Easy Cheesy Potato Soup Made With Ingredients Already on Hand

Cold winter days make warm, thick soups a real comfort. This down home potato soup is warming and filling made with everyday ingredients that are usually already on hand. Very creamy with a rich cheesy taste that will keep 'em coming back for more.

Ingredients:

• 6 potatoes, diced
• 2 carrots, dices or sliced
• 1 rib of celery, sliced
• 1 med onion, chopped

• 1 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled, reserve the grease
• ¼ c. butter or part butter and part bacon grease from frying the bacon
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 c. milk
• 8 oz cream cheese, warmed to room temp
• salt and pepper

Method:

1. Dice the potatoes into ½ inch cubes. There's no need to be exact, they just need to be small enough to cook at about the same rate as the other vegetables.
2. Peel and slice the carrots and celery into ¼ inch slices. Carrots generally take a little longer to cook so a thinner slice will ensure that they are tender when the potatoes are cooked.
3. Remove the skin and root end from the onion. Dice into ¼ to ½ inch pieces. Any type of onion can be used but sweet onions are a particularly nice compliment to the cheese and bacon in this cheesy soup recipe.
4. Put all the vegetables in a dutch oven or 5 quart pot and add enough water to just cover the vegetables. Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer till the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. The water is just for cooking the vegetables and will be drained away later or reserve the vegetable water and use it to make a delicious loaf of homemade bean bread. You'll be helping the environment by saving water that would other wise be wasted.
5. When the vegetables are cooked, remove from heat and drain the water, reserving it to a bowl.
6. In another bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup and 2 cups of milk wisking till smooth. Add to the vegetables in the pot.
7. Add the butter and/or bacon grease
8. Return to the heat and warm the soup over medium heat.
9. Break the cream cheese into lumps and add to the soup. Breaking it up helps to melt the cheese faster.
10. Add the bacon and salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate any leftovers but don't expect there to be any. This potato soup recipe is a hit for holidays or quiet dinners at home especially when the weather is cool or special company is coming.