Cool weather, falling leaves, and a big pot of soup...

Fall is far and away my favorite season. I hate snow, well I really just hate icy roads and cabin-fever. Springtime means allergies and putting away my favorite sweaters and jackets. And I'm most likely of some Nordic decent, so I don't do well in the summer heat (even in the somewhat mild yet humid east coast). So fall takes the cake. I've loved it since I was a child because fall meant going back to school. And, yes, I was one of those kids that loved going to school. Fall meant new school books, clean notebooks, sharp pencils, a new outfit, and a fresh start. Now that I'm older it means all these things, but in a different way. To me, fall is the time of year when you buckle down and prepare for winter. It's when you shrug off the excess luxuries of summer and focus in on what needs to get done.

It's also the time of year when I want to get cozy. And, the quickest way to do this is by making a big pot of soup. I have some favorite recipes, but usually I make what my mom refers to as "dump" soup, meaning that you take whatever you have and dump it in a pot. I would now like to share with you my latest dump soup attempt, which turned out to be quite excellent.

Creamy Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheddar

1. Brown a package of bacon in a pan. If you have a nice heavy stock pot or dutch oven, use that and then use the same pot to make your soup. If not, brown the bacon in a separate skillet or in the oven. Set aside and chop when cooled.
2. Brown half an onion in the bacon fat. Mmmm. Bacon fat. This recipe is entirely based on my desire to eat bacon and bacon fat. Delicious. I didn't drain the bacon fat from the pan after this step, and my soup ended up super oily, yet delicious. Whether you want to drain the fat at this point is entirely up to you. Drain it and get a clean soup. Keep it and get oily awesomeness. If you do drain it, keep it in a separate container so you can use it for other recipes (frying an egg the following morning perhaps?).
3. To the onion add diced potatoes, carrots and celery (as much as you want or have on hand).
4. Pour in a box of broth (I used veggie broth because I like the taste of it).
5. Allow everything to come to a simmer and cook till the veggies are tender (20-30 minutes).
6. Add about 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar), and bacon bits.
7. Stir to combine and enjoy!

What I was going for was a classic creamy potato soup, but I think I did better than I expected. The soup isn't thick like the canned cream soups, but it has all the flavors you want and more with the extra veggies. You could easily add any other veggies you had on hand that need to be used up.

I would make this again any time the weather is cool and I need to warm up. Stay cozy friends!