that this cooking creme is so smooth and velvety that using the block of cream cheese is just not worth it!  I find with block cream cheese my soup can be clumpy (maybe I'm not whisking enough, I don't know). 

Okay so where was I?  Oh yes.  Cooking creme :)  Take 3 cups of milk and whisk it with the creme cheese in your classic batter bowl.  Put that aside and check your potatoes.  Your going to want to move the center potatoes to the outer edge and the outer potatoes to the center.  Again cook for about 11 minutes.  Now using your mix-n-chop mix up the potatoes to a consistency your happy with.  Not too lumpy and not too smooth, somewhere right in the middle!  Add your milk and creme mixture (slowly) along with two tablespoons butter.  What I do is take my green onions (chopped up using my color coated chef's knife (7 inches) and I put them in with my soup along with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Microwave again for 3-5 minutes.  Pampered Chef has you doing this as a garnishment but either way is fine! 

Now on to the bacon!  However you want your bacon to sizzle do so!  Either by pan on the stove or use your bar pan (in the microwave) just make it crispy!  Add your crumpled bacon, sharp cheddar cheese and any other garnishment you want and dinner is ready! 

Enjoy!!

Yield: 6 servings (8 cups/2 L) U.S. Nutrients per serving (about 11∕3 cups/325 mL): Calories 390, Total Fat 19 g, Saturated Fat 11 g, Cholesterol 65 mg, Carbohydrate 43 g, Protein 14 g, Sodium 880 mg, Fiber 3 g



• 3 large baking potatoes
• (about 2½ lb/1.1 kg)
• 3½ cups (875 mL) milk, divided
• 4 oz (125 g) cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
• 2–3 green onions with tops
• (¼ cup/50 mL sliced)
• 4 oz (125 g) sharp cheddar cheese,
• grated
• 1½ tsp (7 mL) salt
• ½ tsp (2 mL) coarsely ground black pepper
• Optional toppings such as chopped cooked bacon, sour cream or steamed broccoli florets