Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Disney Land!

So have you ever eaten at the Carnation Cafe in Disney Land?  Well, I have, several times, in fact, every-time we go to Disney Land, it is our favorite place to eat in the Park.  It is this cute little cafe on Main street where you sit outside on umbrella covered tables and you get someone to wait on you while you sit back and enjoy the scenery.  The first time we ate there I was drawn to the baked potato soup on the menu.  I quickly ordered it and officially declared it as the best soup ever.  Even better than homemade, which is pretty tough in my book.  And every-time since I have ordered it.  The last time we were there, a cute little man wearing chef attire came out and talked to us.  He asked me how I liked the soup.  I told him all about my love affair with it.  He left our table and returned promptly with the recipe!!  I was so excited and thanked him graciously.  Well, it turns out after looking over the recipe, that it isn't a quick and easy one, so be prepared to have this take some time, but it is well worth it.  So good!  This recipe makes a lot so I froze at least half of it.  I totally forgot about it for like 6 months.  I pulled it out of the freezer one day and let it thaw wondering if it would still be good and to my utter astonishment, it was, just as good as the day I made it, six months ago!  I wouldn't recommend freezing it much longer than that. But, just so you know, it does freeze well.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Disney Land
From: Carnation Cafe in Disney Land courtesy of chef Joven Tolentino
Yields: 12 servings, at least
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Print Recipe

4 large russet potatoes (peeled and diced small)
4 medium red potatoes (diced small)
2 large stalk celery (diced small)
1 large or 2 small carrots (diced small)
1 medium yellow onion (diced small)
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound bacon chopped (tip: place in freezer for 20-30 min to make it easier to cut)
16 oz chicken or vegetable stock
32 oz heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt & pepper to taste

Garnish with chives, bacon bits, sour cream and/or cheese

Place a stock pot over medium high heat.  Add vegetable oil, butter, and bacon.  Start cooking the bacon, stirring occasionally, do not allow it to burn.  This will take a while, so while the bacon is cooking, cut up your veggies.

Once bacon gets crispy, remove the bacon from the pan using a slotted spoon, place on a paper towel.

Add onion, carrots, and celery to the bacon fat and cook until onions turn translucent. Add the potatoes and cook for 4 minutes.

Add the flour to make a roux.  Cook roux until blonde in color, about 5-7 minutes, while stirring constantly.  Add chicken or vegetable stock and about 3/4 of the bacon, reserve the rest for garnish.  Season with salt and pepper.

Turn the heat to medium-high and bring soup to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add whipping cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

Garnish with bacon and other desired toppings.  Serve in bread bowls.

Cheesy Potato Rounds

These potatoes are delicious and  just about every member of my family claims this as their favorite way to eat potatoes, and we eat a lot of potatoes around here.  These are simple to make with simple ingredients, but taste very gourmet.  Give these a try today, you will not be disappointed!

Cheesy Potato Rounds
From: Meg @ Back Pocket Creations
Time: 1 hour total time
Yields: 4-6 servings
Print Recipe

8 medium russet potatoes, cleaned, and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 C butter, melted
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C green onion, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 400

Pour melted butter onto a large baking sheet, place potatoes on the sheet and the flip over so both sides are coated with butter.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes, remove and flip all the potatoes again and cook for another 20 minutes.

When potatoes are soft and slightly browned remove from oven and top with bacon, green onion, and cheese.  None of my kids like the onion and one does not like the bacon ( gasp!) so I purposely leave those toppings off a portion of them. Put back in the oven for about 2-5 minutes until cheese has melted.  Serve with sour cream for dipping.

BLT Pasta Salad

Last month I ran the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay! Click here to find out what that is, if you don't already know, this video is very funny! Anyway, It was really fun and also very exhausting.  I am doing it again next year!  I may be a little crazy, but that is okay, it will be fun!  I made this pasta salad to take with me on the trip.  I thought the carbs from the pasta would be a good way to get some energy for all my runs.  I didn't realize that it would taste so good and turn into my new favorite pasta salad.  I have made this salad three more times to take to potlucks and picnics and it is always a hit. Very simple to throw together and it can be made ahead of time if you need to or serve it right away.

BLT Pasta Salad
Adapted from: myrecipes.com
Yields: 4-6 servings
Time: 25 minutes
Print Recipe

8oz penne pasta
1/4 C olive oil
2 T finely chopped red onion
2 T red wine vinegar
1 t dijon mustard
1/2 t salt
10 strips cooked bacon (I used the precooked kind crisped in the microwave)
1 (7oz) bag spinach leaves
2 C cherry tomatoes, cut in to quarters
1/3 C grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta al-dente according to package directions.  Drain, then rinse with cold water until it is cool. Transfer to a large salad bowl. Add oil, onion, vinegar, mustard, and salt, then toss well.

Cut bacon into 1 inch pieces, add to pasta with spinach, tomatoes, and cheese.  Toss well and serve immediately or store in the fridge.