Potato Soup

This is a recipe I got from a friend of mine. It's hearty, yet simple to prepare:

6 cups chicken stock (you can just measure out 6 cups of water and add 6 tsp of Herb-Ox bouillon if you don't have any homemade stock)
5 lb. potatoes, peeled and cubed
1-2 tsp fresh garlic
1 cooking onion, chopped
bacon - Oscar Mayer is a Kraft product and will list allergens specifically on the label (optional)
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

1. Saute onion in butter (2-4 TBSP) in a large stock pot.
2. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil
3. Add potatoes & garlic
4. Simmer until potatoes are cooked
5. Mash potatoes with a potato masher until soup is creamy
6. You can add cooked/crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar cheese to it, if you choose, or be creative with what you'd like to add to your soup.

Chicken Fried Steak with Sawmill Gravy

Chicken Fried Steak*
2 thin cut t-bone steaks (or thin cut steak of your choice)
1/3 cup + 3 TBSP Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup Southern Homestyle Cornflake Crumbs
2-3 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
Crisco

1. Cut steaks into 4 equal pieces (about the size of a deck of cards).
2. In one bowl, coat steak in 1/3 cup baking mix, in a second bowl beat the egg and dredge steak.
3. Combine cornflake crumbs, 3 TBSP baking mix, and Montreal Steak Seasoning in a 3rd bowl. Coat steak in the cornflake crumb mixture.
4. Melt approx. 1/2-3/4 cups of crisco in an electric skillet at exactly 325F.
5. Place steaks in skillet and cook until both sides are crispy and internal temperature is at least 135F.

Sawmill Gravy**
3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix
1/2 cup chicken broth (I just added 1/2 tsp Herb-Ox chicken bouillon to 1/2 cup warm water)
1/2 cup half-and-half
salt
ground black pepper

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan with baking mix. Cook on medium until a roux forms, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Slowly add chicken broth and half-and-half.
3. Season with salt and lots of fresh ground black pepper.
4. Stir until thick and not runny. Serve over chicken fried steak (or fried chicken).

*You can also use this recipe to make fried chicken. The best chicken to use is organic boneless skinless chicken thighs. You may need to increase the flour to 1/2 cup and increase egg to 2 eggs, depending on how many thighs you get.

**This can also be served over mashed potatoes, fries, or biscuits, too.

I served my chicken fried steak with Betty Crocker's Potato Buds and french style green beans.