Cheesy Potato Soup

Since I am digging through recipes in various places, I looked through my recipe card file for some inspiration and found this forgotten jem. I am not a fan of potato soups but this one is really good. I’m not sure where I got the recipe.. but it is a favorite of me and my son. This one does not take too long to prepare and it freezes well. I think it is even better after some time in the freezer. While I am preparing this I like to bake my bacon so it is all ready at the same time.

• 1 C  pared potatoes – diced
• 1/2 C  celery – diced
• 1/2 C  onion – diced
• 1 1/2 C   water
• 2  bouillon Cubes
• 2 C  milk
• 1/2 C  Sour Cream
• 4   tsp flour
• 8 oz  Velveeta
• 1/4  tsp pepper

Combine potatoes, celery, onion, water, bouillon and pepper in large sauce pan. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender. Add 1 Cup milk and heat. Mix sour cream, flour and remaining milk together. Gradually stir into soup base. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Serve with crackers and bacon to make a delicious winter warm up.

Bacon in the Oven

There are some great advantages to cooking bacon in the oven. The baked bacon does not curl – you get nice straight bacon pieces every time. It also cooks evenly and the grease does not splatter all over the place. You don’t have to watch and turn it. Just put it in the oven and set a timer.

To bake your bacon preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. I have a Pampered Chef clay cake pan that I use without being lined. Then lay the bacon strips flat, making sure pieces do not overlap. Bake until crisp and browned, 15 to 18 minutes, or desired doneness, rotating the sheets once. Transfer strips to a paper towel to drain.