Cheddar-Potato-Corn Soup

Once again I had potatoes that needed to be used.  I don't know why but I find potatoes to be some of the hardest ingredients to use.  So I decided to make another soup.  And this one turned out great.

I don't normally have bacon and cheese around but I decided to splurge a little on dinner.  Jeremy's currently on his second bowl... so I think this one was a winner.  And with so many veggies in it, it's not too bad for us.

Jeremy baked a loaf of bread to go with this.  We had a whole wheat herb bread made with parsley, thyme, and oregano.  It was great with the soup.  I topped the soup with the bacon I cooked at first and minced scallion.  It wasn't an overly thick, creamy soup.  But I didn't want to add too much more cheese.  I could have blended a little of the soup to make it creamier but I decided that I wouldn't make Jeremy clean the blender tonight.

I started the bacon in the pan while I chopped the veggies.  Then I was just about finished with the veggies when the bacon was cooked.  I peeled and chopped the potatoes while the veggies were softening.  All together it was a really easy soup to make and there's really only one pot to clean.  I have a very happy dishwasher.

Recipe:
5 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2" pieces
3 stalks celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
6 small to medium white potatoes, diced (about 2 1/2 c. when diced)
1 lb. frozen corn kernels
4 c. chicken stock
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 tbs. parsley flakes
2 bay leaves
black pepper to taste
1/3 c. skim milk

5 oz. sharp white cheddar, grated

1 scallion, minced (optional)

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add bacon and cook 5-7 minutes until crisp.  Remove bacon with a slotted spoon.  Reserve on a plate covered with a paper towel.
2. Add celery, onion, carrots, and bell pepper.  (Yes, it cooks in bacon fat... it's yummy.)  Cook for 5-7 minutes until veggies begin to soften.
3. Add potatoes, corn, chicken stock, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves.  Simmer for 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender.
4. Reduce heat to low.  Add milk.  Add cheddar in small hand-fulls making sure the previous amount is fully melted before adding the next.
5. Add black pepper to taste.  Serve topped with the reserved bacon and minced scallion.