New (not really) Furniture!!!

Today Tonia and I went to a store in Sauk Rapids called "Gypsy Leas". Oh.My.Gracious. This store is like heaven on earth for Tonia and I!! It is a store full of antiques, refurbished furniture, old paintings, vintage jewelry, etc. etc. I ended up buying an old dresser that was repainted to look aged, and a beautiful antique chair for our bedroom. I LOVE these pieces! The chair's fabric is a perfect match to the color of my comforter and window covering! There were so many things I wanted to buy, but I think I spent enough:) And in all honesty, I really didn't spend that much, they gave me a great discount. They are open only one weekend a month, and they never keep the items for more than two openings, so they can have a huge variety of things. Everything is very reasonably priced, and they are willing (I think at least, they did with me) to dicker a bit. And Brad was so excited that I bought these!! Har-har...All I do is say, "how often do you hunt and take hunting trips??!!!" Heehee.

Instead of the Split Pea soup today, I made a big batch of Baked Potato Soup. I found the recipe after googling Cattle Company's Baked Potato Soup. That was the BEST soup I have ever had, and I was able to find a recipe that resembles it. The only changes I made was that I baked the potatoes first in the oven, then scooped out the pulp, so it was still a bit chunky, but still creamy. Plus, this saves a lot more time doing it this way! I also just used skim milk instead of the half and half. I made a triple batch to take to the farm, and then I also made my grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches with the mayo/italian dressing sauce. It was a hit! here's the recipe:

Baked Potato Soup

35 min 10 min prep
SERVES 4 , 1 quart
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely sliced onion
2 tablespoons flour
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
1 lb baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice (2 medium)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 dash Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup half-and-half or substitute low-fat milk
Melt butter on medium heat.
Add onion and saute for 2 minutes, being careful not to brown the onions.
Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook about 5 minutes, stirring often.
Gradually add chicken broth.
Add potatoes, salt, basil, white and black pepper, Tabasco and garlic salt.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
Stir in half& half; heat through.
Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, cooked& crumbled bacon, a dollop of sour cream and finely sliced green onion.