Friday Dinner

Last night's dinner was a big pot of potato soup with ham, plus fresh fruit (strawberries & pineapple) and a loaf of cheese bread on the side. My soup recipe is the sort of thing I don't really measure, but the following amounts should be close:

I peeled & boiled about 8 smallish russet potatoes, then drained them and set aside. In the same big pot, I sauteed a large onion, chopped, in about 4 T. of butter. When the onion was tender and golden, I upped the heat and added 4 T. flour to make a roux. I cooked for a few minutes, then added about 3 cups of milk and brought to a simmer to thicken. Then I added about 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth and the potatoes. I used a potato masher to break them up well into small chunks. I seasoned with plenty of salt & pepper, plus celery seed, ground mustard, and a dash of nutmeg. Lastly, I added about 2 cups chopped leftover ham, and heated thoroughly.

It was darned good - quite possibly the best potato soup I've ever made (and I've made lots over the years). The cheese bread comes from the Walmart bakery, and is a frequently requested purchase at my house. It's a bargain at $3 a loaf - my other favorite, La Brea Semolina Cheese Bread from Harris Teeter, runs about $4.50. Fresh strawberries ($1.25/lb at Harris Teeter) and fresh chunked pineapple ($2/each at WalMart) made a nice tart counterpoint to the richness of the soup and bread.

Totals:

$2 - soup ingredients (at most, with cost of ham accounted for at Easter)
$1.50 - 1/2 loaf of bread
$1.50 - pineapple & strawberries (about 1/2 of each)

$5 for dinner for 3, with about 1.5 quarts of soup left over