Happy October 2018!

Fall is here! Our temperatures have not been reflecting the cooler weather quite yet, but we know what’s on the way, so we’ll take it.

As the days turn cooler and get shorter, we’ll be spending more time indoors.

Everyone loves warm soups on those chilly evenings. If you are a football fan, you will want to look over this recipe to see it will fit into your next gathering. This recipe makes a lot!

My brother-in-law, who is a retired Captain from his fire department, made this for his crew and it was a big hit!

All the credit goes to my sister-in-law Karen, for making this soup at an event years ago. As we talked about this recipe last week, we decided to call it, “It’s Not A Diet Soup!” Once you see the ingredients, you’ll know why.  Also, this isn’t one of those regular type of recipes you normally find. It’s little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Potato Soup Pexels CCO License

Potato Soup

10 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

Cover the potatoes with water and add 1-2 Chicken Bouillon cubes for flavoring or season as desired.

Cook until tender.

Drain the water off of the potatoes.

Add a stick of butter. (Salted or unsalted.)

Once the butter is melted, add enough milk to almost cover the potatoes.

Add 1 Tablespoon of regular mustard and stir.

As the soup heats up, add up to 2 squares of Cream Cheese, if desired. Stir until melted.  

Add more milk if desired. It depends on what consistency you like. If it becomes thinner than you expected, add a couple teaspoons of cornstarch to a small warm glass of water. Stir to dissolve and add to soup.

Here’s what we have added to this soup to make it even more delicious Slivered Deli Ham. Sometimes we’ve added cooked crumbled bacon. Many times we’ve topped it off with shredded cheese.

Want to really send this soup over the top? My sister-in-law has even added a few tablespoons of Sour Cream, oh and yes her favorite, Ranch Dressing. She also suggested shredded carrots for a little color. You can add those when boiling your potatoes.

Once you make this soup, you may have some other ideas. Let us know and we’d love to hear from you.

P.S. This soup goes great with any sandwiches, especially BLT’s.

Last week, I made a post on Facebook about a big fad going on right now, and that’s rock painting. If you go online or on Pinterest, type in “Rock Painting” you will find a ton of ideas on how to do this. Basically, you need acrylic paints, acrylic markers, and something to seal your rocks with. (Waterbase products will not work for outdoors.) Why worry about the outdoors? The painting groups I have found and joined online, paint their rocks and hide them for others to find. It’s a nice way to give someone out there in the world, a smile for their day, as they find your treasure. They can keep the rock or pay it forward by hiding it for others to find.

Here are a few I’ve made so far.

Find a group near you to join if you and your family are interested in this activity. Many of these groups have hashtags and the name of their groups. Each group will have their own rules, but almost always, they have these rules.

1.  Safety first and always. Online safety, but also, make sure you don’t hide your rock that could put   someone in danger by retrieving it.

2. Never hide your rock outside or in a business. Parks are a perfect place.

3. Never hide your rock where someone could possibility mow over it. Hide it in plain site or somewhat easy to find.

4. Finally, use rocks from natural resources or purchase your own rocks. Never take rocks from businesses or homes where people have used for landscaping. Remember, they bought those rocks.

 If you have little ones and it’s too cold or wet to go outside, have a hide and seek game for the rocks in your home. Talk about the kids having fun! They love this game!

One last thing, here’s an indoor activity to make. Cards!

If you have followed my page for a while now, you know I love making cards or anything out of paper.

Here is one Pop-Up card I made awhile back. I actually found many sites online on how to put these together. Let me know and I’ll send you the links.

Here’s another one I did using Stickers. A lot less cutting for this one.

This next card is one I’m REALLY excited to tell you about! I won’t be able to reveal what’s inside quite yet though. I have a fair coming up in November. I’ll have this card at my booth to show those visiting, how I made this. I’ll give you a hint. It has something to do with two of my books, “Maggie, Merrie, and Millie’s Magical Adventure” and “Maggie, Millie, and Merrie’s Magical Coins.”

I hope you have enjoyed these ideas.

Happy October everyone!

Rosie

PS. Don’t forget to take a look at my “Shop Here” page.  For full descriptions on all my books, visit my author page on Amazon. 

As always, Happy Reading!