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As a newlywed, I'm always on the look out for easy, delicious recipes to make for my cutie patootie husband. You see, he's kind of a WAY better person than I am, and I know this, so I have to keep him hooked somehow...and he likes food...so I try to even the playing field by cooking for him.

Enter the most delicious soup I have EVER made in my entire life. I know this is kind of geeky to put a recipe up here...but I made it on Sunday, and just finished off the last of the left overs and it really was just so incredibly delicious, I think you should all try it. I got it in a Pampered Chef recipe book thing that Alicia gave me after she went to a Pampered Chef bridal shower and we watched her kids.

Loaded Baked Potato Chowder

3 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 lbs)
3 1/2 C milk, divided
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 T butter
2-3 green onions with tops (1/4 C)
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t coarsely ground black pepper
Option toppings such as chopped cooked bacon, sour cream, or steamed broccoli florets (We added broccoli and corn and it was splendid)

1. Slice Potatoes in half lengthwise, place in Deep Covered Baker (or any other microwavable casserole-type dish). Pour 1/2 cup of the milk over the potatoes. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 11 minutes. Remove baker from microwave. Move center potatoes to ends of baker and outer potatoes to center. Cover; microwave on HIGH 8-11 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Remove from microwave. Coarsely mash potatoes.

This is where I had to change the recipe to fit our needs in the tiny-ness of the love shack...I'll put what the recipe says, and then say what I ended up doing.

(Pampered Chef version)
2. Meanwhile,whisk cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add remaining 3 cups milk, whisking until smooth. Add cream cheese mixture and butter to baker. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 3-5 minutes until mixture is hot. Slice green onions.

3. Carefully remove baker from microwave. Grate cheddar cheese over chowder; add green onions, salt, black pepper, and mix until cheese is melted, serve with toppings, if desired.

(Camille version)

2. Whisk together cream cheese and milk like above, but instead of adding milk to baker, transfer potatoes to biggish soup pot and add cream cheese mixture. Heat on stove at medium until hot.

3. While the soup mixture is heating up, add salt and pepper, green onions, as well as broccoli, frozen corn, or any other things you think might sound delicious. We also added a little Hidden Valley Ranch because Logan is OBSESSED with it. The veggies cooked while the soup was heating up quite nicely. At the very end, add the cheese and stir until melted. It was a little thin at first, but after taking it off the heat, it thickened up.

Yield: 6 servings (8 cups)


It was so much easier than I thought it would be, and it turned out so delicious! I'm going to have to go buy more potatoes and make this one again really soon! We just loved it! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did!