Chicken Mashed Potato Soup

  New Comfort Food At Our House

We stocked up on groceries  and have been staying home, doing our best to avoid the corona virus.   I’ve been making chicken soup all winter, but today I decided to do a big batch of mashed potatoes too.  I thought the mashed potatoes would go well with other meals,  but when I mentioned that the soup and the potatoes were both done, the family made a bee line for the kitchen.  “I’ll have a bowl of soup,” announced The Farmer.  I knew he might not make it past the mashed potatoes, but I never dreamed he would invent the ultimate comfort food!  Chicken Mashed Potato Soup!

My friend Dorothy of Shockingly Delicious  has urged me to share the recipe.  How do you make Chicken Mashed Potato Soup?  Easy.  Do a pot of chicken soup.  Make mashed potatoes.  Grab a big spoonful of mashed spuds and dump them into your bowl of soup.  Add avocado and you have the deluxe version! We’ll be trying that version tomorrow!)

What’s in the Soup

I never measure anything when I make soup.  Peel and chop an onion or two.  Put onion in a pot with a little healthy oil. Chop up some celery and add it to the pot.  (I used only 2 stalks because I’m trying to make my celery last for a while due to the “stay at home” order from our governor.)  I had a box of mushrooms that needed to be used, so I sliced them into the pot too.  Add some skinless chicken and a few cups of water,  and let it cook until the meat is tender.

I like to add thyme, rosemary,  a little poultry seasoning,  salt and pepper.  When the chicken is tender,   add chicken stock.  I buy boxes of good chicken stock to keep in the pantry for soup.  I usually buy 8 boxes at a time so we can make soup whenever we want.   Depending on the stock you use, go easy on the salt.  Maybe taste the soup before you add salt.

Sometimes I add noodles, or tortellini, but lately I just put in some fresh green beans, carrots, corn,  or a bag of frozen vegetables at the end.

Love Means Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are the best.  I do love baked potatoes, but mashed potatoes really show your love.  I like to use Yukon Gold or  Red potatoes.  Today I had a bag of red potatoes.  The nice thing about these potatoes is that they don’t need to be peeled.  Lazy mashed potatoes, but still full of love.

I boil the potatoes until they are really tender.  Easy to cut or mash.  Then I mash them up, and add some butter,  hot milk,  garlic powder, maybe a little onion powder.  And for extra love …add 1/4 cup grated parmesan.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Staying Home

Our family has been staying home for the past week already.  For one thing, we work at home,  although I direct several choral groups.Since everything has  been canceled, I have been home.  The ranch work continues.  Today I paid some bills,  filed some paperwork,  did office work. Outdoors they were weed whacking.

We have been washing our hands, sanitizing surfaces,  and we’ve discussed leaving packages outside for 24 hours after they arrive.  It’s important to be careful.  I have ordered some premium russet potatoes direct from an Idaho potato grower, which will be delivered next week.  Here’s a story about my trip to Idaho for the potato harvest a few years ago.

We have made a plan for how our family will cope if one of us gets sick.  We have a  bedroom already picked out where the sick person can be isolated, with a bathroom designated as well.   If you haven’t figured out a plan for your family, please read about what to do.  San Diego county health department has lots of information on their website.

Getting Outside

It’s okay to go out for a walk,  play in your own yard, walk your dog.  We’re told that it’s still okay to go buy groceries, but we’ll be limiting trips.  For now we’re good.  The best thing we can do is keep looking up,  keep looking around us, notice the good things, be kind to our families and friends,  check up on those you care about.

I’ve been keeping in touch with my choir members.  We started a “GroupMe” chat group that is just for the choir members. Look it up — www.groupme.com  It’s a great service because we can share photos,  chat with each other, and other members can see our chats when they want to look.  We can share information too, which is especially important for those who are living alone. It’s free, and our group is private.

Control What You Can

My daughter-in-law sent this image to the family today.  It’s worth sharing here too.

Look for the Beauty

There is so much uncertainty right now, but still so much beauty to enjoy.  I’ll close with a flower  from my garden.   Take care of yourselves.  Wash your hands.  Stay home. If you want to talk about it,  leave me a comment and I’ll reply.