A Favorite Soup Recipe

Hello friends!  Winter has hit us here in our neck of the woods.  It is unusual for us to watch all the states surrounding us get more snow than we do here in Michigan but we have not had much on the ground here in the middle of the state where we live.  It is certainly soup time for me.  Tonight I am warming up a can of  Progresso Light Chicken Vegetable Rotini.  I know the title says a favorite soup recipe, but that will follow.  I am eating the Progresso because I am trying to loose the weight I have promised myself and all of you readers out there I am going to do by April.  I am not doing Weight Watchers but the can says 1 point, that sounded good to me and it is 70 calories.  I'll let you know at the end of this post if it was good or not.  The recipe I am going to share is a soup recipe I cut out of a local paper many years ago and made it for my children when they were growing up.  They liked it and hubs likes it still.  Even though I cannot eat it right now I can share the recipe with all of you.  I even have a picture of it since I did make it a couple of weeks ago before starting said diet.

Chunky Potato Soup

2 chicken-flavor bouillon cubes

2 cups boiling water

4 cups cubed peeled potatoes

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup scraped and diced carrots (I use the baby carrots we like big chunks)

1/2 cup chopped onion (I use more onion because we like onion a lot)

1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes or 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

1/4 cup margarine

1/4 cup flour

1 quart milk

salt and pepper to taste

Optional: dash of dill weed, 1-2 tablespoons chopped canned pimiento, 1 cup diced ham, 1/4 pound Velveeta-brand cheese cubed, grated Cheddar cheese, bacon bits

The only optional item I include is the ham.

 1. Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water.  Combine with potatoes and other vegetables in large sauce-pan.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, melt margarine in 4 quart Dutch oven or kettle over low heat.  Blend in flour:stir mixture until smooth.  Gradually add 1 cup milk:  then stir in remaining 3 cups milk.  Stir constantly until slightly thickened.  Add cooked vegetables to hot milk, and heat to boiling.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.  Ladle into bowls.  If desired, sprinkle with grated Cheddar cheese and bacon bits.

Yield:  serves 8.

Note:  For variation, flavor soup with dill weed by adding to vegetables before cooking: add pimientos or ham, or both, to cooked vegetables before combining with milk mixture; stir Velveeta-brand cheese into hot soup until blended.

When I first made this soup I took the recipes instruction to add vegetables and the fluids in the pan with them because it did not state otherwise.  It has always worked out for me.  And I usually add some Mrs. Grass seasoning or something like it for some extra flavor. 

I hope you try this and enjoy it!  The report on my Progresso soup tonight is that it is very good.

Have a great evening!  Blessings!