Cyndi's Potato Soup

Author: Cynthia M. Pratt

When my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, we wanted to provide plenty of food with minimum preparation. Family members were coming in from various places, at different times, to gather at our home before attending the reception later that evening so we wanted a self-serve menu to accommodate a variety of tastes.

We chose to provide soups and sandwiches. The soups were prepared and kept warm in crock-pots and the sandwich fixings were kept chilled in the refrigerator. Chips, crackers, and condiments gave everyone a chance to feast on extras.

Ernie, my brother-in-law, and his wife arrived early so my husband, Roger, my daughter, and I decided to give them a short tour of the town. Our son stayed home just in case any other guests decided to arrive early. After our grand tour of the town, I decided to pick up some things at the supermarket. On our way out, my daughter suddenly stopped.

“Did you see who that was?” she asked.

“Who?” I replied.

“They just came in. It was Helen and Tisha,” she said.

“Tisha! Where?” I asked.

My daughter turned me around and pointed.

There they were: Helen and Tisha. Tisha is my son’s daughter and Helen is her mother’s mother—her other grandmother.

We rushed toward Helen who offered me the blanket-wrapped baby. As I cuddled my first grandchild close to my heart, I heard Helen say, “Why don’t you take her home with you. It will be easier for me to shop without her and you can spend some time with her. I’ll come by for her later.”

She was less than two months old and we hadn’t yet told everyone in the family about her. She was unplanned and her parents had decided not to marry. In fact, they had broken up before they even knew she was on the way.

It was not how we had envisioned introducing our grandchildren into the world, but it had happened and we weren’t about to ignore this precious child who already shared a world of love with everyone who knew her. So, I kissed the baby’s little pink cheeks, hugged her close and went to the car to introduce her to her relatives.

My sister-in-law’s mouth dropped open. Ernie stared.

As I got into the car, I announced, “You can find just about anything at the store.”

We had about an hour before Helen would return to claim Tisha. With soup in crock-pots, and sandwiches in the refrigerator, we had a baby to spoil.

Cyndi's Potato Soup Recipe

Ingredients

6 Large potatoes
6 Bacon Slices
1 C Diced onion
4 heaping Tb flour
2 to 4 C skim milk
1/2 jar low-fat processed cheese spread
Salt
Pepper

Instructions

Wash, peel and dice potatoes.
Rinse potatoes, put in saucepan, and cover with water.
Add salt and heat over medium heat until boiling.
Once the potatoes begin to boil, simmer until just tender.
While the potatoes are cooking, cut several slices of bacon into small pieces.
Fry bacon in a cast iron skillet (for better flavor).
As the bacon cooks, add 1 cup of chopped onions.
Continue cooking until the bacon is crisp and the onions are transparent.
Remove the bacon and onions from grease with a slotted spoon so the grease drains.
Put bacon and onions into a bowl and set aside for later.
Using the bacon drippings for your base, make a gravy by stirring 3 to 4 heaping tablespoons flour into the drippings.
Stir constantly until flour dissolves.
Gradually add 2 to 4 cups milk as you continue to stir.
Salt and pepper to taste.
When the gravy is as thick as you want it, pour the gravy into the pan of cooked potatoes.
Add the bacon and onions and stir.
Add 1/2 jar of processed cheese spread.
Continue heating until the cheese is melted, stirring frequently to keep from sticking.
Put in a crock-pot and kept warm.
Garnish with sprinkles of parsley, paprika, or chopped green onion. Or, sprinkle on some grated cheddar or Colby cheese.
Serve with hot buttered toast.

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