Potato Soup

It's getting to be my favorite time of year-- fall.  I get to wear cardigans and not feel uncomfortable, drink apple cider and do all the cheesy fall festival events at our local historical sites that I love so much.

I've featured a soup before, but I've made this twice since the temperature has gone down (yes, it's that simple and that good) and I have to share. 

I made this today for some friends for when we watched the final "Lord of the Rings" movie-- a tradition we recently started of watching famous movie trilogies.  In case you were wondering (and I know you all were), "Star Wars" is next.  We don't count the most recent films.

Easy Potato Soup

16 oz. hash brown potatoes (I've only found 32 oz. bags in the grocery store, so I take what I believe to be half from the bag and save the rest for my eventual second batch!)
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cups milk
Salt (to taste)

As I've mentioned before, I really hate onions.
So for this recipe, I do what I always do and saute the onions in a little bit of butter (usually about 2 tablespoons) in my trusty stock pot before I add the rest of the ingredients.  After the onions have softened a bit, add the potatoes, broth and water and simmer until the potatoes are nearly cooked (about 5-10 minutes).  Turn the heat down and add the milk and soups.  Simmer those until everything is heated through and add as much salt and pepper as you care for and enjoy!  This is best topped with cheese (naturally), bacon or chives-- whatever you like best.

It makes approximately 2-2 1/2 quarts of soup, or 6 bowls, depending on serving size.