Becky’s Baked Potato Soup

I am looking out the window at the beautiful Pine trees laden with snow—our first for this year in Delaware. This is, of course, the perfect weather for soup.

Last year when my daughter Becky came to visit in the winter she made a scrumptious soup called Baked Potato Soup. I have made potato soup many times, but never as good as hers.

Trying to think of something different for dinner I remembered that soup. I looked online and found a similar soup but it wasn’t quite the same. Then I found it in one of my favorite recipe files on a card under ‘soups’—just where it should be. Now copy this down and don’t loose it!

    Ingredients:

    6 medium potatoes baked or boiled

    8-10 slices fried crumbled bacon

    5 cups milk

    1 stick butter

    3 sticks chopped celery with leaves

     1 medium onion peeled and chopped

     1 cup chicken broth

     ½ cup flour

     1 cup sour cream

     1½ cups grated cheddar cheese

      salt and pepper to taste

    Directions:

1.      Bake potatoes or boil in water, drain, peel, and cool. Then cut into cubes and set aside.

2.      Fry bacon, drain on paper towel and crumble. Set aside.

3.      Saute' chopped onion and celery in melted butter until tender.

4.      Add flour to butter and veggies. Stir until light brown.

5.      Add broth and milk and stir until thickened.

6.      Add chopped potatoes and combine with sauce.

7.      Add sour cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

8.      Add cheese and stir until the perfect thickness. Check seasoning.

9.      Serve topped with more shredded cheddar, chopped green onions, bacon bits, and chopped parsley if desired.

Check this out! Hope you will like this as much as we do. Thanks Becky. You are a fabulous cook.  

Shirley's Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls

Over the years I have had the honor of eating many wonderful meals at my mother-in-law’s home. Shirley makes the best Challah bread and shared the recipe with me many years ago. It is on this blog, and if you haven’t tried it you are missing out on something special.

My husband says his mom’s apple pie recipe is even better than mine—I’m jealous.

Here is another of her great recipes that I have made for years and it is one of our favorites. It’s Shirley’s chicken soup with matzo balls. It can be made using roasted chicken from your local supermarket or you can roast it yourself in the oven or crock pot.

Since today has been a rainy day, I thought it was the perfect day for chicken soup.

Ingredients:

4 cups of cooked cubed chicken

2 quarts (8 cups) chicken broth

4 celery ribs chopped including leaves

1 medium chopped onion

4 cloves crushed garlic

4 chopped carrots

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

2 packages Matzo Ball mix (May be purchased at your local grocery store in the kosher food section. You will need eggs and oil for this recipe.)

Directions:

Skin chicken and pick 4 cups of meat from the bones. Set aside. Clean and chop vegetables and place in crock pot or stew pot along with broth and cook until vegetables are tender. Add chicken and correct seasoning.

Follow recipe for Matzo balls on the package and place mixture in refrigerator for about fifteen minutes. Wet hands and shape batter into balls by tablespoons full and drop into simmering broth. The matzo balls will float to the top. Simmer about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with more fresh chopped parsley. Serve while hot. You’re going to love it.