Best Potato Soup Ever

Ever since my friend, Michelle, brought us some of this soup right after I had Calli, I've been totally craving it. I must have made it at least 3 or 4 times since then (twice just when Mom and Dad were here). It's so easy and so yummy. Ok, it's not low fat, but at least it's healthy (mostly)...and Lana will eat it! Yes, my two year old who will rarely eat anything consistently and has been refusing potatoes for months (no, I don't think she's my kid either) loves this soup. I cook up some frozen peas for her and put them in there since she also loves peas so she gets all the food groups out of it. Here's a pic of her showing you how much she loves it:



Here's the "official" recipe:

6 Bacon strips, diced
3 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 small carrot, grated
½ cup chopped onion
1 tab dried parsley flakes
½ tsp each celery seed, salt & pepper
3 tab all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
8 oz process American cheese, shredded
2 green onions, thinly sliced

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp; drain. Add potatoes, broth, carrot, onion, parsley, celery seed, salt & pepper. Cover & simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Combine flour and milk until smooth; add to soup. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add cheese; stir until cheese is melted and the soup is heated through. Garnish with green onions if desired.

Note: When it is time to add the cheese I start with half the amount and then get the taste the way I like it. I usually have left over cheese and use it for a topping. Also, I cook my bacon and use it for a topping. Next time I will try cooking it with the potatoes like the recipe says. Enjoy!!

But you all know me - I never follow a recipe. I don't have parsley or celery seeds so I just skip that. I at least double or triple the entire recipe because I love the left overs. Here's my version:
Cook the bacon in the bottom of the soup pan. Remove and blot with towels and chop into smaller pieces. Add a little chicken broth to the bottom of the soup pan to get the good stuff up (yum). Add rest of chicken broth, potatoes, carrot gratings, onion and bacon. Simmer for at least 30-45 minutes (I like my potatoes nice and soft). Add milk and cheese. Make sure all cheese is melted. Serve with cheese and more bacon sprinkled on top (and peas for Lana). Seriously yummy and easy! (I have no idea how much milk, potatoes or chicken broth I add, but you can follow the above recipe or experiment until you get the right consistency. I've only had to add the flour once, but I use Lana's whole milk so it's pretty thick from that.)