This is one I have been making for many years (as you can see by the date of the article). It is so simple and sooooo goooood. Cheese-Potato Soup The Mother Earth News editors November/December 1975 Working outside all day in windy, near-zero weather can leave a person chilled through and through. A deep bath, hot enough to relax cold-clenched muscles, will help cure an individual of this condition - but only a properly heroic prescription will fill that big, icy, gap where his or her stomach should be. The following midwestern farm recipe for Cheese-Potato Soup is one such formulation that does the latter job admirably. For two moderately congealed people (or one suffering from an absolutely frightening case of the Cold Robies), peel and boil two slightly-larger-than-medium potatoes. Drain the tubers when they're done and save the liquid in which they were cooked. Then mash the potatoes well, add the water they were boiled in (and more liquid if necessary), and salt and pepper to taste. Next, brown 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of flour in 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter (by stirring the flour and butter constantly, you can turn them a rich, golden color without burning them at all). Add the browned mixture to the potatoes and water and stir the whole savory solution as you boil it together for two or three minutes. Finally, cut a good-sized chunk of longhorn or mild cheddar cheese into enough small pieces to fill a big soup bowl one-third full. Cover the cheese with the thick, bubbling potato-butter-flour ambrosia, dice a quarter slice of onion on top of each serving and sprinkle a few drops of vinegar over all. Break out the spoons and crackers and eat it hot! This simple but robust one-dish meal is guaranteed to warm you from the inside out. This post was edited by walnutcreek on Wed, Jan 23, 13 at 12:38

Well, if all that's in the soup is potatoes, onions, carrots and water, I think most the flavor is going to be added via the soup, so you'd better go for it. However, I think it's going to taste like a can of soup with some vegetables added. As long as your family likes that, it's all good. It would be faster, though, to just cook the vegetables on the stovetop and stir in the can of soup. You still have prep time for the vegetables so aren't saving anything there and it's only 20 minutes or so for the vegetables to cook. I also live "in the boonies" in Michigan, but I always basic ingredients. I learned when the kids were still at home that it's the only way to guarantee a meal when necessary, keep a well stocked pantry! Annie

We make a large pot of potato leek soup at Thanksgiving and always freeze enough to serve again at Christmas. It does look very strange when you defrost it, it is grainy and crystalline. But the trick to reconstitute it is to let it defrost in the refrigerator and then slowly bring it back to serving temperature. You can microwave it for a few minutes at a time, stirring often and starting at a low power and then gradually increasing it until it's the temp. you want. I usually put it in a pot on the stove and use my immersion blender to mix it. We don't have to thicken ours so I don't know if adding the flour to yours will make a difference.

My family used to love this one. Haven't made in years, but so yummy. Bacon Potato Cheese Soup 8 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled 1 cup chopped onion 2 cups cubed, peeled potatoes 1 cup water 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 3/4 cup milk 1 (4 oz) container sour cream 1/2 tsp salt Pepper 1 (8 oz) pkg shredded Cheddar cheese In bacon grease, saute onions for 2-3 minutes. Drain. Place onions, potatoes, and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Stir in soup, sour cream and crumbled bacon. Add milk, salt and pepper and 1/2 of the cheese. Heat to serving temperature without boiling. Sprinkle remaining cheese on individual serving bowls. Added the bacon as a topping instead of stirring it in.