I found this recipe while looking for something to take to a cookie exchange. I decided I wanted a lighter cookie that would complement the heavier chocolate and nut varieties that always seem to be prepared during the holidays. My husband did most of the preparation for these cookies and we ended up needing to use a cookie scoop to get them a uniform shape and size after baking.

Brien is not a big fan of soups.  He doesn't like hot liquids in general, actually (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, you name it).  But, he'll eat a creamy or thick stoup or stew. 

I've been busy on a home improvement project and wanted something quick and easy for dinner that we could eat on for a couple of days.  Enter this easy potato soup that I sort of made up.

Ingredients:
*about 3 pounds potatoes, cubed
*1 onion, diced
*3 cartons chicken broth
*6 T flour
*1 1/2 cups milk
*1 1/2 blocks cheddar cheese
*sour cream
*bacon
*chives, chopped

I have a large crock pot, so this fits my pot.  You may have to modify accordingly.  Put potatoes, onion and broth in crock pot set on low.  Cook all day.  I cranked mine to high about two hours before I was ready to eat.

Mix flour and milk and add to soup.  It will be cloudy and thicken, about twenty minutes.  Add cheese (more or less to taste) and allow to melt, stirring it to help it along.

Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream, bacon and chives.  It's thick, hearty and tasty.  :o) 

--Rach

Here's a nice hearty soup for a cool fall day:

Serves 4-6

6 slices bacon, chopped
8 scallions, white parts chopped fine and green parts sliced thin
3 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2 celery rib, sliced thin
Salt and pepper to taste
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-size pieces (After I remove the chicken from the carcass, I divide the meat into thirds and put each third separately into the food processor and pulse a few times.)
1 cup half-and-half

1. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve in the pot 1 tablespoon of bacon fat, and remove the rest. Cook scallion whites, carrots, celery, and salt in bacon fat until vegetables are softened. Add flour and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Stir in chicken broth and potatoes and bring to boil; then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until all vegetables are tender. Add the chicken and the half & half. Cook on low until the chicken is heated all the way through. When serving, sprinkle with bacon and scallion greens.

Apparently I am not planting a fall garden this year because I haven't done it yet and I'm past the point for most everything to have time to mature before killing frosts. I may still do some various greens and lettuce, we'll see. I've never had a season in which I've been so "meh" about planting things. I'm typically in a constant state of planning, planting, seed starting, bulb obsession, designing new landscaping projects and so on. I think maybe I OD'd a bit this spring and summer since we completed so much landscaping and it was another long, dry summer. August was cooler but still mostly dry and then September has been so wet and rainy that I think fall will be here with cooler temps and we will have missed out on our last few weeks of summer. Even with the heat, summer is only second to spring in my favorite seasons of the year. I like to be warm and I like to see things growing and vigorous and colorful. I like being outside and swimming and picnics and watermelon. On the other hand my grass looks better than it has since April with all the rain we've had tickling those roots and making it glow a nice dense green.

I am also interested in pursuing a few other hobbies this fall and winter. I started a family herbalist course a year and a half ago and it fell by the wayside with the busy-ness of a new baby and a traveling husband. I'd like to complete it. My 6 year old daughter wants to learn how to sew. I am not the best seamstress myself but I've gotten better over time with my machine. We're starting with some hand sewing projects for kids for her and see if her interests continues. She's also become a little obsessed with treasure hunting so we are going to be ramping up geocaching and visiting historical sites that have active digs. I'm just starting research into this right now but we live in an area that is brimming with historical significance, I'm betting I can find a few things that would thrill her.

This blog has been too quiet. It has always been a quiet blog but I'm hoping to pick up the pace a bit as we have more things to share again. I'll be trying some new bread recipes as the temps cool off and I am also going to be trying my hand at freezer cooking for the first time. I'm a pretty lousy cook and I really have no interest in getting "better" - I like tasty and easy. With that said I am a huge fan of the crock pot and my husband isn't so much. I'm going to be on the hunt for some recipes that are actually really good in a crock pot and do not call for ingredients like Rotel and taco seasoning packets. There's been a little too much junk food in our lives in the last few months and it is time to clean up a bit before the cold seasonal blahs hit.