A GEEK DADDY: ENJOY A RELAXING STEAKHOUSE DINING EXPERIENCE FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME

I have partnered with Life of Dad and Idahoan® Foods for this campaign. Opinions expressed are my own.

The dining room is literally the center of my family's universe. Not only is the room located smack in the middle of our home but the dinner table sitting inside it is the focal point for a large number of family activities. The kids do their homework at that table. My wife works from home some days on a laptop she leaves on it. I sort through the mail and make arrangements to pay our household bills while sitting there. It is a place where my son loves to draw and my daughter has tea parties with her dolls. Of course it is also where we sit down to have our family meals together.

Unfortunately meals, which should be one of the most important and pleasant times for families to spend together, have a tendency not to be very enjoyable at our house because of all the clutter that accumulates on our dinner table from all the activities revolving around it. Comparing our current situation to eating out at fine dining establishments which are calm and relaxing places to be, I thought to myself wouldn't it be nice to replicate that experience in my own home? I must not be alone in having a messy dinner table because a recent survey found that 79% of Americans, including 92% of parents, wish it were easier to recreate a steakhouse experience at home. With some inspiration from Idahoan® Premium Steakhouse ® Potato Soups, I decided to do just that!

Math practice sheets, library books, drawings, pencils, crayons, toys, games and anything else that had nothing to do with eating dinner were taken away. Then we laid out some nice table settings to provide a steakhouse vibe. Placemats, real glassware, polished silver utensils, and china, plus a candle to set the mood, provided a steakhouse decor without having to leave the comfort of our home. Now that the mood had been set what entree should be served?

With hectic work schedules, homework assignments, and extracurricular activities for the kids like soccer and swimming who has time to prepare and cook a great steakhouse style meal? Fortunately, Idahoan ® Foods can help busy parents provide affordable and convenient family meals at home that taste comparable to something that can be ordered from a steakhouse. With four flavors of Idahoan ® Premium Steakhouse® Potato Soup to choose from there is something to satisfy everyone at your dinner table...even young picky eaters like my 8 year old twins. These soups are quick and easy to make -- plus I can honestly say they really are delicious! Simply by adding water and doing some stirring and whisking within a few minutes you'll be enjoying a flavorful, slow-cooked taste of restaurant-quality potato soup made in your very own kitchen!

Unlike other dry soups that take more than fifteen minutes to prepare, with Idahoan® Premium Steakhouse® Potato Soups you are done within 5 minutes and it is ready to serve. Made from real Idaho® red potatoes and red potato skins these soups from Idahoan® Foods include Creamy Potato, Loaded Potato, Cheddar Broccoli and Three Cheese Chipotle. For the price of a cup of soup ordered from a steakhouse you can actually feed a family of four with just one of these diy packages from a grocery store. Cost efficient, easy to make and tastes great -- Idahoan® Premium Steakhouse® Potato Soups are perfect for a family meal on a cold Michigan winter day.

I'm not kidding Idahoan® Premium Steakhouse® Potato Soups really do taste as good as something you'd order at a restaurant. I give them A Geek Daddy nod of approval for being delicious! In fact, we had enough left over from the samples Idahoan® Foods sent us that for next few days I only ate meals that included this soup in them because it was that good.

Here are some examples of how you can enjoy Idahoan® Premium Steakhouse® Potato Soups in a variety of ways throughout your day:

In the morning pour the Loaded Potato soup over buttermilk biscuits instead of gravy or roll up Three Cheese Chipotle inside a pancake to make a breakfast burrito. Cheddar Broccoli also tastes great mixed in as an ingredient for an omelette.

Fill a casserole dish with ground sirloin, mix in some diced carrots and cover with Three Cheese Chipotle to bake a zesty Shepard Pie for dinner. Make yourself some tasty potato gumbo with the Three Cheese Chipotle to provide some Mardi Gras flair to your evening meal by mixing in some shrimp and spicy sausage to the soup. Meat & Potato Stew Shooters with are also nice for dinner and you can find a recipe for them on the website for Idahoan® Premium Steakhouse® Potato Soups.

And on a chilly day you can't beat just a simple bowl of Idahoan® Premium Steakhouse® Cheddar Broccoli soup with oyster crackers in it! Take my advice on these suggestions because whether it is creating a fine dining experience or making the best of left-overs I am the #KingofSoup!