The cold weather has decided to stick around for a bit.  It is mid-January so it is expected.  It doesn’t mean I like the 0 degree weather with negative wind chills.  I wonder sometimes why we live in the Midwest.  I couldn’t take the heat in the South in the summer though so until I am wealthy enough to spend half a year in North and half a year in the South I guess I have to adjust.

My slow cooker is in overdrive during this month.  I have used it at least 4 times in the past week alone.  I love putting dinner on to cook before we leave in the morning and having dinner almost ready by the time we get home.

This dish did take a bit of preparation, dicing the potatoes, ham and onion, but 15 minutes of preparation to have dinner 95% done when I get home?  Priceless!

Verdict:

This was a yummy flavorful soup.  Everyone ate a big bowl full of this hearty soup and I still had enough for 3 lunch servings.

This soup was gluten-free so my mostly gluten-free son had the same soup as the rest of us.

I served this dish with an Italian Grilled Sandwich half for dipping.  My kids love to have a sandwich with their soup to soak up the broth.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lbs. red potatoes, diced into 1/2″ pieces
• 1 – 1 1/2 lb. ham steak, lean diced into 1/2″ pieces
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 3 cups chicken stock, low sodium
• pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp Morton’s Nature’s Seasoning
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (Hint: Use a block of cheese and shred your own cheese if you can. Your dishes will have more flavor because the shredded cheese in a bag is coated to keep it from sticking together.)
• Garnish:  extra cheese, parsley if desired

Directions:

1. Place potatoes, ham steak, onion, chicken stock, pepper, garlic powder and Morton’s Nature’s Seasoning into the slow cooker.
2. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-5.  Half an hour before you wish to serve dinner add cream to the slow cooker (slow cooker needs to be on low at this point to avoid boiling) and cheese.  Stir well and allow to cook for half an hour.
3. Taste soup and adjust spices as necessary.  Serve with cheese and parsley as garnish if desired.