Bennigan's Ultimate Baked Potato Soup

 

Yields 8 (1 cup) servings or 4 main dish servings

 

3 pounds all-purpose potatoes, scrubbed

and pierced in several places

1 tablespoon stick butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth

3 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

 

Toppings

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Crumbled bacon

Chopped scallions

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

 

Bake potatoes 1 hour or until tender when pierced. Peel when cool enough to

handle.

Melt Butter in a 4- to 6-quart pot over medium low heat. Stir in onions and

garlic; cover and cook 10 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add 2/3 of the

potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Add broth, milk, salt and pepper. Bring

to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

 

Cut remaining potatoes in small cubes. Add to soup and stir gently to reheat.

Sprinkle each serving with toppings.

 

The Writing Game

A little while back I posted a story called The Package, it was for a writing game I play with my kids. We draw five random words out of a bag and we write a story using them. It is a lot of fun and helps them to practice their writing skills.

Tinsel from above?

Recently I read a story in a book called Weird Georgia about a strange substance that fell from the sky in the 50’s.  The tale caught my eye because my home town was mentioned.  There were reports of a strange, silver, tinsel like substance that drifted from the sky all over the state.

What was it?  Well, that's the thing, no one knows.  Some said it was webs from ballooning spiders, some said chemicals used to seed clouds, some had no explanation at all.  If something like that happened now they would probably be able to analyze it and get answers.  What was it? Why then?  Why Georgia? Why not again? 

Are there samples somewhere sitting in a lab?  Will this substance pop up on Ebay one day?  If it does I will certainly be sure to get my bid in. 

My Garden

     As a Southern woman there has always been this expectation that I would grow a garden, after all that is what Southern woman do right? Ok, so perhaps that expectation is in my own mind.  Maybe it comes from my memories of seeing my Grandma Phillips working in her garden well past her 80^th birthday.  Maybe, it comes from my recollections of eating the wonderful dishes my Mammy would make from the bounty she would harvest seemingly year round.  They always looked so happy in their gardens, digging and pulling weeds, and I want that for myself.

     Despite my outward appearance of being a very busy woman, I am craving a hobby.  Honestly, I have a couple different hobbies that I cycle through during my year, but this one, in my mind at least, would benefit my family, our health, and my mental wellbeing.  My kids are getting older and therefor needing less of my constant attention.  My youngest will even be starting school soon, as a matter of fact he will be starting school the same year as 2 start their first year of high school and 2 starting their last year of high school.  I need something to fill the extra time, I need a garden.

     I want to be creative, to design paths, to plan beds, to cultivate something, to watch it sprout, grow, and bloom.  More importantly I need a place to think, and to not think, a place that is mine, somewhere I belong.  I might be asking too much from a simple plot of earth and a few seeds, we will see.

   

The Package

One day I went out to check my mail and found a box sitting on my porch.  It was addressed to me, but had no return address.

“Hmmm”, I said out loud, “What could this be?” 

“It could be a book” said my neighbor Bob.

 “Oh Bob, I didn’t see you standing there.   I don’t think it is a book.” I said shaking the box.

“Or it could be a toenail from and elephant”

“Now, why would an elephant send me their toenail?” I laughed.

“Maybe it is a stripe from a tiger!”

“Bob, I don’t know any tigers, and what would I do with a stripe?”

“You could wear it around and scare neighborhood pets!” Bob said.  With a giggle, I pictured myself sneaking around wearing a tiger stripe, waiting to jump out of bushes at unsuspecting cats.

“I have it!  It is a pot of gold!  Yeah that’s it I am sure of it!  I met a Leprechaun once upon a time, and he promised to send me some gold if I let him go.  But wait, I think it feels a little light for a pot of gold.”

“Wow, what if it is a CD filled with secret spy information, and you are supposed to deliver it, like James Bond?”

“Well, I guess there is only one way to find out for sure” I said ripping open the box.

“IT’S EMPTY!!! WHAT!!! WHO SENDS SOMEONE AIR???  THAT IS THE WORST GIFT EVER!!!!” Bob shouted angrily.

I thought about it for a second, turned to Bob smiling and said, “It isn’t air Bob, and it isn’t the worst gift ever.  It was a wonderful gift!  Someone sent me- IMAGINATION!”

#3

Resolution #2

Resolution 1