Baked Potato Soup

James has been bugging me for quite some time to find a new potato soup recipe. The one I usually make has celery and carrots, which aren't his favorite. So, I found the Baked Potato Soup recipe in Home Again, Home Again and I thought I'd give it a try. According to James, it's his new favorite potato soup. Am I a good wife or what? haha I have to agree...it was yummy! It was a really simple dish to make and it would be sure to impress your guests! Everyone likes potato soup so I'll go ahead and include the recipe:

Baked Potato Soup

4 large baking potatoes, baked a cooled (I just cooked them in boiling water, like mashed potatoes, and it worked just fine)

2/3 cup margarine

2/3 cup flour

7 cups of a milk (Yes, there are really 7 cups of milk!)

4 green onions, sliced

12 slices of bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled (I used 8 and it was plenty)

1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Peel the potatoes and chop into pieces (We like the skins so I kept them on, much easier). Melt the margarine in a large pot. Stir in the flour until smooth. Add the milk, gradually, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add the potatoes and green onions. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add the bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Heat until the cheese melts, stirring constantly. Ladle into soup bowls. Serves 8

Note: If you plan on reheating the soup in the microwave I would recommend not putting all of the bacon into the large pot of soup, and just putting it in the individual bowls. When you microwave the soup with the bacon it makes the bacon chewy and hard to eat. If you will be reheating the soup on the stove the bacon stays crispy :)

Enjoy!

Recipe Requests...

Sorry for the delay but I just realized that several of you were wanting the Company Chicken and Saucy Stuffed Shells recipes... Here they are :) Enjoy!

Company Chicken
1 (6 oz) pkg wild rice
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
4 cups chopped cooked chicken
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (10 oz) can cream of celery soup
1 cup Hellman's mayo
1 tsp curry powder ( I omitted this... I don't like this flavor)
1/4 cup (1 oz) grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare the rice using the pkg directions. Layer the rice, broccoli, chicken, mushrooms, and Cheddar cheese in the order listed in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine the soup, mayo, and curry powder in a bowl and mix well. Spread the mayo mixture over the prepared layers and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350* for 50 minutes. You may substitute chopped cooked ham for the chicken, adding 2 tsp. of prepared mustard to the soup mixture. Serves 8-10.

Note: I halved the recipe and it made enough to serve about 6-8...so be prepared for leftovers! It heated up great for days!

Saucy Stuffed Shells with Four Cheeses
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 tsp garlic salt
3 cups water
3 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp basil
16 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups (12 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup (4 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
Jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained
8 slices Provolone cheese

Brown the ground beef and sausage with the garlic salt in a skillet over medium heat, stirring until the meats are crumbly; drain. Stir in the water, tomato paste, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and basil. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Combine the ricotta cheese and eggs in a bowl and mix well. Stir in the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Fill the pasta shells generously withe cheese mixture; the shells will be overflowing with the stuffing. Arrange the shells stuffing side up in a single layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish sprayed lightly with non stick cooking spray. Arrange the provolone cheese slices over the top and spread with the ground beef mixture.
Bake, covered at 350* for 45 minutes; remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes. Let stand at room temp. for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serves 12

Note: I halved the recipe and it still made a ton!

Saucy Stuffed Shells with Four Cheeses

Let's just say making this dish was quite an experience. It all started when I decided that I wanted to half the recipe (which still made a TON). I wasn't feeling to well the day I started making it but I thought, well we've got to eat so I might as well suck it up and make it. I started making the sauce a realized that it had to simmer for an hour...which at this point I didn't have time for. So, we decided to go out for dinner and have this the next night. Sounds easy enough. I finished the sauce and let it simmer for about an hour. The next morning James and I come down stairs and James says, "Well, there is your sauce sitting on the stove." Ahhh I was so mad. Needless to say I had to throw it all out. Luckily at this point I also realize that I had put 1/2 the meats and ALL of all the other ingredients. I guess it worked out good that I messed it up considering it might have tasted a little funky. So...I started over. Made the sauce, let it simmer, and then cooked the shells, stuffed the shells, and then poured the sauce on top. It baked in the oven for about 35 minutes. While it was baking I told James that I was never going to make it again... Too much of a pain. But, then we ate it and it was DELICIOUS!!! It did have a lot of prep work but I have to say that I will be making this one again. Next time hopefully I'll only have to make it once!