Cheesy Potato Soup

I didn't realize until tonight, this week's Foodie Friday was all about disasters and train wrecks in the kitchen.... I could have shared some really good ones.

The last one being when I had a HUGE stockpot of of Homemade Chicken Noodle soup 'gently' simmering, while I was at my computer showing my sister and admiring some fantastic decorating ideas over at Pat's place at 'Back Porch Musings'. (click on her make overs!) Pat is fabulous decorator, homemaker and we both love perusing her blog! We were having a great time oooing and aahhing when we heard the large pot of soup boiling over and could smell the stench of the delicious broth burning.... It was a huge mess!!!
But as a true blogger, I grabbed my camera, THEN we cleaned it up and came right back into the office to look at more of Pat's lovely make overs:-) LOL ... No worries though. I was able to save the soup and we shared it with several families who had the flu bug along with hot rolls.
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I had already decided today to make good on my promise of sharing the recipe for this delicious Cheesy Potato Soup, since I had only showed you pictures of it last month. I also want to share pictures of the fun party and great group of kids, I had made the soup for!

Cheesy and Creamy Potato Soup OR the famous Bratten’s Clam Chowder

1 c. diced onions
1 c. diced celery
2 c. diced potatoes
1 c. thinly sliced carrots
1 cup butter
1 cup flour
1 pt half and half
1 pt milk
1 ½ tsp salt or to taste
½ tsp sugar
2 T. red wine vinegar
garlic pepper to taste
Garnish with chopped parsley
Several squirts of Tabasco sauce to taste:)

Add enough water to barely cover the vegetables and simmer, covered, over medium heat until potatoes are barely tender, about 20 minutes. In meantime, melt butter and flour and cook a minute or two to make a roux. Add cream and stir until smooth and thick, using wire whisk to blend. Add vegetables (and clams) and heat through. Season with salt, garlic pepper, sugar, Tabasco and vinegar to taste. Makes about 8 servings. I quadrupled the recipe!

This soup is very versatile and you can add 2 ~6 1/2 oz cans of chopped clams and make delicious clam chowder.

I added about 1 lb of cubed Velveeta cheese for cheesy potato soup. This creamy soup is so versatile you can add any kind of meat, cheese, vegetables you desire. for this soup I also added diced left over honey baked ham, just because we happened to have it. It is all optional!

I promise if you make this soup ...you will find it is a keeper, will become one of your families favorites and a great recipe to feed a crowd.

Here are some of the fun pictures of the tubing party that night! We had about 160 Young Single Adults show up for the party at Soldier's Hollow. It was 17 degrees when we arrived and we never heard a complaint of the cold. Just plenty of laughter and fun. Some of these pictures were borrowed my friend Lonna's blog, S and L Updates.

They all said, they loved sailing FAST down the mountain in the dark! Boy, did they ever squeal with delight!

These three incredible young girls mean so much to us and Lonna is a great friend... My husband was their bishop while the girls were in their teen years.

It was a way fun and happy evening full of laughter and well fed people! We also served lots of hoagie sandwiches, chips and vegetables with about 8 different flavors of soup. We served lots of juice and hot chocolate.

I want to thanks our gracious hostess Michael at Gollums Design for hosting this fun Foodie Friday party each week and for all of you for your wonderful recipes and friendship. Today was suppose to be a Train wreck in the kitchen.... but mostly it was a TRAIN of tubes going up the lift to the top of the Mountain!:)

Please click here to visit more blogs which have hilarious stories and some yummy recipes to share!

Enjoy a wonderful and safe weekend!