Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Hi ya!  Happy first of November!  Not sure what the weather is like where you are, but we've had rain for the past 9 days straight.  Whenever I feel like complaining about that I remind myself that we're fortunate where I live that we only got the "tail end" of Hurricane Sandy.  My heart goes out to all who has suffered serious losses....

The culmination of dark skies and damp temps have had me craving comfort foods something serious.  Usually I pull something out of the freezer for dinner in the morning but forgot to yesterday with the chaos of getting costumes & make up on for the kids.  All day at work I was mentally going through my food stock trying for figure out what to make for dinner that was fairly quick, yet hardy.  My mind kept going back to the potatoes I hadn't used yet and before I knew it, a recipe was brewing in my head!

Now, I'm positive I'm not the first person to come up with a potato soup recipe like this, but I thought I'd share how I made it seeing as it was a HUGE hit with the fam!  In fact, there was barely a cup leftover when all was said and done.  That, my friends, is a successful meal at my house!  :)

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

* 4 slices of bacon, chopped
* 2 lbs of potatoes (I used a bag of mini white potatoes, skin on)
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 tsp crushed garlic
* 1 Tbsp dried thyme
* 4 cups broth (I used homemade chicken stock)
* 2 cups milk (I used 2%, but feel free to use what ever is in your fridge)
* salt & pepper to taste
* 1 tbsp chili powder
* 2 cup grated cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup of chopped chives

Directions

1.  In a large pot, cook bacon until crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.  Set aside.

2.  Add onion & garlic to bacon drippings and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.

3.  Add the potatoes, thyme, chili powder, salt & pepper.  Cook for 10 mins letting the potatoes brown slightly.

4.  Add the broth.  It should cover your potatoes.  Let boil, reduce heat and cook until soft.

5.  Hit up the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth, or, if you prefer, a bit chunky.  Add some water if you find it's too thick.

6.  Stir the milk in and bring back to temperature.  Don't let it boil as the milk may separate on you.

7.  Serve with bacon pieces, cheddar cheese & chives.

8.  ENJOY!!

What is your favourite fall/winter comfort meal?

Remember to check out the pa Krista's Kraving's Facebook page.  I post lots of neat things there!!  :)

Bye for now!!