Counting Blessings, or, The Best Thing that came out of my marriage
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 302
Counting Blessings, or, The Best Thing that came out of my marriage
It's a chilly night here in Florida. (Work with me. It's 62 with a low of 47. That's chilly for us.) And chilly nights are good for soup...
Which brings me to the best darn thing that came out of my marriage: this soup recipe. It's rich and comforting, and traditionally what his family enjoys on Christmas Eve - his grandmother's recipe. So I'm having warm and toasty Christmassy thoughts, and enjoying the goodness. The peace. The quiet. The anti-drama. Now would be a good time to put in "White Christmas" - or at least the soundtrack, to hear Rosemary Clooney sing "Count Your Blessings," one of my all-time favorites.
I've been free for a couple years now. He was my best friend, the one I thought I'd spend forever with. But... his mistress won. Ah yes, Miller High-Life. "Champagne of Beers." Yeah, right. More like cheap date in a trashy dress. Oh wait, do I sound bitter? I'm really not. I'm actually pretty darn happy right now. Life is good. I'm still single and ok with that. I really do like living my myself - me, my dogs, the cats, doing what I want to do, knowing that there won't be money disappearing from the checking account randomly, no more cigarette butts, or worrying, or the god-awful smell of altoids + booze + cigarette.
So I wanted to share. My mother readily tells people that this was the best thing that came of my marriage. She is right about a lot of things. I'd like to think that it made me a stronger person and more empathetic to others. But then again, this is one heck of a soup. So I present: Meme's incredible Christmas Eve dinner:
Baked Potato Soup
4 large potatoes, baked, and scooped out of skins (discard skins). I use more than that, more like 8 medium ones
2/3 c Butter
2/3 c Flour
6 c milk
1c shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 green onions, chopped
8 slices of bacon, fried until crisp and crumbled (or microwaved if you're lazy like me)
8 oz sour cream (I use fat-free, as there's enough fat elsewhere!)
Melt butter over low heat. Yes, use real butter. Add flour and stir until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add milk gradually, cooking over medium heat and stirring until thick. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, onion, cheese and bacon. Cook until heated. It will thicken more with the potatoes. Stir in sour cream and garnish with any cheese or bacon you thought to set aside.
Merry Christmas! (Yes, I know it's April. I don't care.)
D
Which brings me to the best darn thing that came out of my marriage: this soup recipe. It's rich and comforting, and traditionally what his family enjoys on Christmas Eve - his grandmother's recipe. So I'm having warm and toasty Christmassy thoughts, and enjoying the goodness. The peace. The quiet. The anti-drama. Now would be a good time to put in "White Christmas" - or at least the soundtrack, to hear Rosemary Clooney sing "Count Your Blessings," one of my all-time favorites.
I've been free for a couple years now. He was my best friend, the one I thought I'd spend forever with. But... his mistress won. Ah yes, Miller High-Life. "Champagne of Beers." Yeah, right. More like cheap date in a trashy dress. Oh wait, do I sound bitter? I'm really not. I'm actually pretty darn happy right now. Life is good. I'm still single and ok with that. I really do like living my myself - me, my dogs, the cats, doing what I want to do, knowing that there won't be money disappearing from the checking account randomly, no more cigarette butts, or worrying, or the god-awful smell of altoids + booze + cigarette.
So I wanted to share. My mother readily tells people that this was the best thing that came of my marriage. She is right about a lot of things. I'd like to think that it made me a stronger person and more empathetic to others. But then again, this is one heck of a soup. So I present: Meme's incredible Christmas Eve dinner:
Baked Potato Soup
4 large potatoes, baked, and scooped out of skins (discard skins). I use more than that, more like 8 medium ones
2/3 c Butter
2/3 c Flour
6 c milk
1c shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 green onions, chopped
8 slices of bacon, fried until crisp and crumbled (or microwaved if you're lazy like me)
8 oz sour cream (I use fat-free, as there's enough fat elsewhere!)
Melt butter over low heat. Yes, use real butter. Add flour and stir until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add milk gradually, cooking over medium heat and stirring until thick. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, onion, cheese and bacon. Cook until heated. It will thicken more with the potatoes. Stir in sour cream and garnish with any cheese or bacon you thought to set aside.
Merry Christmas! (Yes, I know it's April. I don't care.)
D
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Alaska
Posts: 2,913
Wonderful post, DMC! And the recipe sounds delicious! We're having a heat wave here in Alaska with highs in the mid-50's and lows in the 30's, FINALLY. It's positively warm at those temps here. 
The shorts are coming out and light weight (or no) jackets. Though a friend who actually moved up here from Florida this past winter was saying we're a bit off up here. 
The shorts are coming out and light weight (or no) jackets. Though a friend who actually moved up here from Florida this past winter was saying we're a bit off up here. Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,349
Oh Yummy! Any kind of potato soup is a weakness for me, this recipe is similar to the one I make except I don't use green onions. Thank you for your share and for the recipe!
I live in the Phoenix, AZ area and any temperature below 70 is considered jeans and sweater weather to me, LOL! Enjoy your soup, it's going to be almost 100 here so I've moved onto my salads.
I live in the Phoenix, AZ area and any temperature below 70 is considered jeans and sweater weather to me, LOL! Enjoy your soup, it's going to be almost 100 here so I've moved onto my salads.
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 302
Thanks everyone!
I sometimes skip the bacon - it's good with chopped ham as well, and sometimes don't have the onions, but they add a nice bite.
I imagine that you'd add your corn or steamed broccoli with the potatoes and cheese.
And yes, I had a lovely dinner last night.
I sometimes skip the bacon - it's good with chopped ham as well, and sometimes don't have the onions, but they add a nice bite.
I imagine that you'd add your corn or steamed broccoli with the potatoes and cheese.
And yes, I had a lovely dinner last night.
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