soup

one thing about fall that i love is trying different soup recipes. chris and i just love soup~~so comforting. especially on a drizzly, cold day.

i made this soup early yesterday in my crockpot and it cooked all afternoon. when we walked in our house after the meeting, it smelled so good! (mckinlee would tell you a different story...she grabbed her nose the second we opened the door and walked around with her nose covered, terrified she would have to eat some. which she did, by the way.)
if you like potato soup, you will love this.

smashed potato soup

3.5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1/2 c. chopped yellow or red bell pepper
1.5 tsp. bottled roasted garlic (i just used fresh garlic)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
4.5 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. whipping cream, half and half or light cream (i used the whipping cream)
1 c. shredded cheddar
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions
sour cream, crumbled bacon, shredded cheese (for toppings)

Combine potatoes, bell pepper, garlic and black pepper. Put in crockpot. Pour broth over all.
Cover; cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours (i cooked it on high)
Mash potatoes slightly with potato masher (if you like bigger chunks, don't mash as much). Stir in whipping cream, 1 cup shredded cheese and green onions. (somewhere in here, i would add salt, although the recipe doesn't call for it)
Ladle into soup bowls. Top with desired toppings.

this was so good~~we ate the entire crockpot full of it! i put some in a container to save until today and noticed later it was gone. chris had polished it off!
mckinlee is out of school today, but we have parent-teacher conferences. so i better run to that.
i will post later about what mck and i are doing this afternoon...