Potato Chowder - Slow Cooker!

This potato chowder is amazing for two reasons: it's incredibly delicious, and it's incredibly easy. (Not everything has to be healthy, right? Especially when it's comfort food? ...that's what I tell myself anyway. And besides, this iteration is WAY healthier than so many other potato chowder recipes!)

Whenever I know I'm going to have a long day and I won't want to cook at the end of it, I get this started in the morning. It needs to cook for at least 8 hours, but it's so worth the wait!

Serve this delicious chowder with pepper, shredded cheese, crumbled bacon (I cook mine in the microwave for easy cleanup and fat drainage), and snipped chives for that mild onion flavor.

While I LOVE this soup in the winter or on a cold rainy day, there's NEVER a day that I make it and wish I had made something else. By the way, for those following the picky palate of my brother, he LOVES this one. (It probably has something to do with the bacon, but hey - he still loves it!)

If you have any leftovers, they're delicious the second day. Past that I wouldn't know - they don't last around here!

Slow Cooker Potato Chowder

8 c. peeled, diced potatoes (about 5 large russet potatoes)
1/3 c. chopped onion
3 (14-oz.) cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
Pinch salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
8-oz. package cream cheese, cubed
Bacon (cooked and crumbled), shredded cheese, and snipped chives, for garnish

In a slow cooker, combine the first 6 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until potatoes are tender. Add cream cheese; stir until blended. Turn slow cooker to high for 15-20 minutes to help melt cream cheese. Garnish with bacon, cheese, and chives, if desired.

AJ's Baked Potatoes

I've posted this recipe before, but now you get to see the pictures! The orange in the background is a salad heavily dosed with shredded carrots (gotta make up for the barbecue covering my baked potato). These are delicious, quick, and easy!

My potatoes were little guys and I was hungry, so I made two. :)



Mmmm. And then you mix up the sauce and the shredded pork....

Do you see the cheese underneath? There's also butter and s&p, but you can't see that.

Heaven.

Try this for the manly man in your life.

BBQ Baked Potatoes.

1 pkg pork short ribs
1 bottle Famous Dave's Rich & Sassy BBQ Sauce
4-6 Idaho potatoes, scrubbed clean
Salt and Pepper
Toppings: Shredded cheese (whatever your favorite is), Sour cream, Butter, Chives, BBQ sauce

In the morning, throw all the ribs and 1-1.5 cups BBQ sauce into a slow cooker (eyeball measurement - enough to cover ribs). Turn to LOW and cook 7-8 hours (up to 9-10 if needed). 1 hour before you're ready to eat, sprinkle the potatoes liberally with salt and pepper (may need to wet potatoes to get S&P to stick), wrap in foil, and bake in a 500* F oven for an hour. 15 minutes before potatoes are done, pull the ribs out and shred, discarding fat. (You can skip this step if you're feeling lazy, and just let everyone shred their own.) Add another 1/4-1/2 c. BBQ sauce if needed. There are two ways to serve:

Martha Stewart way: Once potatoes are done, allow to cool. Cut tops off potatoes, scoop out flesh, mix with toppings and BBQ, stuff into potato, add more toppings on top, replace potato top, and bake at 350* for another 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

Sarah way: make a "Build Your Own" potato bar. Set everything out and let everyone go to town building their own.