Winter in Dixie and Loaded Baked Potato Soup

As winter draws near to a close here, down south. I wanted to share one of my all time favorite crockpot soup recipes with ya'll. Loaded baked potato soup is so filling. All the flavors of a baked potato, in a creamy, yummy soup and better yet, fuss free because you just put the ingredients in your crockpot in the morning, and that evening....supper is done. Our winters here in Mississippi arent as bad they are up in the Northern states. But, they are cold to us because we are used to sweltering heat and humidity. Swatting mosquitoes are a way of life here and even though we have had a cold winter, i have still seen a few. So that goes to show you that it didnt get cold enough to make them run and hide. Still, winter and fall are my favorite times of the year and i love cooking one pot meals. Who doesnt like less clean up? Soups, stews, chili, jambalya, you get the idea :). Whatever makes your life more simple, right? Serve this soup with some shredded cheese on top, bacon chopped and a few chopped green onions, some crusty bread and your family will think you have been in the kitchen all day. Enjoy!!!

Ingredients

6 large baking potatoes, peeled, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 quart chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced (or pressed)
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup cream or half-and-half cream
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 cup sour cream 
8 slices bacon, fried & crumbled
cheese, for sprinkling

Directions

Combine first seven ingredients in a large crockpot; cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours (potato should be tender). 

Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soupy is slightly thickened. Stir in cream, cheese and green onion

Top with sour cream (if used), sprinkle with bacon and more cheese and chopped green onion.

Southern Cornbread

Lets talk Cornbread......Not the sweet kind that you may eat up North, but the succulent Southern kind, that is made with no sugar, or hardly any sugar, baked in a pan that is slathered ( yes i said slathered lol) with bacon grease that makes the tastiest crust.  As a kid growing up in Texas, we ate ALOT of cornbread. It tastes great with soups, stews, a big ol pot of pinto beans, or black eye peas, etc. If you havent tried it with a huge frosty glass of buttermilk, then you have no idea what you are missing. The smells that come out of a southern kitchen while supper is being prepared, are the best aromas on earth. Baking this cornbread, will give you a little piece of that heaven. So get your paper and pen handy, and jot down this quick, but oh so delishous recipe, and bring a little South to your table tonight. 

Southern cornbread

2 cups white self - rising cornmeal
1/2-TSP baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
2-cups buttermilk
2- tablespoons bacon grease (or vegetable oil)
#6 cast iron skillet

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place both tablespoons of fat of choice in a #6 cast iron skillet (bacon grease taste the best but vegetable oil or shortening works with a little added salt) Put
skillet in oven to preheat, Combine cornmeal, baking soda, eggs and buttermilk in bowl.
Whisk together until well blended. Carefully remove hot skillet from oven and pour grease from skillet into batter. Pour batter into skillet which will sizzle and may splatter. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes