If you are looking for some great comfort food, then look no farther than Loaded Baked Potato Soup! I served it in sourdough bread bowls and it was delicious.  Even my new friend Arlene approved! She admitted that she really didn't think she would like it, and loved it! Arlene was my first friend here on "Glenlivet" Court - that is if you don't count Mike, who we met when the moving van backed into his mailbox. But that is another story!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
6 large baking potatoes - baked, peeled and chopped into small pieces (use a masher or fork)
1/4 cup of butter
1 medium onion - chopped
1/2 cup flour (I like it thick - use less if you'd like a thinner soup)
1 quart half and half
3 cups of milk
salt and pepper to taste

Top each serving with:
Crumbled bacon (about 1/2 a pound)
Sour cream
Chopped green onion (about 1 cup)
Shredded cheddar cheese (at least 2 cups- in my house you can never have enough cheese!)

Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook till tender. Add flour and stir until smooth. Stir in potatoes, half and half and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low until heated through.  Add topping to each serving and enjoy!

Please let me know if you try this recipe and rate is on a scale of 1 to 5 spoons! (1spoon = fabulous, 
5 = not so much!)

I hated to throw away good potato skins, so here is a bonus! Make your own baked potato skins appetizer: Cut the baked potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the potato leaving a little potato in each skin. Top with crumbled bacon, green onions and shredded cheddar cheese. Bake in 350 oven until the cheese melts. Serve with sour cream.

I'm cooking chili this Tuesday in honor of the Super Bowl ("souper" bowl?) so I'll post again before the big game!

Welcome to the Souper Tuesday Blog.  Being new to our neighborhood, Souper Tuesday started as a way for my husband and I to get to know our new neighbors. We decided to invite everyone in our little cul-de-sac for soup every Tuesday night in January and February - a dine and dash,of sorts. So, I hand delivered invitations to everyone on the block and to my surprise, everyone was in! The first night we had a small group but it has grown each week. We now have neighbors bringing salad and dessert to accompany the soup! So, in this blog, I will share soup recipes, some "soup stories" and funny things that happen along the way.

Since it is always good to use a tried and true recipe when having company (a rule I often break!), I selected one of our favorites, Southwest Vegetable Soup.  I was lucky enough to have the opportunity a few years ago to start a business. Building a business is challenging, but the rewards are unbelievable.  On one of our cross-country trips, we had the good fortune to meet with Lisa Hall in Indiana.  It was a snowy January day when we arrived in Indy, but Lisa was ready for us with a piping hot bowl of this delicious soup!
If you like it "hot", then make it as directed.  My family likes it a little less spicy, so I use half the Chorizo sausage and add half a pound of ground turkey. Ground beef would work well too.

Lisa Hall's Southwest Vegetable Soup
1 lb. Chorizo Sausage
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 each chopped red pepper, zucchini, and yellow squash
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (10-12 oz.)
2 T tomato paste
2 tsp. cumin
2 cups chopped tomatoes (1 small can)
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
fresh cilantro to taste

In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, cook chorizo sausage until done. If you are adding ground meat, cook it thoroughly at the same time as the chorizo. Add olive oil and vegetables. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, stock, and cilantro. Cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

I always add shredded cheddar cheese to the top of each bowl and serve it with either crusty Italian bread or tortilla chips.  This soup freezes well, so double to recipe and freeze some for another meal.

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we do! Next week, Baked Potato Soup!
Enjoy!