Fast and Delicious Potato Soup

[Three Hawks]

1 med spud, peeled and diced
1 small or 1/2 med. onion, diced.
2 ribs of celery including leaves, cut small.
salt and pepper to taste
Butter to suit.  
Milk.  Use whole or 2%.  1% or skim aren't worth the  bother. 2% is marginal.  For a spiritual experience use half and half.  To find yourself rocking  back and forth while chanting: "Yes! Yes! Oh God, Yes!!" with your eyes closed, use cream.

Simmer veggies , salt and pepper in barely enough water to cover until spuds are tender.  Coarsely mash cooked veggies in the water they were cooked in.  Add enough milk to make about three pints of soup.  Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter, more or less, as you wish.  Adjust seasonings and bring up to serving temp, stirring frequently to keep milk from sticking.  

Three Hawks

[Longhunter]

I love potato soup..for a new taste experience add chopped up bacon..

[snake eyes]

Ron,
      Yep, that is what I do and sometimes diced ham.
snake-eyes

[Uncle Russ]

A nice, hot, creamy, potato soup with a sprinkling of sow-belly cracklins on top is indeed a nectar of the Outdoor Gods.

Unclce Russ...

[Longhunter]

sow-belly cracklins !!??  :rotf  :rotf

[Uncle Russ]

......bet there ain't a handful of folks nowadays that know what real sow-belly-cracklins are, or how popular they were followin the great depression.

Applachian Hillfolk knew 'em, and knew 'em well.....you can still hear their arteries "cracklin" iff'n ya listen right real hard.....

Uncle Russ...

[M1Tommy]

I learned about cracklins during my years in Louisiana..... ummmmm................  !


Tommy

[snake eyes]

......bet there ain't a handful of folks nowadays that know what real sow-belly-cracklins are, or how popular they were followin the great depression.

Appalachian Hillfolk knew 'em, and knew 'em well.....you can still hear their arteries "cracklin" iff'n ya listen right real hard.....
Uncle Russ...

  Russ,
           Are cracklins and chittlens one in the same thing? If so,
is the preparation or the area of the country you are from that
make the difference?
 snake-eyes

[Stryker]

Are cracklins and chittlens one in the same thing?

No, No and No.

Chittlens is the intestine of the pig. Cracklins is the skin, which IMHO is best served out of the grease. Grandpa used to make both, and while I could eat chittlens, I perferred cracklins. Bill Cosby used to have a great routine about chittlens. Saying how he thought somebody misspelled the word and it should start with an "S"  

[Uncle Russ]

Stryker is right, "Cracklins" are a far cry from chittlins.

I've never tried chittlins, but from what I've heard, if they re prepared properly, they are not as bad as some folks would have you believe.

I think it's mostly just the "thought" of what they really are that leaves most people cold, right off the bat.

Maybe, if I ever get back to Louisianna to visit again, I just might get up enough nerve to give 'em a try. I absolutely love everything else those Cajuns cook!
It will probably also depend a great deal on how much of that Louisianna swamp water I've consumed when that time comes, but you never know, I just might get a chance to try 'em before my time comes.

I suspect crackins are a lot like grits....you either love 'em, or ya hate 'em.....it's all a learned thing.
Many folks throughout the Bible Belt cook a number of things with cracklins (deep fried bacon bits) in it. I have ate a delicious cornbread with crackins, lots of soups, stews, beans, and gumbo's, with a "sprinklin" of cracklins, even added 'em to a home-made Trail Mix.
 
I had never heard of grits until I went in the Army, and I didn't care for 'em while I was there....but now, almost 30 years after I retired, I like 'em, go figure....same with crackilins. The first time I tried 'em I didn't care for 'em, nowadays I use 'em alot, when I can find 'em......

Uncle Russ...

[Stryker]

I had never heard of grits until I went in the Army, and I didn't care for 'em while I was there....but now, almost 30 years after I retired, I like 'em, go figure....same with crackilins. The first time I tried 'em I didn't care for 'em, nowadays I use 'em alot, when I can find 'em......

Uncle Russ...

What's funny is,while I knew about them being in the south,  I just didn't care for grits or rice for that matter until I went in the service. When I joined the Marines, grits were served every morning and rice was served every other day. I learned to like them so as to not go hungry. Still don't care for cheese grits though. I eat mine with just a little salt and pepper, or maple syrup.

[Three Hawks]

The first time I had grits, I was pretty sure I'd died and was in Heaven.  The lady who made 'em served 'em with sausage gravy.  She said it was OK to salt and pepper 'em if I wanted.  I must have eaten four pounds.   I've had 'em with salt, pepper and butter,  with maple syrup, with sorghum, with molasses, and with several kinds of gravy.   My first choice if available, is sausage gravy, second is sorghum molasses.  

Three Hawks

[mike rumping]

"Cracklins", omg, love 'em when we can find em, if I can get em away from Nancy.
Mike and Nancy

[snake eyes]

Are cracklins and chittlens one in the same thing?

No, No and No.

Chittlens is the intestine of the pig. Cracklins is the skin, which IMHO is best served out of the grease. Grandpa used to make both, and while I could eat chittlens, I preferred cracklins. Bill Cosby used to have a great routine about chittlens. Saying how he thought somebody misspelled the word and it should start with an "S"  

 Stryker,
        OK, I have had both and enjoyed both! I also loved
'mountain oysters',most don't, when they find out what they are!
I also like chicken livers & gizzards .Go figure!
snake-eyes

[ridjrunr]

Back to the tater soup,I've always liked a bit of parsley as well.How much depends on the size of the pot amount of soup yer makin.I'm gettin hungry thinkin on this.!  ridjrunr