TUESDAY

Baked Potato Soup

* 2/3 cup butter
* 2/3 cup flour
* 7 cups milk (whole is best)
* 4 large baked potatoes, baked and cooled, peeled & cubed*
* 4 green onions, sliced
* 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
* 1-1/4 cup cheddar cheese
* 1 cup sour cream (low fat is fine)
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter in Dutch oven. Stir in flour, heat and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add baked potatoes, and onions. Bring to a boil; stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
*TIP!

* Here’s a great hint about baking potatoes–use your slow cooker. Before bedtime, stand 4 large potatoes into your crockpot with NO liquid, and cook on LOW heat all night. In the morning, take them out, let them cool and proceed with the recipe! Handy, handy, handy!

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1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately.   Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly.   It's rare .... you cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk.. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission. Go next door to the rum ball house.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, ha ve two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three.   When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, martini in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Have a great holiday season!