Panko-Fried Soft, Medium or Hard Boiled Eggs

So, this is a southern way of doing up some eggs. Hope you enjoy. You can make these soft, medium, or hard boiled!

Ok, add eggs to your pot and cover with cold water. Put your pot on the stove and start the pot on high heat. Depending on the size of your eggs and how runny you want your eggs is going to determine the time you cook the eggs. Once the water comes to a boil, turn your temperature down to a simmer. I do eggs this way because I do not want my eggs rolling around in boiling water and bumping into each other and cracking. Please, do eggs the way you normally do if you have your own way. I am just telling you how I do it. I never want to you to steer away from your tried & true ways of preparing food if you have found your perfect cooking method. By the way, I always use XL eggs in everything.

Soft boiled eggs -- simmer for 5 minutes

Medium boiled eggs -- simmer for 6 minutes

Hard boiled eggs -- simmer for 8 minutes

While your eggs are simmering and cooling, you can work on getting your breading station set-up. Salt and pepper some all-purpose flour. Crack 2 eggs and add your milk and salt and pepper. Beat eggs and milk together. Then, season up some panko bread crumbs (or you can use regular bread crumbs) with some salt and pepper. You can add several different things to your bread crumbs depending on what you like and/or what kind of flavor you are going after. Some examples would be cayenne pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, dried oregano, etc. Be creative. I usually just go with salt and pepper and sometimes cayenne. Also, start to heat up your canola oil in a shallow pan, like a skillet, on medium to medium-high heat. 

When eggs are finished simmering, remove from heat and immediately add cold water to your pot. Run cold water over the eggs until all the hot water has been displaced. Cool just for about 5 minutes, or until you can handle the eggs.

So, here is how I peel eggs: Be extra, extra gentle for soft boiled eggs. I usually cook a couple extra when I do soft boiled because I usually always break open 1 or 2 while peeling. They're so fragile when they're super soft in the middle. Lightly crack your egg on a hard surface, such as your countertop. Gently roll the egg on the hard surface with your palm until it is cracked all around the egg's surface. Make sure the tops and bottoms are slightly cracked, too. Gently start to peel the shell off. Make sure you try to get that membrane peeled off at the beginning, too. Be careful not to peel the egg white's surface off while doing this. Once you have your starting place peeled off (membrane included), dunk your egg back into the water. You should now be able to peel the shell off in one pull. If not, that's fine. Just make sure you get up under that membrane and start to peel again. I have found that if the egg is still slightly warm, they peel better. Once it is peeled, run the egg under cool water to make sure all shell is off. Don't put the faucet on at full speed. Just a smooth and slow stream will work. Place clean egg on a paper towel so it absorbs the excess liquid off the egg. You want a dry egg for this recipe.

Set up your breading station in this order: dry eggs, flour, egg wash, bread crumbs, and empty plate for breaded eggs. You want an organized assembly line here or things can get messy! Coat a dry egg in flour, roll floured egg in the egg wash mixture until completely coated. Place in bread crumbs and coat. Put on your plate until all eggs are ready to go.

When your oil is ready to go (you can throw a pinch of bread crumbs in the oil to test...if they give a good sizzle, you're ready to go), place eggs in on one side and allow to get golden brown. With tongs, gently roll the egg to the next side to get golden brown.Continue to roll the eggs until each side is golden. Place eggs on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve immediately!!! 

I serve these with breakfast, or you can even do this recipe for a salad like I have shown here. 

Recipe Card:

Eggs (for boiling + 2 extra for egg wash mixture)

1 cup flour

3 tablespoons milk

1 cup Panko bread crumbs (regular can work too, panko is just more crunchy!)

1/4 - 1/2 inch of canola oil in a skillet

salt and pepper (for flour mixture,egg wash mixture and bread crumb mixture)

cayenne pepper (optional, for bread crumb mixture)

Grilled Cheese(s)

So, for this post, I am not going to post a recipe. I am not going to give you step-by-step instructions. I am just going to comment on how I did a grilled cheese this time. This time? Yeah, 'cause grilled cheeses around my house change so often! 

This is, what I am calling, an "Inspiration Post." I always try to get your mind stirring a bit. To get those culinary juices flowing. Yes, we all have them - Culinary Juices. We just all have them on different levels. But, no matter how "juicy" you are, your juice is unique and you can do different things with your own juice. (Oh, I am kind of making myself laugh right now!)

We have grown up in different households. Some of us have grown up in different parts of the country, maybe even in different parts of the world. This plays a role in how our juices work. Sometimes this plays a role in how many juices we have, but I encourage you to use "what the Good Lord gave you" and work it. We all have different Grandmas that kneaded bread in their own way. The smells that wafted from your best friend's Grandma's house were not the same as what you remember from your Grandma's house. We all have different mamas that stirred the spaghetti sauce pot in her own fashion. Some mamas added mushrooms to her spaghetti. Some wouldn't have even thought about it. We all have diverse Papas that worked that grill differently than the Dad down the street. Some did chicken like a rock star. Others perfected that steak to a "T." Or, hell, change that all around and give a high five to the Mom that had the best beer-can-chicken on the block and the Father who slaved all day over that stove until the sauce was simmered thoroughly, just to his liking.

What I am getting at here is, use what you have and always expand on it. No matter if your culinary juices are constantly flowing or if it takes you a few days to prepare before the first drop drips, you make food your own. Just like your Grandma's bread, your mom's spaghetti and your Dad's grilled chicken. If you like something, do it. Make it. Cook it. Bake it. Eat it. 

What I provide here, is a place for you to get an idea. I don't think recipes should be followed to the exact 1/4 teaspoon. Unless you are baking, then yes, but I don't bake that much. Cooking is a different story. If you don't like oregano and I put it in my recipe, leave it out. If you think tomatoes are the missing link, go for it! I never used recipes. This has been sooooo hard for me to write this stuff down and measure it. Or to even remember to measure it for blogging purposes. I taste something and my tongue talks to me. Let your tongue do the talking in your house, too. TASTE your food AS YOU GO ALONG. Start out with very little seasoning and ingredients and then build on what your tongue tells you. And remember the salt, people. You will never reach full potential unless you use salt. I promise you.

So, here we are with the good ol' grilled cheese. Do you know how many infinite possibilities are out there for this food? No, it's not a food. It's a concept. What better "concept" to back up my ideas here, in this post, than with the grilled cheese. So many breads you can start with. So many butters to use. And then you can get into all the ingredients you can add to the butter! See my compound butter post HERE. So many cheeses. So many meats. So many veggies. I mean, for real. It's crazy what you can do with a grilled cheese. So, that is why I am just going to "show" you a few pics to stimulate the juices. If I can stimulate the juices, I am doing my job here. (Ok, there. I made myself giggle again.)

I will make a few comments here and there, so keep an eye out. Or a juice.

"No Woman" cheese? Are you kidding me? Score! 

Sometimes buying cheese is crazy. Unless you are in some gourmet, artisan cheese shop that has cases and cases of cheese who can give you nibble after nibble until you buy, or unless you are familiar with the cheese, you buy it "taste unseen." Kind of like when people think you're crazy because you bought that eBay car, "sight unseen," a lot of times, you have to buy cheese "taste unseen." But, "No Woman" cheese?...WHO could pass that up? I also thought this creamy, brie-like cheese would be a good addition. However, I knew that when I got home, if either tasted like they were not made for grilled cheese, I am a cheese-lover and they would definitely be gobbled up somehow. Even if it were just alone, on a cracker. So, I get home and immediately research my new find. Beecher's No Woman Cheese sounded like a definite triumph with Jamaican jerk seasonings added right in. 

That No Woman cheese was awesome!! The St. Andre was a little piquant. Good for me and my grilled cheese, but I knew my husband would not appreciate it on his. See? Do what tastes good to you. If you like it, do it. If not, you do not have to.

I chose a country wheat that day.

And I used my leftover COMPOUND BUTTER from my steak dinner to butter my bread! And, remember my BACON POST? Well, this was why I was baking bacon that day! I also shredded cheddar. I am a fan of some yellow cheese making it to my grilled cheese party.

So, I went ahead and did the cast iron grill pan. The other side is a flat griddle, which also would have worked with this, but since there are herbs in my butter, I just wanted a grill. I cooked my first side on medium-low to medium heat. You would want to do a sandwich this thick on a lower heat. This way, the middle has time to heat up before you burn the outside. Once the first side was done, I flipped it and then just added an old, HEAVY pan on top and pushed down on the pan. If you have a sandwich press, you rock. If not, like me, be creative!

What kind of grilled cheese do you like? Are you a straight-up American cheese, white bread Grilled Cheeser? Tomato or no tomato? Bacon? Ham and cheese? Grilled onions? Turkey and brie? Nutella and banana? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! The choices! The choices!!!

Yeah, I might have snuck a jalapeno in mine. ;) 

The Roosevelt -- Restaurant Review

The Roosevelt, located at 623 N. 25th Street in Richmond, VA, and nestled in one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, is definitely a new Richmond restaurant you should check out, people. Now, we went for Sunday Brunch, and good gravy! This Southern Charm is sure to impress. Go whole hog, y'all!

The Roosevelt is co-owned by Kendra Feather and Chef, Lee Gregory (no relation to me). When you walk in, you immediately feel like you have walked into a southern, quaint room. Yes, I said room. You can definitely throw a rock in this place. I think there are about 12-14 tables in this plantation-like establishment. My husband loved the old-time photography that adorns the walls. He instantly became very ecstatic about giving me a "Virginia history lesson" as we sat there that Sunday afternoon. I, being from Texas and quite frankly never being interested in history, actually did listen. With full ears, too. For me, the black chandelier, over the bar area, kept catching my eye as it solidified the whole ambiance of this fabulous restaurant. The walls are lined with wooden booths with throw pillows for table seating. The other side of the tables have simple wooden chairs. There is also seating nestled in the middle of the wall-lined tables. The bar probably had about 10 seats, as well.

So, we ordered our drinks. Me, a Bacon Vodka Bloody Mary and my husband, coffee. Yes, that is right. B-A-C-O-N Vodka. House-made Bacon Vodka, at that! Now, I am NO fan of bloody marys that make you feel as if you are sipping soup through a straw. This cocktail was perfect! It was blameless, actually. So blameless that my husband pushed the coffee aside to order one himself.

So, we looked over the menu and I ordered the fried chicken thigh (I am a thigh girl in more ways than one) with cast iron potatoes, a slow cooked egg and sausage gravy. I also had to order the side of cornbread with the vanilla butter. Of course! Misplaced Texan is the name here! ;) My husband ordered the fried oyster omelet with a bacon hollandaise.

As we waited for our food, that is where the history lesson was professed and after the quick teaching from my husband, I began to people watch. The couple next to us were talking about how they were getting married and moving in with each other in May. I think. It was odd. They mostly talked about the fact they both knew they needed a washer and dryer. And this was where I shook my head. You ready for it? She spoke of her laundry skills, or something of the sort, and then he actually proceeded to say, "Yeah, it'll be nice to have you around." Oh my. That was all I could eavesdrop in on that one! I was there for the food, not to hear some man say some crap like that to some young girl. Ha!

Additionally, one of the tables that lined the middle of the room was a four-top, and it was sat with 2 young couples. I swear one of the young men at that table was having a 20 minute food-gasm over the bacon. Wow! He was in total ecstasy. Eyes closed, head leaned back and all. Damn, Chef Gregory! I hadn't even indulged in any of the food yet, and I was seeing eyes roll in the back of some blonde, yuppie dude's head in the middle of your restaurant as he professed his love for your bacon...to another dude. OK, maybe we should just go back to the history lesson? But in all reality, that is Richmond. There are all walks of life, and whether it is washers & dryers or bacon...to each his own.

Now, back to the food. Unfortunately, my husband had to change his order because they ran out of oysters that day. That kind of broke my heart, too. I was excited to steal one off his plate and then still be able to eat my fried chicken thigh on my own plate! Best of both my favorite worlds! Reluctantly, my husband changed his order to the Brunch special for that day; potato, mushroom, sausage hash with two slow cooked eggs and topped with a salsa verde. Soon after, our food arrived and yes, I had to stare for a bit. Stunning! My egg was staring at me with pure allurement. I couldn't wait.

We dined and damn, that was some scrumptious stuff, I tell ya! As my Oklahoman Grandpa would say, "That's some good grazin'!" My fried chicken thigh was like "O.M.G." Moist and the crispiness and lightness of the fried crust was phenomenal! The potatoes were seasoned well and I was happy for that. The gravy was a little more runny for this Texan (wasn't made for a fork by any means at all), so in the back of my mind, I knew I had that cornbread to try and sop up what was left at the end.

My husband's dish was wonderful. He did feel like it was a little skimpy for him, being all manly and such, and it was different in size than mine, but he enjoyed every last bite.

Now, for the cornbread. Sorry. It was dry. Maybe if it was warmed up it would have been a little more moist, but I couldn't even sop up the gravy due to the dryness/crumbling. The vanilla butter tasted like frosting. It was an interesting combination. I might have enjoyed it a little more had it not been so dry, but I just might be a picky Texan.

Since my husband was left with a hankerin' for a tad bit more, we ordered the coffee cake at the end of our meal. Wonderful! No dryness there. Super moist and a perfect wrap up to an almost flawless experience. I was only going to have a bite, but a bite turned into just a few more. 

I encourage you to go! For real. If it is for dinner, you better make reservations. They take them by phone only (804.658.1935), and it's best to do so after 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and cannot wait to head there for dinner soon! Love me some southern food! I felt the food was greatly priced and they even had humor while ringing it up... Thank you, Kendra and Lee for a remarkable Richmond restaurant. I know 2012 will be great for you!

How To Cook Up Some...BACON!

By all means, this is just a method to go ahead and prepare bulk bacon in a quick and easy way, with hardly any clean up/mess. If you absolutely don't have enough drippings already, then this isn't the best way. If you have time to stand there and do 4 pieces a time on the stove, than by all means, do it! I actually can put more bacon slices on this pan than shown, but for this post purpose, I tried to make it look a little better. Ok, there's my disclaimer. Ha!

Want to make some kick-arse bacon without all the sticky bacon grease splatter all over the place? Listen up.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a broil pan with foil.

Arrange broil pan with your bacon. 

Once oven is completely hot, pop the pan in and cook for 25 minutes or so. These instructions are for thick cut bacon (like the REAL thick cut bacon...not the stuff they claim to be thick cut). If your bacon is thinner, you will obviously cook for less time. Watch it through the oven glass. Remember, bacon continues to cook as it comes out! Don't overcook! Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Compound Butter(s)

I remember, in the courting process, after me and my husband met, he talked about his ability to grill up a mean steak (don't all men claim to be the King of the Grill?). Wow! Yes, please!!! Pleaseeeee grill me up a mean steak. I will take it any time you want to fire up that throne of yours outside. In curiousness, I asked him how he liked his steak cooked and he said "medium-well." Ugh. Ok, that was almost a deal breaker right there. But, I am a forgiver. I knew I could eventually work on this. That with a little coaxing, this is something that could be easily changed. Much easier than teaching them to put the toilet seat down, right? Well, in his first attempt of showing me his grill royalty, I reminded him that I only liked mine medium-rare and he said, "No problem." I mean, we all know that us rare/medium-rare people cannot do a well-done steak on our plate. We just can not. Period. So, let me get this straight. Did you say "No problem?" He responded, "Yeah. No problem," with his chest all puffed up. Sweet! A man who can cook steaks to any temperature. Yay! Well, I won't go into much more detail, but good gravy! Let's just say thank God for second chances? We all make bad meals. Oh my goodness. It happens to the best of us! 

So, yeah, in a couple of weeks, his second chance was granted. Ummm, okay. This was going to be more work than I thought. I needed to get on the grill and get some lessons out. Quickly. So, now that his ego had settled down, I remember cooking my first grilled steak dinner for him...my way. And, yeah, I cooked his medium-barf-well and cooked mine to a perfect, bloody mess (a bloody mess to a rare/medium-rare person is a good thing. A GREAT thing.) But, I also got a weird look when I plopped that plate down in front of him and his steak had a half-dollar-sized butter coin on it. But, he obviously had never experienced a steak cooked decently for him, nor had he ever experienced the compound. The compound butter factor. Trust me. It works better than that pint of A-1 sauce he normally dumped on his meat.

I would like to say that my husband has come a long way. He now does medium-rare and can now decipher the difference between a rib'eye' and an 'eye' of round roast. :/ Yeah, we won't go there, either. But...look! He's eating medium-rare now and no more A-1!! He even can tell you what the two sides of the T-Bone steak cut are! What did he ever do before me? And what was his ex-wife cooking for him? I can't even imagine...-- The Queen of the Grill

Butter. Yeah butter, baby. It does a dish good. So, let's go ahead and talk about compound butters. This is just a way of kicking up butter to a new level. Adding whatever you want to a softened stick of butter to create a smooth, flavorful, gild the lily masterpiece that completes savory (and even sweet) dishes! And, I must say compound butters are divine on steaks.

I have made my steak compound butter for you in this blog post. I change it up sometimes, but this is the basic recipe. Like I said earlier, you can add whatever you want to cater to your taste buds. This is just my version. On the morning of steak night, take out a stick of unsalted butter from the fridge and let it sit out all day and come to room temperature. This is a must. It won't work well unless the butter is softened to room temperature.

Here are my ingredients, all ready to prepare for this recipe. Salt and pepper (I actually use table salt here. Since we are not cooking this recipe, kosher salt does not dissolve well in this recipe), garlic, chives, onion powder, a chipotle pepper rub, parsley and my softened butter:

Chop about a tablespoon of chives and parsley, and dice your 2 small/medium cloves of garlic SUPER FINE. I do not mind the flavor/taste of raw garlic. Some people say you should never serve raw garlic, but screw 'em. I like it. Just make sure you mince it as fine as you can. If you do not like raw garlic, you can definitely use a teaspoon of garlic powder here. Add everything to a bowl.

Then, take a fork and mash your ingredients into your stick of butter and mix well.

Lay a piece of plastic wrap flat on your counter and plop the butter mixture on the plastic wrap on the bottom third of the surface.

Roll up the bottom side over the butter mixture and start to roll up the butter mixture in the plastic wrap, making a log formation as you roll.

Make sure your log is rolled uniformly and twist up the ends. Place right into fridge. It doesn't take long to harden back up. Maybe 30 minutes, but can be stored for 2 weeks. Use it to butter your bread for grilled cheeses. Use it in baked potatoes. Over grilled asparagus. Use your imagination for the leftover butter.

Immediately, when your steak comes off the grill, add a pat of your butter on top of your steak and let the heat from the steak slowly melt your butter all over the top of your steak. You should let your meat rest before slicing anyway...so let it rest with butter oozing all over it. Oh, gosh...heaven! It adds a richness and a wonderful flavor to any steak.

We talked about adding anything you want to a stick of butter to make compound butters your own recipe. Try making a sweet compound butter:

Add 2 tablespoons of honey, a tablespoon of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon to butter. This is good for morning biscuits or bagels. Also good for warm banana bread. Waffles and pancakes would love this butter, too!!!

What about an Asian butter?

Add a couple of dashes of soy sauce, diced chives (scallions would be too big), some crushed red pepper, a few toasted sesame seeds and freshly grated ginger. Broil fish with this butter. Try it over grilled chicken!!!  

Use your imagination. Come up with your own flavors and get creative...even with butter!!!

Recipe Card (for steak/savory butter):
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
2 medium-small garlic gloves, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle dry rub (use crushed red pepper flakes, too)
pinch table salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper

Simple Potato Soup

Ahhh, winter time. Time to snuggle up with some soups or snuggle up with something like that. I am a soup Nazi in the winter time. I am not sure why, but soups are the only leftovers I ever eat. I just don't like to eat the same things in a row, but I definitely can with soups. Maybe it's the fact that soups and stews always develop flavors as they sit in the fridge?? 

For a family of 4-5 (no, I don't decide to feed one or not feed one...ha...one's at college), it is also a way to adequately feed. Also, for those children who are not keen on eating veggies, soups are a great way to get those veggies in, even if it is just onions, celery and carrots (aka mirepoix).

When I asked, about a week ago, what people wanted to see on my blog in the next few weeks, Suzi spoke up and wanted some more soup and stew recipes. Another friend, Bill, wanted to see some football tailgating/party recipes. Well, Suzi, here you go. (Bill, I decided to wait to see who will be in the Super Bowl before I do that blog post, so hang in there.) Suzi, here are the rest of my soup/stews/chili recipes I have on here so far already, too. Feel free to check them out!

Not Texas Chili

French Onion Soup -- with a Round Two Recipe!

Gumbo!

I definitely have some more to add. They will be popping up sporadically during the cold-weather-season, so watch for them! If anyone would like to see a specific soup or stew recipe on here, please post a request on my Facebook page, Misplaced Texan, and I will definitely get one on here for you! I really need to get my Chicken and Dumplins recipe on my blog, too, soon. Really, really. 

Ok, enough. Let's get going!... 

Go ahead and prep everything. Your "mise en place" always should be done, as far as you can go, before you start cooking. This means to have everything cut, chopped, put out on the counter, etc before you actually start cooking. So, go ahead and chop your celery, carrots, onion, garlic. Peel and dice your potatoes. Dice your bacon (on a separate cutting board!). Get your chicken stock out and place by the stove. Pull your flour and half-and-half out, as well. Just get everything out and ready to go and placed where it will be most helpful to you. When I prepare my taters, I leave a little skin on for appearance, and get the dices all about the same size so they cook at the same time. Let's have chunks here. You want chunks, but you don't want them so big where that is all you can fit in your mouth. Here's about the size I do mine:

First, add your diced potatoes to a large pot with cool water and bring pot to a boil on stove. When water starts to boil, add 1.5 tablespoons of kosher salt and stir well. Continue to cook potatoes until they JUST become fork tender. Do not overcook your potatoes!!! You want them firm, but not hard. You do not want mashed potatoes here, so continue to check the potatoes by sticking a fork in one of the larger pieces. 

While your potatoes are boiling, heat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) on the stove in a large soup pot or dutch oven until it starts to slightly ripple over medium to medium-high heat. Add 12 ounces (or so...plus or minus is fine) of diced bacon to the pot and brown it. Don't make it super crispy, but make sure it's nice and browned and you have rendered out the fat. Check out my tips on cooking/preparing bacon HERE!

Add your celery, carrots and onion to the bacon/bacon fat. Stir well and add a tablespoon of kosher salt (half if you use regular table salt) and add 2 teaspoons of freshly ground pepper. Saute for about 3-4 minutes. Then, add your 2 tablespoons of garlic. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes. 

When a fork can be pierced through the potatoes, go ahead and drain them. Place aside until you are ready for them. Be gentle and leave them alone so you don't break them up and make mashed potatoes.

When you have sauteed all of your veggies in the bacon and bacon fat, add 5 tablespoons of flour and whisk in. Allow the flour to cook for an additional 2 minutes or so. Slowly add a box of chicken stock and whisk to make sure you don't have lumps. Bring to a boil while stirring. Lower temperature down to medium-low and add another box of chicken stock while stirring and allow soup to heat through. Here you can add your cooked potatoes to this pot and stir well again. Do not boil your soup here, as you do not want to risk breaking up your potatoes! Slowly stir in a cup of half-and-half and taste. If you want it more creamy, add more half-and-half. Add more salt and pepper to taste. If your soup is too thick, add more chicken stock or water if you want. It won't be a problem at all. If you want it a little more "garlicky," add a teaspoon of garlic powder. You can add a teaspoon of onion powder here, too, if you want. Just taste it...if you think it needs something, add a little at a time, stir well and taste again. This is all you. You won't hurt this soup as long as you go slowly and add a little at a time. And TASTE. Taste your food. Taste it again. And taste it again. You must! Always!

While your soup's ingredients are getting to know everyone, go ahead and brown up 5 or 6 slices of bacon on the stove or microwave. 

****To microwave bacon: Line a plate with a double thick paper towel. Lay bacon on paper towel in a single layer and then top with another double-folded paper towel. Microwave for about a minute per bacon slice. If you have 5 pieces of bacon, microwave for 5 minutes. Because everyone has different microwaves, times may vary. Watch your bacon. Lift the paper towel up and look at it. Just be careful. You are still dealing with bacon grease here. It is extremely hot. Your plate will also be extremely hot. Use pot holders to remove plate from microwave and then use tongs to mess with the paper towels. Also remember that your bacon will continue to cook when you take it out, just like it does when you do it stove-top.****

Furthermore, dice up some scallions. Get out the shredded cheese and sour cream from the fridge. Serve your soup topped with some shredded cheddar cheese. Then, add a dollop of sour cream. Top with crumbled, crispy bacon and diced scallions. Really easy! Tastes just like a baked potato!!!

Recipe Card:

5 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon EVOO

12 ounces (or so) of thick-cut bacon plus 5-6 extra slices for garnish

1 1/4 cup chopped celery, with leafy tops (about 3 stalks)

1 1/4 cup chopped carrots (about 5 medium peeled)

1.5 cup chopped onion (about a medium white)

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (several tablespoons of both)

about 5 tablespoons flour

2 boxes chicken stock

1 cup half-and-half (at least...may use milk and/or cream here, too)

shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

about 3 diced scallions for garnish

sour cream for garnish

crispy bacon crumbles for garnish

1 teaspoon garlic powder, if you choose

1 teaspoon onion powder, if you choose