So here is a new idea for a cold January day or even Valentine’s Day this year…
Why not make soup and some sweets for the people you love. Maybe it could be for a lunch with a friend, a Sunday afternoon meal, something for a neighbors or maybe even your kids teachers. The soup recipe can be doubled (one batch for me- and one batch for you), packed up with a loaf of bread and a bag of these scrumptious treats (see below). How delighted would you be to receive something like this on a cold afternoon- something that will warm the body & soul.
Grandma Lil’s Potato-Leek Soup:
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups Chicken or Veg Broth (or 2 ½ cups water + 4 chic bullion)
4 or 5 Medium Potatoes (cubed)
2 good sized Leeks (washed well and sliced)
3 good sized Celery stalks
1 bay leaf (can be removed when ready to serve)
1 piece of Bacon (plus more for garnish if desired)
Lots of Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Garnish: green onions, bacon, sour cream, parmesan cheese
Optional Ingredients: a few minced garlic cloves/milk or cream
Directions:
Place chopped *bacon (or sausage- see note below) in the bottom of a medium-sized pan with a dab of butter (or oil). After a few minutes of browning bacon add veggies (and bay leaf). Cook until sautéed and just barely brown (add garlic last so it doesn’t burn). Season with Salt & Pepper. Add broth and cook about 30 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add more seasoning, to taste. Garnish with fresh green onions, chopped/cooked bacon, sour cream and/or parmesan cheese – any or all will be great with this soup. Enjoy!
*Milk/Cream: for a creamy texture, slowly add 1 ½ cup milk or about ½ cup heavy cream at the end of the 30 minutes. I don’t usually add any milk or cream but it is a nice touch. It’s truly delicious either way- with or with-out it!
*Bacon: In all honesty, the bacon can be easily subbed out for a favorite sausage or ham or just skipped all together. Be sure to use your favorite oil to brown the veggies for a minute before adding the broth! And season it well as it cooks if not using the salty bacon- it will need a little something.
_____________________________________________________________________
“Squirrel Mix” Treats {Muddy Buddies}:
For my Muddy Buddies (or Squirrel Mix as we called it) I used a slow-cooker recipe that allowed me to make the soup on the stove while the chocolate was melting in a crock-pot on the counter. Click on this link for a traditional recipe for “puppy chow OR muddy buddies” (I don’t like to bake so this is a good dessert for me to whip up and somehow feel more domestic)!
To make it a little different, I added craisins, pistachios, dried cherries and almonds to ours. You could easily just stick with the original recipe. We gave it away as gifts in little bags and I tried to make it more personal by calling it “Paige’s Squirrel Mix.”
We called Paige our little squirrel for years because she loves to pile little “treasures” into tiny boxes and bags and hide them in corners all over the house. She carted them around everywhere with us as she scurried about her day. You could often hear us saying, “Don’t squirrel that!” as she scurried away with a treasure! Surprisingly to us she could almost always find what she was looking for even if it was in a random & tiny spot…that girl kept us laughing. She still does.
This post was originally posted on 1/25/2011. It has been updated and reposted here for clarity.
