Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Mealtime Magic: Baked Potato and Bacon Soup

What do you get when you combine family roots from the heart of Dixie with a girl born and raised in California?  You get some seriously delicious comfort food just like your grandmother used to make.  With Lori Rogers known as Chef Lorious, you also get new and innovative twists on classic recipes we all love.  In her first cookbook, Calibama Cooking, Lori puts it all together in a delicious collection of classic and contemporary comfort food recipes.

Each recipe in Calibama Cooking has easy-to-follow instructions, full color photos, tips and serving suggestions, and feel-good stories from Lori’s life that will make you laugh and want to eat. 

With each bite of Chef Lorious’ recipes you are transported to a place that makes you feel as if you’re sitting with family, eating, reminiscing and talking about life at the table.  She will have you laughing and cooking with stories of her childhood and family while simultaneously handing you a spoon inviting you to “taste this.”  


As the weather turns colder, warm up with this delicious recipe.
Recipe and photo reprinted with permission from
CALIBAMA COOKING by Chef Lorious
Chef Lorious Media/November 2019
Baked Potato and Bacon Soup
Initially, I considered not including this recipe because I figured we’ve all got enough potato soup recipes. But then I got to thinking, why not? It’s a family favorite, and it welcomes autumn into our home like nothing else can.
Serves 6–8
INGREDIENTS: 
2 pounds bacon, cut into cubes 

1 cup flour
5–6 cups chicken broth
3 pounds potatoes, baked, boiled, or microwaved until fork tender, peeled and cut into cubes
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1½ cups heavy whipping cream 
For garnish:
shredded cheese
chives
sour cream
bacon
Directions: 
1.    In an 8-quart stockpot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Set aside some of the cooked bacon to garnish the soup. Leave all of the bacon grease in the stockpot; you will use it to make a roux.
2.    Add flour to the bacon in the stockpot and stir until absorbed by the bacon grease. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken.
3.    Add cooked potatoes, nutmeg, and cayenne (if using). Stir well to combine. Add the heavy whipping cream and bring to a boil.
4.    Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes until all flavors are well combined. Taste to be sure it’s the way you want it.
5.    Garnish with sour cream, cheese, bacon pieces, chives—whatever you like on your baked potato.
Tips 
•    For a thicker soup, add an extra ¼ cup of flour at a time until desired thickness is achieved. Dissolve the flour in 1∕3 cup of water or broth so it doesn’t get lumpy in the soup.
•    Don’t worry about pureeing or mashing the potatoes. As the soup simmers, they will melt into the liquid. Whatever pieces don’t fully dissolve will be delicious chunks of soft potatoes in your soup.

Lori “Chef Lorious” Rogers specializes in both classic and contemporary comfort food. Born in California and raised by a close-knit family anchored in southern tradition from Alabama, this “Calibama” girl learned very early that food cooked with love has the power to inspire and heal.

Chef Lorious has been cooking for her family and friends in her kitchen for almost two decades. She regularly shares her recipes and meal preparation ideas by conducting cooking demonstrations and sharing her culinary expertise through television programming in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and various social media outlets. She can be seen regularly on Washington DC’s “Good Morning Washington” (WJLA-ABC), “Good Day DC” (WTTG-FOX), and follow her on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram (@ChefLorious).
Lori is a devoted wife and mother of three beautiful children, and she especially enjoys serving her church family. She is grateful for the opportunity to take her message of loving others authentically through food to the masses. Whether cooking with her on screen or following her recipes, you are sure to feel the love that she has for both her community and for cooking!  Her goal is to inspire you to embrace your authentic self, and then represent that … through food! 

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