The Best Ham and Potato Soup In The World

I could eat this soup by the pot-ful If I had an ounce less of self-restraint. It is seriously that good. I crave it if we haven't had it at least once a month.

I'm going to be really nice and actually share with you the amazing, super-easy, (hey, if I can do it, you can do it) wonderful recipe for this creamy potatoey goodness.

Delicious Creamy Ham and Potato Soup Recipe:



Originally found on Allrecipes.com, modified to fit our tastes. :)



Ingredients:
- 7 cups of peeled, diced potatoes
- 2/3 cup chopped celery (about 2 large stalks)
- 2/3 cup finely chopped onion (About 1/2 an onion)
- 1 and 1/2 cups diced ham chunks
- 6 and 1/2 cups of cooked ham broth ...

You see, instead of water, we fill up a huge pot of water ahead of time and boil the ham bone from our spiral-cut ham. It makes a savory broth full of healthy stuff that cooks out of the bone. It's also the secret ingredient for making a perfect pot of soup.

If you don't have ham broth, you can substitute water and 2 Tablespoons of chicken bouillion granules. But only if you're desperate.

Back to the ingredients!

- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- A dash of garlic powder to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground white or black pepper, or to taste (We usually use 1 teaspoon of black pepper. But I prefer 2.) ;)
- 10 Tablespoons butter
- 10 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups of milk


Directions:
(The soup base)
1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and broth in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, and garlic.

(The white sauce)
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat (we usually do medium-high on our stove, seems to work more accurately). Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick, for about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk so as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-ish (or medium-high) heat until thickened, about 4-5 minutes.

(The grand combining)
3. Stir the milk mixture (white sauce) into the stockpot (with the soup base) and cook soup for a weensy bit until it's all mixed together nicely. Serve immediately.

It's even better left over. I could eat it cold, it's so good. Mmmmmmmmm.

I hope you enjoy this soup! It's perfect for these right-before-spring, sort-of-chilly evenings. :)

I went somewhere with a friend my age this past Saturday, and she and I had such a wonderful time! I am still editing the pictures from our excursion, but once I get a nice collection I'll share them and tell you about what fun we had. :D Sound good? Okay. I'll see you then. :)

Mama's Chili Recipe

Alas, the secret is out! Here's the recipe for the most mouth-watering, delicious chili ever! (IMHO)

Ingredients:

• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 1 can light red kidney beans
• 1 can dark red kidney beans
• 1 and a half cups of water
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 pounds pre-cooked ground beef or beef chunks like you put in stew
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper

First you must open the cans of kidney beans and tomato sauce and pour them into the pot.

(Don't drain the kidney beans, just pour it all in)

chop up 1 cup green bell pepper and 1 cup onion

(Don't touch your eyes while chopping up the onion!! Ouch!)

Saute the onion and pepper in water
Measure out your spices...
...and add them to the pot. (stir)
Take your 1 and 1/2 pounds of beef (or more, if you like meaty chili) and add that to the pot.

When the onion and pepper is done sauteing, add that to the pot also ...

Simmer on medium-low for approximately 30 minutes, or at least until the flavors blend and the kidney beans are all cooked.
Then... ENJOY!
(Goes excellently with noodles, potatoes, crackers, or nacho chips & cheese)

Blessings!

Julia

Making Caramel Apples and Getting Very Sticky While Doing So...

This is how you make Caramel Apples. Well, this is how we make them, anyway.

Unwrap a whole bag of KRAFT caramels into a medium-sized pot. (A double-boiler will work better, but if you stir it well you could probably use a normal one.)

Turn burner on to Medium-Low.
Prepare your apples by washing them and sticking popsicle sticks into the top. Place them on buttered wax paper to wait for their caramel coating.
Observe the happy Caramel Apple makers in action:
Stir the caramels while they are melting.

Pretend your apple is a microphone and you are singing into it while you wait for the caramels to melt all the way.

When caramel is completely melted, hold apple in pot...

...and spoon caramel over it until completely covered.
Place apples on buttered wax paper (on a plate or other hard surface) and let chill in the refrigerator.Once chilled, (after about an hour of patient waiting) Let sit on counter for 15 minutes. Really. Otherwise they will NOT come off the wax paper. :) Trust me.

And there you have delicious caramel apples! ENJOY!

Julia