Stacy’s Notes:  I originally found a recipe at AllRecipes.com many years ago, and have been making a lot of changes to it. The recipe above is the original one, but I incorporate a lot of changes based on my preferences and what I usually have on hand.

• I omit the celery
• I saute the onion first in my soup pot and then at the end, add some minced garlic
• If I have carrots on hand, I shred some and saute with the onion
• I have added corn as well, but usually leave it out
• You can used canned chicken broth as opposed to the bouillon cube & water. I usually make up broth from refrigerated Better Than Bouillon chicken concentrate (I always have this in my fridge)
• The recipe calls for 1 cup of broth, but I always use 2
• For the seasonings, in addition to dried parsley, I always use dried thyme, some salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Sometimes I add some white pepper and I almost always add a dash of ground chipotle powder at the end.
• I usually mix whole milk or half and half with the flour, although I have used a low fat (or even canned evaporated milk) before.  With milk with less fat, the soup will be thinner.  Using heavy cream, half and half or even whole milk, it will be thicker and creamier.
• I always try to shred my own cheese from a block as opposed to using bagged, preshredded cheese. I usually use cheddar (1 1/2 to 2 cups), but I have also used colby jack and it’s good too
• I would eat the potato soup without meat, but Tim prefers meat. I usually use diced ham from a bag (like from Walmart), or I brown up 1/2 to 1 pound of hamburger meat on the stove and season it well (usually with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and sometimes some steak seasoning).  We like it both ways.
• You can garnish with things like bacon, diced green onions, even sour cream and more cheese, whatever you like and have on hand.

Enjoy!