Well it should be apparent, if you've looked at our index of recipes, that we like " any style of Soup with Potatoes in it ! " and this one has turned out to be very good.

        This is a recipe that I found, " tried several ways ", and then modified it to be a little better, " at least to our tastebuds ", than the original one that I found.   We hope you'll enjoy it as well .....

Ingredients:

•   1  -  32 oz. box of Chicken Stock or Broth

•   1  -  Small or medium sized onion  -  ( chopped - about 1 cup )

•   1  -  Tablespoon of Olive Oil  -  ( used to cook onion )

•   6  -  Slices of bacon  -  ( see Tip # 1 )

•   6  -  medium Yukon Gold potatoes  -  ( diced - about 4 cups )  -  ( see Tip # 2 )

•   1  -  stalk of celery  -  ( sliced )  -  ( " optional " - but better with )

•   1  -  1 oz. package of Hidden Valley Original Ranch Salad Dressing & Recipe Mix  -  ( " Not Dip Mix " - see photo below )

•   1  -  8 oz. ( 1 cup ) container of heavy whipping cream

•   1  -  8 oz. package of shredded Velveeta Cheese
           ( If you can't find it pre-shredded, then get a 8 oz. block and cut into small cubes )

•   1  -  8 oz. package of shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese  -  ( divided )  -  ( see Tip # 3 )

•   2  -  Tablespoons of Corn Starch

•   2  -  Tablespoons of Water

Directions:

1.   Spray a 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.

2.   Cook 3 slices of the microwaveable bacon, let them cool a little, and then cut up ( or crumble them up ) and place them in the slow cooker.

3.   Pour the olive oil in a skillet ... add the chopped onion & celery ... cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.

4.   Transfer the onion & celery to slow cooker and then stir in broth, potatoes and ranch dressing mix.

5.   Cover and cook on Low heat setting for 6 hours.

   

6.   After the 6 hours of cooking ... increase the heat setting to High.

7.   Then in a small bowl beat the cornstarch and water together with whisk ... remove the lid ... and whisk in the cornstarch mixture into soup.

8.   Then whisk in the whipping cream.

9.   Re-cover and cook about 15 minutes ( on high ) or until slightly thickened.

10.   While its cooking microwave the remaining 3 slices of bacon to use as a topping.

11.   Remove the lid and stir in the " Velveeta cheese " until melted.

12.   Then add about 1 1/2 cups of the Cheddar cheese and stir until melted.

13.   Serve soup with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon for a topping to each bowl.

    

  We actually use " 3 slices of Microwave Pre-Cooked Bacon " for this recipe for four reasons:

  We only put the bacon in the soup and " don't use the other 3 slices for topping "  -  ( Our personal choice ) ...

  My other half sometimes likes to have bacon while she is working away in her office in the mornings so we have it on hand ...

  It's convenient, creates less mess, and easier to cook ...
     ( We cook 3 slices, covered with a paper towel, for " 42 seconds " in our 1100 watts microwave )

  And it has a very good taste as well .....

Our favorite brand has quickly become the

" Hormel Black Label Brand " which has the best taste !

( see photo below )

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         Yukon Gold potatoes are the " Best Potatoes " to use in a Slow Cooker.   They have a waxy texture that holds up better than the Russet or Baking Potatoes which " tend to fall apart " in the slow-cooking process.

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         You can basically use any type of shredded cheese you'd like to change up the flavor for this soup:  Sharp Cheddar - Mild Cheddar - Mixed Cheddar - Mexican Blend - Italian Blend - Pizza Blend - Swiss - etc ...

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or at ( russpickde@comcast.net )

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