Ingredients

• 3 Carrot Sticks (Peeled and sliced paper thin)
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• Course Salt
• Olive oil

Instructions

1. I used 3 carrots or however many you want peeled and sliced paper thin. This is when a mandolin slicer comes in handy but if you don’t have one use a peeler. Just make long stokes with it for long chips.

2. Place on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and coarse sea salt over them.
3. Spray with olive oil lightly and mix well.
4. Layout in single layer again and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them as they burn in a few seconds because they are so thin. Let cool and enjoy! I served these over the soup below and it was a big hit.

5. Let cool and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 strips thick pepper bacon cut into small pieces
• 1 small diced onion
• 2 stalks diced celery (don’t forget the leaves have lots of flavor so cut them up and add them to your soup)
• 4 med carrots diced
• 3 med red potatoes peeled and diced
• 2 small yellow potatoes peeled and diced
• 1 large baking potato peeled and diced (this will help thicken your soup without having to use flour)
• 2 pieces of deli ham chopped (just because I had it)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped (or microplaned) garlic
• ¼ teaspoon celery salt
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups 2% milk or you can substitute low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 8 oz shredded cheddar jack cheese

Instructions

1. In pot render bacon until crisp. Remove and drain all but 1 – 2 tablespoons of the fat.
2. Add the onion, celery, carrots and potatoes to the pot. Cook over medium heat just until the potatoes are lightly browned.
3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
4. Add the remaining ingredients except for the cheese and bacon and let cook on low heat until the potatoes and carrots are tender. About 1 hour should be enough time depending on how small you chopped them.
5. Remove from heat and add the cheese, stir to melt.
6. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Put into a bowl and top with the bacon and carrot chips. You could also add more cheese to the bowl if you wanted to.