Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Donal B. Wright shares this potato soup recipe.
A note included with the recipe reads:
"This was tested and approved by a Picky Old Retired Air Force Guy -- Aim High."
Potato Soup
6 pieces bacon
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
6 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cajun seasoning, to taste
8 cups low-sodium broth (vegetable or chicken)
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup hot milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Ground black pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheese of your choice
Cut bacon into 1/2-inch pieces.
In a soup pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Pour off some of the bacon drippings. Add onion, carrots, celery and parsley to the pot and saute in bacon drippings until tender. Return bacon to pot. Add potatoes, salt and Cajun seasoning to taste and cook 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove 2/3 of potato mixture and blend or puree until smooth. Return mixture to pot.
Whisk together the flour and milk, whisking until smooth and pour into soup, along with the heavy cream and cook until heated through and soup is thickened. Season to taste with ground black pepper.
Serve sprinkled with cheese.
Lizzie White shares this figure-friendly dessert recipe, which she describes as "very good."
Banana Split Dessert
10 ounces reduced-fat vanilla wafers
6 large bananas, peeled
1 (15-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice
1 (12-ounce) can fat-free evaporated milk, chilled
2 cups skim milk, chilled
2 packages sugar-free vanilla pudding mix
Small tub light whipped topping
4 tablespoons chopped toasted pecans
1/4 cup sugar-free chocolate syrup
15 strawberries, rinsed and patted dry
Crush the vanilla wafers and spread in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan. Slice bananas lengthwise and lay over crushed wafers. Sprinkle pineapple evenly over the bananas.
In a large bowl, beat milks and pudding together until thickened. Pour over pineapple. Spread or pipe the whipped topping over the pudding. Garnish with pecans, chocolate syrup and strawberries. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
Makes 15 servings.
Send recipe contributions, requests and culinary questions to Kelly Brant, Idea Alley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203; email:
kbrant@arkansasonline.com
Please include a daytime phone number.
Food on 03/21/2018