Play Dates and Potato Soup!

I am so excited to announce that Max and I have our very first play date tomorrow since moving to Alabama!  Bless his heart, he has been so bored here.  In Oklahoma we had a network of friends who also have children and so play dates were a dime a dozen.  Now, the friends we do have don't have any children. So I have been on a mommy mission lately....

 We have chickens where we live and a ginormous back yard.  The area we live in is very wooded and so adventures are easy to come by, but even the most imaginative child needs a buddy!  Boyd is not quite big enough yet to play with brother and so Max is stuck playing with the chickens.  One day Max came in saying he WAS a chicken, I knew it was about time to start looking for a play group.  I made an account on Meetup.com and joined several Mommy and Me groups.  It is like trying to get in to see the President.  I kept waiting for them to ask me for a blood sample!  I understand why they interrogate you before allowing you to join a play group, but my goodness it was INTENSE to say the least.  Then I was accepted! YAY! I started receiving notifications immediately, "Mommy and Me Stroller Date at the Mall"!  Wait, what?! So, like, you mean we are going to walk around the mall with our strollers and just....walk!? Are you trying to give me stroller envy or what?! I did not RSVP to that. Next!! "Mommy and Me Play date for Under 2", this would have been perfect for Boyd and I but this isn't about Boyd, I am his best friend right now.  Then today, two weeks after joining I see a play date, and two moms have children that are five AND THEY ARE BOYS! I have hit the STAHM (stay at home mom) lottery!! I am excited to meet some other moms and hope and pray they are nice and not crazy!  I will report back and let you know how it plays out....

The weather has been a little chilly here, as far as Alabama goes.  They blast the heater if its less than 55 degrees out. I almost suffocated in the grocery store the other day. I was almost to incredible hulk status, guys! Ripping my clothes off and everything. Girls and heat do not mix! Anyway, I have been feeling like some soup lately.  I make a potato soup that Husband swoons over and friends have called and requested over the phone.  I threw this together one year and it has been a staple in our house every since,  I started out with it by just adding a bunch of things to a pot that sounded good. That is how a lot of my recipes come about. This soup is super easy and you can add things to it to make it your flavor. Some of the things I have added to it before in the past are leeks, mushrooms, ham chunks, chicken...the combinations are endless. Do not be afraid to get creative! This is a basic potato soup.  If you want a creamier soup it will require a blender, food processor or immersion blender. I use an immersion blender.

You will need:

-about 4 medium to large russet potatoes
-two slices bacon cut up and cooked
-medium onion diced
-1 large container of chicken broth
-1 can of corn (I used creamed corn for the recipe to try something new and it was really good so if that is what you have on hand then use it!)
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 cup half and half or whole milk
-1/4 cup all purpose flour
-sour cream
-salt and pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese


I like to start out by cutting up my bacon and then cooking it, we do this to get the fat off of the bacon, this is called "rendering the fat"! I could render fat All. Day. Long. YUM!

 Once your bacon is cooked to whatever doneness  (is that a word?) you like remove from pot and put it to the side.  Now you have beautiful, salty, silky flavor in your pot.  Add your diced onion and garlic, cook until translucent and glossy.

 While the onions cook dice up your potatoes, do not cut them too large or you will be cooking them for a while.  I do a medium dice.

  Once your onions are cooked add potatoes and corn to pot. Pour chicken broth over mixture, cover and cook until potatoes are soft.

 At this point I would use my immersion blender. If you choose to do a food processor or blender leave plenty of space because heat expands and you don't want to decorate your kitchen with soup!  In a large measure cup add half and half or milk and whisk in flour, this is going to make the soup so creamy. Turn down heat and add flour mixture to soup stirring constantly.  Simmer about 5 minutes.  Add sour cream and cheddar cheese. I like to serve this with cheese and bacon. It is so easy and so good guys! Enjoy!

This weekend Max turns FIVE! I cannot even believe it and I am making a yellow cake FROM SCRATCH, I will post that recipe next week! I love comments guys, if you try a recipe let me know!