... as I think of humidity

Baked Potato Soup

The checkout lady at Albertson's had never heard of it (actually, a lot of people haven't), but asked me to bring the recipe next time I went grocery shopping - I used to associate it with hotel room service food, but it's very nummy and one of my favorite 'dinner a bowl' things. My version is quite thick and chowdery; fewer potatoes or adding chicken broth or more milk will make for a more watery soup. It's a really mild dish that can be tweaked according to your taste and have more stuff added to it (veggies, spices, etc).

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3.5 c milk
5 medium baked potatoes
4 green onions, chopped
shredded sharp cheddar cheese (to taste)
sour cream (1/2 c. - or to taste)
bacon, crumbled (to taste)
salt & pepper to taste

Bake potatoes; halve and scoop out innards. Mash very coarsely (I just break up the big chunks with the edge of a spoon). In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt butter. Whisk with flour until smooth. Gradually add milk and whisk constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil while stirring frequently.

Reduce heat and let mixture simmer 10 minutes. Reduce heat and stir in bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper. Continue simmering, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.

The sour cream and green onions are the only things I really think need to go in; everything else is optional, or can be put on when serving. I usually leave out the bacon but keep everything else - I don't use too much cheese in the actual soup (you wind up with greasy residue if you have leftovers otherwise), so a little sprinkle of shredded cheese on top isn't overkill. I use 2% milk; skim is usually a touch too runny for my tastes, even when you have a high potato to milk ratio.