Potato Soup for the Soul

Not being able to do any real cooking lately has been insanely frustrating! I’m just itching to get back into the kitchen. But Little Fuji #2 will be here soon and I’ll be allowed to be back on my feet again–WAHOO! It’s a good thing that I have had people willing to come and use my kitchen for me lately, otherwise I’d really be going crazy. An unused kitchen makes it onto my personal list of cardinal sins. A couple of days ago my mom came over and spent the day holding a sick Squirrel for me (the stomach flu has been ravaging its way through the Fuji cottage). In between cuddles she somehow managed to whip up some of the best potato soup I have ever had. She had been straightening up the kitchen for me and saw a forlorn bag of potatoes sitting in my pantry. Most of them needed to be thrown out, but some of them were salvageable, so we decided that potato soup would fit the bill. I got on-line and found a recipe on allrecipes.com that looked good. My mom and I went over the recipe, decided on some modifications, and then she got to work. If my face looked anything like my mom’s after my first bite of soup, it was a look of sheer bliss. SO YUMMY. I’m feeling extra generous today (it’s my birthday) so I guess I’ll share the recipe with you. ENJOY!!!

Potato Soup for the Soul
adapted from Delicious Ham and Potato Soup, allrecipes.com
Makes 8 servings

4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
2 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup diced cooked ham
1 quart chicken stock
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
8 slices bacon, cooked to a crisp
crumbled goat cheese, finely sliced green onions, salt, and pepper–for garnishing

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and chicken stock in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon.

2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk, as not to allow lumps to form, until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Top each bowl of soup with one slice of crumbled bacon, a tablespoon (or more!) of crumbled goat cheese, some sliced green onions, and salt and pepper to taste. Take a bite . . . swoon . . . enjoy!

** Today is National Pie Day! Your homework? Go and eat a piece of pie! I’ll be cheating a bit . . . I’ll be eating a piece of chocolate truffle tart that I requested for my birthday. Tart . . . pie . . . close enough, right?

** Expect to hear from me one more time before baby arrives! However, if she does decide to come before I post again, keep checking back because I’m handing the reigns to LFM over to Lolly and some other A-MAZING guest posters. I promise, you WILL NOT be disappointed!

Coming Sunday (unless I go into labor): What’s Coming up on LFM, some post-birthday cake commentary, and an award!