This winter has been exceptionally...wintery. Our snow days have been extensive, but who minds those when you have good soup and good friends? Thanks for joining me again for another Tasty Tuesday and a virtual potluck. I'm so glad you did because Valerie Lawson is here!
Aside from her mass of curly hair, the first thing I noticed about Valerie was her t-shirt. Like her, it was smart, artsy, and funny. To this day, when I see her at an SCBWI event, I look to see what she's wearing because I know she'll make me smile.
And she brought potato soup for Saint Patrick's Day week. What luck! I'm definitely smiling now.
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| Valerie Lawson...she's wearing a funny t-shirt beneath that smile, y'all. |
I’m so thrilled that Brandi invited me to participate in
this virtual potluck. As many of you know who follow my blog, I am no cook. I
was raised by my father, the microwave king, who still thinks cut-up hot dogs
in macaroni and cheese is a fancy meal. He actually served this meal to my
daughter recently, much to her horror. I think we’ve spoiled her. Or rather, my
husband has. He is the cook in the family. He has a natural intuitiveness in
the kitchen, lucky for us. Otherwise I’m afraid we’d live off fast food and cold
cereal. My husband can look at the contents of our pantry and see what might
work together as a meal. He does this weird thing called
experimenting with food -
and it almost always turns out fantastic. If I tried this, I’d end up with a
fried crispy mess and a fire extinguisher.
My husband learned much of his instinctual cooking
techniques from standing at his mother’s elbow while she cooked from scratch
all through his childhood. She was also a natural cook who never wrote down a
recipe, never used a measuring spoon. Thankfully, my husband had the foresight
to write down a few of her favorite dishes before she died last year. I’m happy
to share it with you, today.
This soup is simple and yet comforting on a cold, winter
night. It is a meal all by itself or with some warm, crusty bread. I hope you
enjoy it.
Nana’s Potato Soup
Ingredients:
4 peeled and cubed
Potatoes
½ cup chopped Celery
¼ cup chopped Onion
1 Tbsp Butter
1 ½ cups Milk
¼ tsp Greek Seasoning
Salt and Pepper to
taste
Suggested garnish:
Crumbled Bacon
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream
Chopped Green Onions
Instructions:
Cover the potatoes with an inch of water in a large saucepan
and bring to a boil for ten minutes.
While the potatoes are boiling, sauté the celery and onions
in butter over a medium-high heat until translucent, about four to six minutes.
Pour off half the water from the potatoes, leaving the
remainder of the water in the pan. Add the milk to the pan, along with the
vegetables and seasonings. Turn the heat down to medium. Let flavors come
together and allow the soup to simmer for about twenty minutes. Then your soup
is ready.
Garnish as you please.
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| Nana's Potato Soup |
Grab some soup and spend more time with Valerie over at her blog Barbies on Fire. For me, the title of her blog was enough to tempt me to check it out, but once I got there I loved what she did with the place. She publicly challenges herself and shares her progress with the world while making it completely fun and mixing in great book reviews, author interviews, and more.
Have fun with Valerie. I'm so glad I could introduce you!
