Baked Potato Soup

This morning dawned cool and clear, which inspired me to make something thick and comforting for the family.  But, as always happens, the food budget forces me to be creative within a few limited ingredients.
This is a very cheap and easy soup that makes a great base for your perfect baked potato flavor.  Even though this soup is amazing as written, if you want to add sour cream or chives I will have a note of how to add that at the end of the cook time.  It's a fail-proof soup, so take out or add whatever ingredients you choose.

This will require at least a medium slowcooker.

Ingredients:
2 lbs Russet Potatoes (approximately 6-7 'taters), peeled and diced
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 Celery stalks, chopped

2 Tbs Butter
1/2 White or Yellow Onion
2 Tbs flour
1 cup Chicken broth,  OR 1 cup of water + 1 Tbs chicken bouillon granules

2 cups Water
1 Bay Leaf

1 cup Milk

4 slices Bacon
1/2 cup shredded Cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream (optional)
approx. 1/4 cup freshly chopped chives (optional)

Directions:
Put all chopped potatoes, carrots and celery in a medium slow cooker.

In a small saucepan over medium heat on the stove, melt butter.  Add finely chopped onion and saute until soft and browning.  When onion is soft, add flour and mix well.  Add chicken broth or water/bouillon mixture.  When heated through, pour over veggies in the slowcooker.  Add 2 cups of water and the bay leaf, don't stir.  Put lid on, and cook on LOW 6-8 hours.

After potatoes and carrots are soft, remove lid, use a slotted spoon or a potato masher and mash the veggies until most of them are completely smooshed, but some lumps remain.

Pour in milk, turn to HIGH and let cook another 30 minutes.

Cook bacon in a skillet until crispy and crumbling.  Crumble bacon into slowcooker.  Shut off slowcooker and stir in cheese, and if you want, stir in the sour cream and chives.

Makes 8 servings, tastes great hot, or slightly cooled.

Hot Fudge Cake

Yes it's true, you can have amazing desserts that you prep after work, and will be ready for you after supper!  Slow cooking brings convenience to desserts as well.  Because the ingredients are usually always at hand, I make this dessert frequently, and the kids love it!  It comes out as a moist soufflé with rich fudgy pudding under it.  Very rich, very moist, and very good!

This works in either a small slow cooker, or a medium one. 

Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
1/4 cup cocoa
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cup boiling water

Spray the slow cooker pot with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together until well blended.  Add the milk, melted butter and vanilla and stir until well mixed into a smooth batter.  It will be thick.  Spread evenly in the cooker.

To make the topping, whisk together all ingredients in the medium bowl until smooth.  GENTLY pour over the batter, and DO NOT stir it in.  Just let it sit on top. 

Cover and cook on HIGH until puffed and the top layer is set.  About 2 hours.  Serves 4. 

Canless Cream of Onion Soup

There is nothing quite as comforting as a bowl of steaming cream soup.  As with most things in life, homemade is way better than canned.  So, when the pantry is low on stock, and the weather is too blustery for going to the store, this is a great choice for lifting your spirits and warming your body and heart.

This needs a medium or large slow cooker.

This recipe calls for chicken stock, but if you don't have any, I am including a small side note in the instructions that will be a good way to substitute the chicken stock.  If you do have chicken broth, do not add the chicken, and you won't need to cook the onion as long.

You will need:

2 large onions
2 Tablespoons butter
4 cups chicken broth (OR, 4 cups water and 1-2 lbs chicken)
black pepper
salt
2 cups whole milk, half-and-half, OR 1 cup skim milk and 1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup flour

turn Slow-Cooker on HIGH, and drop 2 Tablespoons of butter into the crock pot.  Finely chop onions(the more finely chopped, the better the end result), and add to butter.  Stir the onions until soft and brown.  Add the 4 cups of chicken stock, (OR the 4 cups of water and chicken).  Add salt and pepper, if desired.  Turn slow cooker on LOW and cook for at 6-8 hours.

After the chicken has cooked through, and the liquid in the pot is the rich color of broth, pull out the chicken pieces, keeping the onions in the slow cooker.  In a bowl, combine 1/3 cup flour with 1 cup of the milk, whisk until smooth.  Turn the slow cooker on HIGH once more, and pour the milk and flour mixture slowly into the cooker while stirring constantly.  Allow to cook, with the lid off, and stirring frequently about 10 minutes until the mixture thickens.  Add the rest of the milk or cream and just heat through, do not boil.

Serves 6