By Amy Story

Amorette’s Bomb Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS

6 russets, boiled and mashed

4 Tbsp. melted butter

1 c. chicken broth or bouillon

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1/2 packet ranch mix

1/2 package of cream cheese

1 whole diced and sautéed onion

2 jalapeños, 2 heads garlic, raw and minced (put this into crockpot when crocking)

2 Tbsp. honey

A splash of soy sauce

Dried minced onion to taste

4 Falls Brand Jalapeño Cheddar Chorizos™, cook and chop up in food processor, then add to mixture

1/2-1 c. white wine

1 c. heavy whipping cream

Salt/pepper to taste

*Can be garnished with a grated sharp cheddar and /or freshly chopped parsley or cilantro.

PREPARATION

> Set oven to 400 degrees.

> Put all the ingredients in a crockpot and heat through. Make sure cream cheese is blended in.  

> Add wine and cream just before serving.

Goes absolutely great with jalapeño cream cheese cracker appetizers and slices of fresh green apples.

Note: This is a random yet tasty recipe I created, with a story behind its name. Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted a longer, more grown-up name. As a kid, I used to tell people my real name was Amanda, even though it wasn’t. When my eldest child got the name Amanda all to herself, I gave up on any aliases until decades later, when I came across a photo on social media of a gorgeous birthday cake that said, “Happy Second Birthday, Amorette!” And suddenly I wanted an alias once more. Those nearest and dearest have taken to calling me “Amorette” as a term of endearment, which I willingly accept.

“I think you have a good imagination and just like to make stuff up,” is what my late father-in-law, Jim Whipple, would’ve said to me about this. Guilty. I’m the same way in the kitchen.

Why would honey belong in soup? Because, as Chef Brian Garrett of Saint Lawrence Gridiron in Boise once told me, “You have to hit all the notes to have a hit.” Sweet, spicy, sour, the mild “umami”  or savory note of the potatoes, and the slightly bitter tone of a parsley garnish mean that pretty much all flavors are addressed in this dish.

Cheerful Cheesy Bread

INGREDIENTS

One loaf French bread, cut into 1-in. slices

1/2 stick butter

1/2 c. sour cream

1/3 c. olive oil

1/3 c. dried minced onion

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. granulated chicken bouillon

1/2 c. grated Parmesan

Pinch of cayenne

Pinch of black pepper

*You may want to top with more cheese of your choice before broiling.

PREPARATION

> Mix all ingredients, spread onto bread slices, place on pan in oven on broil until bread is crispy on sides and golden brown on top.

Note: It’s been said before and it’s still true: the VonFreter girls’ love of cheese is literally in our blood. Our grandfather, Erich, was a cheese-maker who once owned a Bavarian deli in New York City. The five of us would clamor for fromage any time a brick could be found in the fridge. So much so that our mother had to create cheese rations, dividing the bricks into portions in plastic baggies with our first initials of L, A, H, V, and M. Many a time as a cheese-hungry child I contemplated how simple it would be to turn an H into an A, yet dared not make the attempt. Once I had my own place, among the first things I purchased was an enormous brick of extra-sharp cheddar.