I stirred the gravy - cheesy loaded potato and stuff soup.

I've decided to make a section on the blog for my trials in the kitchen, my hubby seems to enjoy my cooking (though I do think he's lying most of the time) and I want to start actually MEASURING things and writing them down, because currently I just throw stuff in a pot and go with it.
In honor of the days when I would tell my husband "I made dinner" when we were dating, this new portion is going to be called "I stirred the gravy".

I call this "Cheese loaded potato and stuff soup"  The "stuff" is optional.  You can simply do a loaded potato soup using this recipe and forget the other veggies, but if you think anyone in your family who doesn't USUALLY eat veggies, will eat soup with copious hidden veggies, throw as many kinds as you can in there!  Though I don't suggest peppers or REALLY flavored veggies as they'll change the flavor.  MOVING ON!!   Some of these you can do ahead of time, I did the veggies during dinner on Wednesday night and made the bacon at breakfast with the rest of the bacon... i just remembered to put some aside.  This soup serves 3-4 people we learned... If you want to have MORE soup, simply add more ingredients.  My dad says the potato rule is 1 per person when making mashed potatoes, so I follow that same rule with any potato recipe.  Also, don't be like me, don't read bits of the recipe then realize you could have made a short cut after you did like 3 hours of work... read the WHOLE recipe before starting anything.  Check your ingredients, make sure you have everything.  It sucks to have to go out and get something after you've started cooking... I hate it.  ANYWAY.

Cheesy Loaded Potato and *Stuff Soup.
Ingredients
Large soup pot
3 medium potatoes
1 container Cream soup starter
half cup milkmilk
half cup half and half or cream
half a bag of Sargentos three cheese shredded cheese (if you have a shredded cheese you prefer, use that)
bacon
olive oil
salt
pepper
vegetable seasoning (OPTIONAL)

Additional *"stuff"
1.5 bags baby carrots
1.5 small heads of broccoli
(see bottom for additional notes and additional suggested veggies)


Chop carrots, broccoli and potatoes.
The broccoli will separate slightly as it is cooked, so just make sure you have it where people can eat it with a spoon...
Carrots should be cut into small medium thick slices.  Like 2/10th's of an inch.  I used baby carrots and just chopped them.  If you use large carrots, I suggest slicing them in half THEN cutting them into little slices like I did the baby carrots.
Potatoes, I cut them in half, then slice length wise into 4s, then chop them into about 1inch of less pieces.

Cook the broccoli as you would to serve it by itself.
I cooked mine in water with the potatoes, then drained it all.  DO NOT OVER COOK YOUR POTATOES.  They will become mushy and be cubes of mashed potatoes...  Bring your water to a boil with broccoli and potatoes in it, reduce the heat to light medium, wait 5-10 minutes, turn it off.  Drain these veggies.

In the same pot that is now empty.  Drizzle olive oil, add carrots, turn on medium heat and let the carrots cook for about 10 minutes. When the carrots are done, add the potatoes and broccoli back to the pot and set that aside.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and if you're using it, vegetable seasoning.  I used it, I love it.

Cook the bacon.  If you want you can cook the bacon in the oven while you prepare the veggies, I find cooking bacon in the oven to be really easy so... and less time consuming than stove top...  Save the bacon grease for flavor to the soup.

Add the cream starter to the veggies.  Stir with a large spoon (its easier with a big spoon), set to medium heat.  Add milk, stir.  Add cream/half and half , stir.  Let it bubble stirring occasionally to keep it from burning.  Throw in one more sprinkle of salt and pepper, give it a stir, check that the temperature is warm enough for you and your family and ENJOY!



Remember!!! Any recipes I put on here are not a strict YOU MUST FOLLOW! list of instructions.  These are guidelines.  If you want more veggies than broth, add more veggies, if you are trying to get your family to eat more veggies, again, ADD MORE.  Double the carrots, triple the broccoli, throw some celery, spinach WHATEVER in.  Just be sure that you don't add something that will drastically change the taste, like adding sweet peppers when you want mostly a cream flavor, or chicken flavor.  Don't be afraid to add or take away from the recipe.  I never follow a recipe to a T.  Recipes should be guidelines not strict rules, cook some things with a recipe then find your own.  Make it you, not everyone's taste is the same so explore, throw some stuff in a pot and stir the gravy!  Good luck!

Keep warm all still in cold!