Although I’ve tried to bid farewell to winter… it just won’t take the hint.
This week has been colder again and now we are expecting more white! Seriously!?
The only white I want to see are white sandy beaches glittering in the sunshine!!! Wouldn’t that be amazing right now!?
With the cold weather, I still feel inclined to start up the trusty crock-pot and let it do the work for dinner. I recently made a lighter version of potato soup and added extra flavor with ranch! Mmmm….
Growing up, I don’t remember having potato soup very often so I have kind of created my own recipe and make it up as I go. To make potato soup on the lighter side, I hide cauliflower in my recipe. It adds great texture, fiber and veggies to the dish without making the soup taste “heathly” or “vegetably” (I just made that a word)! I seriously think you could get this swap past your kids too!
Here is what I did:
- 3-4 Large Russet Potatoes, Chopped (Peel if desired)
- 1/2 Head of Cauliflower, Chopped
- 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 2 tsp. Onion Powder
- Salt (Be generous, the potatoes need it!)
- Pepper
- 1 Packet Dry Ranch Mix
- 2 c. Chicken Broth
- 1 c. Milk [br]Add after cooking:
- 1 c. Greek Yogurt [br] Garnish:
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Bacon, Crumbled
- Scallions
- Wash, chop (and peel if desired) the potatoes.
- Wash and thinly chop the cauliflower. (If you want to trick your kids: Steam cauliflower and mash it. Add it to the potatoes at the end of cooking instead of the beginning. They will never know it is there!)
- Mince three whole cloves of garlic.
- Add potatoes, cauliflower, garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, and ranch to the crockpot.
- Pour over the veggies, the milk and chicken broth. Cook on high for four hours (low 6-8) or until potatoes are fork tender.
- When tender, use an immersion blender or masher to slightly blend the soup together until desired consistency is reached.
- Stir in the greek yogurt for extra creaminess!
- Top with bacon crumbles, cheese and scallions.
Around the farm:
Recently, I’ve been helping Dan feed hay more and more. I’m getting so darn good at it I’m afraid he’s training me to do it when he isn’t home, haha!
He may think he’s training me but I’ve figured out how to keep the warm job now while Dan opens gates and takes off the bale wrap. Ha!
Come on hungry girls!
Dan takes the wrap off and waits for me to stop taking pics on my phone and unroll the bale. 🙂
See… he’s appropriately dressed to open gates and do the work outside of the warm cab. I might be spoiled.
When the cold work is done on the farm, sometimes a nap by the stove sounds perfect. Apparently that is what this kitten has been doing when we aren’t looking…
Dan walked into the shed at his parent’s house and found the kitten sitting like this. He sent me the pictures and I thought it was hilarious!
It almost has its legs crossed too! So cute!
Anyway, enough of my randomness!
Hope you are having a fabulous Friday! And please stay warm over the weekend… and pray for sun and warmer weather sooner than later! 🙂
TGIF!
-Lauren