Baked Potato Soup

It was so chilly yesterday that I thought while the twins were playing at a reasonable noise level, I would try and duplicate a soup we had in California. It was a wonderful Baked Potato Soup from the local Safeway store and seemed to be all sold out by early afternoon. This is my version, probably without the additives..... both are so good........

Ingredients:

5 pounds of potatoes, you can use Baking potatoes, but if your on a budget just grab a bag on sale.

Bake these, or if in a hurry just microwave them to tender, let them cool, peel and cube.

1 cup real butter

1 cup of flour

8 cups of milk

1 Bunch of Green onions, use anywhere from 8 to the entire bunch if you like onions

1 nice Ham Steak, cut into tiny cubes. Here you can judge how much you want to add. I used the entire Ham Steak.

2 cups Shredded mild Cheddar Cheese

1 16oz container sour cream

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

Do your potatoes first and have them cubed and ready to go, because from there, this is a quick meal. I grabbed my large stockpot since I was estimating.

In the bottom of your pot melt your butter over medium heat, stir in flour, and using your whisk, stir until it is smooth and just starting to bubble. Gradually stir in your milk, stirring until the milks starts to thicken.

Now add your potatoes, ham and onions, stir well to coat and let your soup just reach a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add the rest of your ingredients, and simmer until your cheese has melted. You can serve immediately, with a sprinkle of shredded cheese on top......

Next time I think I will increase my milk to 9 or 10 cups and serve with a nice crusty bread, to dip.