Potato Soup

This is a standby recipe for me...I always have the ingredients on hand, it's fast and easy, and my kids love it.  My grandmother and mother always made potato soup.  I still want it when I'm not feeling well.  I've added a few ingredients to it.  People always ask me for the recipe when I make it, so I thought I'd post it here.  I'll do the best I can with measurements...I don't really measure anything when I make this, so you may have to play with the amounts a little.

Ingredients:
6 medium sized potatoes
milk  (1-2 cups depending on how thick you want the soup)
1-2 Tbsp butter
chives (fresh are the best, dried work too...I have no idea on the amount...roughly 1/4 c. of fresh or 1 Tbsp dried)
bacon (you can use bacon bits also...2-3 slices crumbled, or a couple of Tbsp of bacon bits)
shredded cheddar cheese (about a cup)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel and slice potatoes
2. boil potatoes until tender, but not mushy
3. Drain off about 1/2 the water
4. Mash about 1/2 of the potatoes, this makes the soup thick and creamy and not watery
5. Add milk, butter, chives and bacon, cheese, salt and pepper.
6.  Cook and stir until soup is warm and cheese is melted
Adjust the amount of milk to how thick you want the soup.

This soup takes more salt than you think to taste just right...the potatoes absorb a lot of the salt.  (I never said it was healthy!)

It's really good with saltine crackers or garlic cheese biscuits.