As a stay at home mom for a majority of the past 25 years, it would be easy to imagine that I had it all together and life was blissful, raising those precious little children to adulthood.
Yes, there were indeed wonderful years filled to the brim with homeschooling, chauffeuring, cheering, guiding and all those other motherly duties. But then there were the days when the kids didn’t get along, the cat hocked up a furball on the carpet and no one could remember how to add and subtract.
Am I preaching to the choir here?
Yet somewhere along the way I determined that no matter how chaotic and exhausting our day was, the simple decision to sit down for a meal together was incredibly important.
I don’t recall my parents ever emphasizing this as I grew up, but I do know we always ate our evening meal together. We didn’t have much money, and we never ate out. Our meals were pretty simple, and my grandmother who lived with us usually prepared them. Now, I look back on those days with fondness and sweet memories.
How does this family story translate to your day, which probably consists of carpool, family commitments and work decisions?
There is just nothing that beats the smell of dinner wafting from the slow cooker after one of those long days. Because I now work from home, I have to prioritize, plan and make dinner a priority. The slow cooker is my friend, whether I’m using it for a roast and vegetables or potato casserole. This appliance is my favorite because it doesn’t take much time to get ready or require monitoring during the day.
My favorite meal this time of year? Soup! As soon as the weather turns the slightest bit colder I am bent on discovering new and easy soup recipes to enjoy. This potato soup recipe is a new favorite. The hardest part of the recipe is dicing the vegetables.
Notes: Cilantro can be left out of this recipe, but I love the little bit of spice it gives the soup. I didn’t peel the potatoes, but if your family prefers no skin, go ahead and peel before dicing. If you don’t have bouillon cubes you can substitute 4-5 cups chicken stock. If you want to make the recipe healthier leave out the butter.
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For more delicious soup recipes, check out the Apartment Living Blog at ForRent.com!