Category: potatoes

Posted in potatoes, side dish, Thanksgiving

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes – Countdown to Thanksgiving

Posted on by traci
Countdown to Thanksgiving

My mother-in-law usually makes the mashed potatoes for family meals. In recent months, I’ve made them 3 times for our Sunday dinners. During those 3 times, I’ve made the potatoes too smooth, too lumpy, and then just right. Just like the Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

This is the recipe for the just right mashed potatoes.

(I used Yukon gold potatoes for the mashed potatoes. I highly recommend them. Yum!)

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes #1

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from the Yummy Life

Stars of the recipe:

  • 5 lbs. Yukon gold  or russet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1 1-inch cubes
  • 2 c. water
  • 1 c. chicken broth (I used another cup of water and used a tsp. of better than bullion instead.)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 (12 oz.) can of evaporated milk
  • 6 oz. cream cheese softened
  • 8 oz. sour cream

Steps:

  1. Soak the peeled and cubed potatoes for 30 minutes or longer. This helps avoid gluey potatoes. (You could also prep the potatoes the day before.)  Drain and rinse the potatoes before putting them in the crock.
  2. Spray your crock and then add the potatoes, water, and broth.
  3. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or until fork tender.
  4. Drain the potatoes and then place them back in the crock.
  5. Add the salt, pepper, and butter. Using an electric mixer or potato masher, mash the potatoes.
  6. Add the milk, sour cream, and cream cheese. Mash until desired consistency.
  7. Serve immediately or keep in the slow cooker on keeping warm for up to 2 hours.

I made mine and served some for dinner. Then I took the rest and put it into the freezer for future meals. Each freezer bag has about 2 c. of the mashed potatoes.

Posted in 31 days, easy, potatoes, soup

Easy Potato Soup

Posted on by traci

I’ve signed up for a 31-day writing challenge.  Every day in October, I post a new slow cooker recipe, a link to a previously posted slow cooker recipe, or a recipe from another blog.

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When I planned my meals last Saturday, it was rainy and COLD, with temperatures in the 40’s.  When we had the soup on Sunday, temperatures were in the 70’s.  Even with the temperatures in the 70s, I still went forth with my plan of soup.

Soup in a slow cooker makes sense.  It can cook all day, so the flavors really blend together.

On the cold rainy Saturday, the boys and I ran errands.  Since the boys were extra good, I took them to Barnes and Noble.  As they looked at books, I looked at the cookbooks for slow cookers.  I was looking for inspiration for the 31-day challenge.  I ended up finding a Southern Living Cookbook in the clearance section.

After I looked through the book, I decided to purchase it.  There was a recipe for potato soup that was super easy.  When I made the soup, I made some adaptations.  Instead of peeling the potatoes, I left the peels on the potatoes.

Everyone loved the soup.  Hubby, my mother-in-law, and I each took an extra helping of the soup.

We ate my buttermilk biscuits alongside the soup.  We topped the biscuits with the remaining apple butter from the  Apple Fest.

You can top your soup with bacon, shredded cheese, and chopped green onion.  We used the bacon and cheese curds from our local dairy.  🙂

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Easy Potato Soup

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Stars of the recipe:

  • 3 lbs of red potatoes or russet potatoes, diced into 1 to 2-inch cubes (Peeled or not peeled – It’s your choice.)
  • 1 sm. onion, diced
  • 4 c. chicken stock
  • 2 c. half and half
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • Toppings:  shredded cheese, cooked bacon, chopped green onions

Steps:

  1. Place the potatoes and onion in the slow cooker.
  2. Cover with the chicken stock.  
  3. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.  (Until the potatoes are soft.)
  4. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher.
  5. Add the half and half.  
  6. Cook on low for another half and a half.
  7. Enjoy your favorite toppings!

For a printable version of the recipe, click here.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please share it on Facebook or Pinterest.  Here is a link to my Facebook page and my Pinterest page.

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Happy eating,
Traci