Recipe: Loaded Baked Potato Soup

For pretty much the entirety of my life I have had one thought towards cooking: someone else can do it for me. I love my mom's cooking, and I love fast-food. And despite my parents efforts to get me to learn how to cook, I have always objected with the mindset of getting rich and having someone else do it for me (a girl can dream, right?). 
And then a little over a year ago I got into a relationship where my boyfriend enjoyed cooking, and was good at it, so I let him do it. And it was great. 
But with both of our busy schedules, we mostly resorted to fast-food. I've always heard people say, "I'm so sick of fast-food, I want a home-cooked meal." Me? No. Never. I could live off of that junk.
My sister/roommate was disgusted by my eating habits and always told me that's why I was constantly sick and tired. Didn't believe her. How could my fast-food betray me like that? It wouldn't.
But all of a sudden it happened: I constantly felt lethargic. And bloated. And I could not get my skin to clear up. 
SO the fast-food queen of the world unhappily decided she would do a little cooking to see if that helped matters.
And even though I almost hate to admit it, it really has been working. And I kind of love cooking and can't stop.
But my favorite part? Finding recipes online and completely switching them up and adding new things to make them my own.

Here's my recipe for loaded baked potato soup (which tasted AMAZING and is a must-try!).

Ingredients:

• 6 slices bacon, crumbled
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (yikes...I know. I used the "light" version to compensate)
• 4 cups milk
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 cup cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 pint whipping cream
• 4 red potatoes, sliced into quarters
• 1/4 cup white or yellow onions, diced
• 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 can of corn, drained (optional...I just love corn in my potato soup because my mom always added it)
• Salt & pepper (to taste)
• Chicken broth (OPTIONAL- only to thin it if you want!)

Instructions:

• Fry bacon in a large skillet and cook all the way through, until browned and crisp.
• Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add in the flour and whisk together with the butter, and then add in onions until it's a creamy mixture (1-2 min).  Then add in the milk and whipping cream and stir again, constantly, until it thickens. Once it looks thick and consistent (add more milk OR chicken broth if you want to thin it) add in the potatoes, green onions, corn, and half of your crumbled bacon.
• Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer until potatoes are cooked thoroughly. This took me about 30 min, but test them after about 20-25 min to check. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, add in the cheese, sour cream, the rest of your bacon (save a little to garnish it if you want) and salt and pepper to taste. For your desired consistency, add more milk OR use chicken broth to thin it.
• I garnished mine with a little more cheese, a couple sliced green onions, and some more pieces of bacon! 

I'd love to hear feedback on how it tastes if you try it! I loved mine! Let me know what you do differently, as well, because I love to try new things.

I'll continue to post new recipes, and a couple of past ones that worked out well!