The World According to Bella

Good News
My pictures have arrived as promised in an earlier blog. I am personally signing each one (paw print)  If you want to order place your name in the comment box at end of this blog. Include your address if you think Mrs. S does not have it. Any information in comment box goes directly to Mrs. S 's email. So it does go out to this place called cyberspace for others to see.

Love, Bella
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Irish Potato Soup

Irish Blessing:

May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night and the road downhill all the way to you door.

Cook's note: the recipe I followed did not call for cheddar cheese but I added 1 cup for more flavor at the end-serves about 5
also found this soup tastes better on the second day
Ingredients:

• 6 large potatoes peeled and diced
• 1 large onion diced
• 2 large carrot diced
• 2 stalk celery diced
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp of each chives, thyme, parsley
• 1/8 tsp. each of dry mustard and curry 
• 1-1/2-2 cups half and half 
• 2 cans of Swanson's chicken broth low sodium
• 2 TB flour
• 5 TB. butter

Directions:

• Saute in butter potatoes, onions, carrots, celery and garlic about 15 minutes but do not let it get brown
• Cover this mixture with 3 cups water and boil till potatoes soft about 25 minutes, drain water
• Reserve some chunks of potatoes out and put rest of cooked potato mixture in food processor  
• Whisk flour with chicken broth then add to food processor 
• Add half and half to food processor with spices and blend till smooth
• Place all potato/carrot/onion/celery/broth/half and half and spices mixture back in pot
• Add reserved chunks of cooked potatoes
• Cook on low heat till thickened-adding cheddar cheese finely grated at end
• Stir with wooden spoon make sure mixture does not boil 
• Top with browned bacon bits