Planning meals

Normally I do my menu planning on Sunday evening, grocery shopping on Monday morning. This week has been a little off due to a teething toddler and unexpected dinners with friends. (I do so love dinner with friends!) So, I've got a head start on next week's menu and grocery shopping!
Unfortunately, I forgot to add to the grocery list the ingredients for the meal I'll be preparing for our annual New Year's get-together with the Lavenders and Skinners-- loaded baked potato soup. So, back to the store today...

Notes and recipes:
Originally, I was supposed to prepare lunch, so I was going to try a crockpot potato soup recipe which could cook tonight while we sleep. Hopefully, the crock would also keep it warm while we drive to Stuttgart! Change in plans means I'm preparing supper, so I guess I can skip the overnight simmering and just make my regular baked potato soup. Both recipes are from Southern Living.

Loaded Potato Soup prep: 15 mins cook: 5 hrs 20 mins yield: 8 servings
(from Southern Living Annual Recipes 2006)
4 lb new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch-thick slices
1 small onion, chopped
2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
2 ts salt
1/2 ts pepper
1 pt half-and-half
toppings: shredded Cheddar, crumbled bacon, green onion slices
1. Layer sliced potatoes in a lightly greased 6-qt slow cooker; top with chopped onion.
2. Stir together chicken broth, salt, and pepper; pour over onion. (Broth will not completely cover potatoes and onion.) Cover and cook on HIGH 3-5 hours or until potatoes are tender. Mash mixture with a potato masher; stir in half-and-half. Cover and cook on HIGH 20 more minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated. Ladle into bowls, and serve with desired toppings.

Baked Potato Soup prep: 15 mins cook: 1 hr 12 mins yield: 10 c
4 lg baking potatoes
2/3 c butter
2/3 c all-purpose flour
6 c milk
3/4 ts salt
1/2 ts pepper
1 1/2 c (6 oz) shredded Cheddar, divided
12 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled, and divided
4 green onions, chopped and divided
1 (8 oz) carton sour cream
1. Wash potatoes, prick several times with a fork.* Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until done; cool. Cut potatoes in half lenghtwise; scoop out pulp, and reserve. Discard shells.
2. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.
3. Stir in potato, salt, pepper, 1 c cheese, 1/2 c bacon, and 2 t green onions; cook until heated (do not boil). Sprinkle servings with remaining cheese, bacon, and green onions.
*Very important step; otherwise your potatoes might explode!

You can reduce the baking time almost in half if you microwave the potatoes for 5 minutes. I don't have a microwave anymore, but that's what I used to do. Also, when baking potatoes, we make our extra delicious by drizzling with olive oil and sprinkling with kosher salt before baking. Wrap in foil; place on baking sheet or bar pan (so you don't have to place and remove each potato individually. Bake.

Of course, I rarely measure seasonings. In this recipe, I substitute Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning for salt and pepper. I use sharp or extra sharp cheddar, preferrably white because the orange color kind of scares me, and I grate it myself because it tastes better that way. I'll be using turkey bacon because one of my eaters is allergic to pork; I also like how it crumbles. When chives are in season, I'll use chives from our herb garden instead of green onion. Low-fat milk and sour cream are fine, won't affect texture really, but fat carries flavor, so full-fat will taste better.