Recipe Review from

And here I thought I had posted the weeks recipe...oops!   Uneventful week meal wise.  One recipe from Kevin Belton's New Orlean's Kitchen, and the one recipe below.



The Meal Plan
Sat (L)  out   (S)  Pork n grits
Sun (L) leftovers  (S) potato soup
Mon (yoga)  leftover soup
Tues - leftover soup
Wed - leftover soup
Thurs (yoga) more leftover soup
Fri (yoga) - brats

Lunches:  hummus sandwiches and fruit

Slow Cooked Loaded Potato Soup (Taste of Home Soups) 
This was super easy to assemble, and I simplified it a bit more.  I cooked the bacon first, then sauted the onion in some of the rendered bacon fat and proceeded with the recipe from there.  I don't like soggy bacon, so I left the bits out of the soup and added before serving with the grated cheese.  That's it!  

You can also skip the bacon and use vegetable broth for a vegetarian dish.  

Recommended. 

This made about 8 servings.

Photo from Taste of Home

2 large onions, chopped
3 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups water, divided
4 cups chicken broth
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1-1/2 cups mashed potato flakes
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, sliced


In a large skillet, saute onions in butter until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in 1 cup water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker.
 
Add the broth, potatoes, potato flakes, bacon, pepper, salt, basil, thyme and remaining water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until potatoes are tender. Stir in cream; heat through. Garnish with cheese and green onions.