Goodbye Washington, Hello Idaho!

We arrived safely on the Spokane River, connected to the large and beautiful lake  Coeur D'Alene .The lake is surrounded with $1 - 3M dollar properties.  We spent a good day driving over Snowqualmie Pass, through the Yakima Valley and  pulled in to our 'lake view spot' in time for supper (for a much lower daily rate than the lake properties!).  We had magnificant views of Mount Spokane capped in heavy snow.  We have signed up for two nights, but may stay longer.  We have so much to explore in this  charming town on the lake and we need to recover from these colds and cough. It may be a trip to Urgent Care for Gil tomorrow:-(

We spent the day hacking, blowing and lobbing Kleenex into the trash bag on the door handle.  We also caught up with friends by phone and enjoyed the warmth and sunshine of Eastern Washington and Idaho. 

Since Idaho is the potato capital of the world, the lady at the Blackwell Island RV Resort registration office said this recipe is the BEST so I am sharing it with you!   They rent pontoons on this lake for $300 a day....wow...we'll skip that!  Our Bass Buggy at home is worthy of these prices too! LOL!

Idaho Baked Potato Soup

2/3 Cup butter or margarine
2/3 Cup all purpose flour
7 Cups milk
4 large baking potatoes, baked, peeled and cubed (about 4 Cups)
4 green onions, sliced
12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 1/4 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup sour cream (8 oz)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Melt butter in large Dutch oven, stir in flour, heat and stir until smooth.  Gradually add milk, stirring until thickened.  Add potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, stir until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.

 Enjoy!