Snow Day

Along with the rest of the east coast, Pittsburgh has decided to become an arctic tundra as of late, which means that the shortest trip outdoors requires six layers of clothing and countless pairs of socks. My space heater has become my workplace BFF and I've promised my first born to my car's seat warmer out of respect.

Last night, we had plans to visit Bridgeville's Walnut Grille with some of Boyfriend's friends; however, those plans fell through. I decided that the only thing that could salvage such a freezing night without plans could be soup... Creamy, cheesy potato soup.

Growing up, I was a huge fan of my mom's potato soup with pieces of ham and a sprinkling of cheddar. I used to down several bowls of it for dinner (I think that my record was six) and the meal was something of which I would never tire. 

Now that I'm the meal preparer, I love any excuse to make potato soup and a fridgid night in seemed like as good an excuse as any.  As with most nights while prepping dinner, I had a captive audience. 

I start by baking two potatoes for an hour at 425 degrees. When they're done, I scoop out the innards and keep them in a bowl until I'm ready. While the potatoes bake, I cooked four slices of chopped turkey bacon, then set it aside until later.

Then, I melt three tablespoons of butter in a large pot and once melted, I toss in three chopped green onions. When these have softened, I stir in three tablespoons of flour, a dash of salt and pepper, along with about 1/4 teaspoon of dried dill.  

After a slight rue has formed, I slowly pour in four cups of milk while stirring. 

I stir and cook this for about twenty minutes until thickened.  Unfortunately, this particular batch of potato soup did not want to thicken and I became too impatient while waiting. When the soup reaches your desired thickness (or until you become too hungry and just want to eat), add the reserved potato innards and a handful of shredded cheddar. 

When the cheese melts, ladle the soup into bowls and top with more cheese and the bacon.  Voila! 

Despite the lack of thickening, this soup is still a good, filling and warm meal for bitter cold Friday night.  Not quite like mom's, but it's probably best if I don't eat six bowls of soup anyway.