Crock Potting again!!!

Sometimes life gets a little too busy even for me.  I have come to rely on my Crock Pot so much, that I am looking into getting a new one that is programmable.  I have two crock pots, one is a large 6 quart oval one that can do high and low for different times (4 and 6 hours on high, 8 and 10 on low) and a keep warm feature, but cannot just cook on low for 4 hours and go to warm.  I also have a smaller 4.5 quart round crock pot that has the basic high/low switch.  I also have several of the smaller "dip size" ones.

Friday was one of those busy days.  I forget there are only 24 hours in the day, and that some of that time really does need to be spent sleeping in order to be able to function.  Also, I forget how long some tasks really do take!  So I started early in the morning, after the Things' lunches were made, by putting together a family favorite of Loaded Potato Soup.  This is the third time we have had it this past spring, and it is still a favorite.  Of course today it was without the bacon crumbles since it was a Lenten meal, but the dollop of sour cream and green onions on top still made it yummy.

It is another recipe from one of my favorite sites - Crockin' Girls.  The first time I made it, we were eating in shifts, and there was barely any left by the time I got home for dinner!  The second time I made it, I did a batch and a half.  That was about the right amount for our family.  This time, I went back to the single batch since Thing One is on his own Lenten journey, and Thing Three would not be home for dinner.

The recipe is rather simple, 6 peeled diced potatoes, one diced large onion, a quart of chicken broth, some garlic, and 1/4 cup of butter.  Cook for about 8 hours, mash, add a cup of cream or half and half, and a cup of shredded cheese.  Yum!  We served it with cooked crumbled bacon, sour cream, sliced green onions, and cheese.  A simple salad completes the meal.

After I knew the soup was done for the day, I was able to cross that off my list and move onto the next task...desserts for the competition, but I will save that for another blog.  I think by the time I cried "Uncle" Friday evening, I had run several errands, made dinner, a salad and desserts for the directors,  Muffins for Saturday, ran errands, and took Thing Three to the gym for her long evening.