CHUNKY POTATO SOUP

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6 c. cubed, peeled potatoes
5 c. water
2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. thinly sliced carrots
1/4 c. butter
4 t. chicken bouillon
2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
12 oz. can evaporated milk
3 T. chopped parsley
snipped chives (optional)

In a large crockpot, combine the first nine ingredients. Cover and cook on high 7-8 hours or until the veggies are tender. Add milk and parsley; mix well. Cover and cook 30-60 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with chives, if desired.

Notes: I skip the bouillon and use five cups of chicken broth instead. My crockpot cooks fast, so we eat this 5 hours after it starts cooking. We only let it sit about 5 minutes after putting the milk and parsley in as it really doesn't take long for the milk to heat up. This tastes amazingly good if you add some sliced leeks and sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme. If you use sprigs, then just pull them out at the end of cooking, as the leaves will have fallen off. Otherwise, you can use dried herbs. To make this a vegetarian dish, simply substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.