old fashioned potato soup

When winter sets in, one of my favorite dishes to warm me up is potato soup.  Many people love this simple and delicious soup.  My grandmother taught me how to make the recipe that I use.  It is more of a simple Southern old-timey recipe but I absolutely love it!  All you need is potatoes (how many depends on how much soup you would like), flour, milk (evaporated milk will make it creamier and so will half & half), butter, and spices.  When I make potato soup I usually go ahead and make a big pot of it so that I can eat it for several meals.  This recipe differs from others because it does not use cream of mushroom soup which makes it a little bit richer.  If you would like to use that it is fine but I prefer mine to not be as rich.  I usually cut up ~6 potatoes and boil them with water covering them until they fall apart from a fork.  Then,  pour off just enough of the water so that 1/2 to 3/4 of the potatoes are still covered in water over medium heat.  Next, take a 6 ounce container and put about 2 tablespoons of flour in it and still with a fork as you add water to the rest of the container.  If the mixture is too thick, it will make dumplings in the soup.  You want the mixture to be soupy.  This helps to thicken the soup.  Then add around 1 to 2 cups of milk (or other substitute) and 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter.  Go ahead and add the spices you would like in the soup (salt, onion powder, pepper, basil, etc.)  Allow the soup to continue cooking on low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes.  This just allows the soup flavors to blend together.  You can add anything else that you like to the soup such as cheese, bacon, chives, etc.  Hope you enjoy this recipe this winter!

cake

This is a cake I made a few months ago.  I have recently become very involved in cake decorating.  I have been learning things here and there and this was one of my first creations.  My best friend Kessler was kind enough to take the pictures for me.  I am discovering that decorating cakes is not as easy as it seems but I absolutely love it! Stay posted for more designs and posts!