For When I Have a Kitchen Again

Currently I'm living in a hotel... Brad has been living in a hotel in GA since January 2nd for his new job and I kind of come and go. Sometimes I go back to our apartment in South Carolina (which we have until the end of February) when I can't take hotel living anymore. But I feel like that's kind of selfish since Brad doesn't have that option...

Hotel living definitely has its pluses. I mean, someone else makes my bed every day. They clean my bathroom every day. We always have fresh, clean towels and our trash gets taken out every single day. What we don't have is anywhere to cook food, store food, or even hang lots of clothes. Living out of a suitcase is something I am so ready to stop doing. With only a microwave and mini fridge in our "suite", we have unfortunately been eating lots of meals out (translation almost every meal and when we aren't eating out we are eating leftovers from when we last ate out). I can already tell that this is taking a toll on my body and all the exercising I had been doing, and doing well.

While I'm trying to make healthy choices and get in a little bit of exercise at the hotel gym (which is SO gross by the way), I thought I'd share this recipe for when I have a kitchen again. It's delicious. I've made it once, and followed to recipe completely. I think you could definitely change this recipe to make it more waistline friendly. Like substituting for the heavy cream and using turkey bacon instead of full fat, just for example. However, if you wanted to try the full fat version, I wouldn't judge you. Sometimes you need a good comforting food, especially when it's as cold as it has been.

Disneyland's Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Serves 6

(In actuality, this made probably 8-10 servings, at least for us.)

Ingredients:

1 pound bacon, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
3/4 cup diced celery (omitted because I hate celery)
4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and diced (I only ended up using 3 Russets)
4 medium red potatoes, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used chicken stock)
Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 cups heavy whipping cream
Optional garnishes: chopped chives, bacon bits, sour cream, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese

In a 6- to 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp. 

Remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving half for garnish. In bacon fat, cook onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent. Add potatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Whisk in flour and stir constantly over low heat until the flour is cooked and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add chicken stock and half of the bacon. Season with salt and pepper.

Over medium-high heat, bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Mash some of the potatoes for thicker, creamier texture. Add whipping cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

I don't have an immersion blender so I used a potato masher and was able to mash the potatoes to almost the same consistency as what I would have achieved with the blender. Our soup was SO creamy and delicious.

Adjust thickness by adding water or stock. Soup should have a creamy consistency. Season to taste, and garnish with toppings.