Cooking Up Flava

Me & Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr., at Blogalicious

This weekend was our family's annual Soup & Salad dinner. Each year one aunt makes chili, and my mother makes her chicken ala-king. We can always count on the hosting aunt to make her bread pudding for dessert, and her sister can not show up without her broccoli bread.

My cousin and I always make a different soup every year. We're more adventurous when it comes to food. 

One of my favorite swag items from Blogalicious was a cookbook. Not any cookbook, Food Network star, Chef Aaron McCargo Jr., of  "Big Daddy's House," first cookbook, 'Simply Done, Well Done.'

Excited, I thoroughly went through the pages, one by one. His Loaded Baked Potato Soup recipe, jumped out at me. Immediately I knew it would be my soup for this year's gathering! 

I tweeted about making the soup, and the Twittersation went as follows...

latonyarich: Going to make @ChefMcCargo's loaded baked potato soup for the family #SoupandSalad dinner tomorrow. So excited!

kathysykes: @latonyarich @ChefMcCargo I am making the loaded baked potato soup for Christmas Eve dinner!

latonyarich: @kathysykes My @ChefMcCargo loaded baked potato soup is delish!!! I'm just tasting, and haven't put cheese or scallions in yet.

ChefMcCargo: @latonyarich glad you diggin my flava! Just had some last week tried to take it on plane but didn't want to risk the guards taking it.

He was so right, that soup was so full of flava! It tasted like I stood over the stove, stirring for hours. It was delicious! It has become one of my new comfort favorites.

The first week in December, I'm spending a full week at Big Daddy's House. Not really... The plan is to cook from Chef McCargo's cookbook one full week, blog and vlog about it. Similar to Julie and Julia the blog, and movie. I'm so looking forward to it! 

I've watched Chef McCargo, since he won The Next Food Network Star, and was so excited to meet him. And he autographed my book! 

For more about Chef McCargo, and Aunt Jemima at Blogalicious, read my MyBlogalicious post.