Cold Weather = SOUP!

We finally got some sorta brisk temperatures here in South East Texas, so I made soup.
Yuuuummm.
I love soup.
Soup is also cheap and filling and nutritious, as long as you make it yourself and don't buy that heat and serve garbage they sell in cans!

I am about to disclose oone of my most cherished secret recipes.
I have never shared it before and seeing as there are no future daughter-in-laws on the horizon (Hello, boys? This is Mom...GET MARRIED AND PRODUCE SOME GRANDCHILDREN!!!),
so I decided to go ahead and post it here.
I fed 10 people with the batch of soup I made the other night. The soup cost me under 10 bucks for the whole batch!

Lets get started...
5 pounds of potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick (leave skins on! wash well!)
1 LARGE yellow onion, sliced thin
1 stick of butter
chicken stock (or use bouillon cubes dissolved in water) About 4 to 6 cups
milk (2 cups)
heavy cream (about 1 cup)
flour and more butter (to make roux, you'll need about 1/2 cup roux total)
garlic (3 cloves, minced fine)
salt pepper
Italian seasoning (2 tablespoons)
croutons
crumbled bacon
grated sharp cheddar cheese

Cook potatoes in chicken stock, caramelize onions in melted stick of butter, add onions and melted butter to potatoes and chicken stock. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Add minced garlic, salt & pepper to taste, and Italian seasoning, cover. Make roux from 1/2 stick butter and 1/2 cup flour, whisk in milk until you have a thick sauce, about 1 1/2-2 cups milk...add to potatoes and stock, uncover and stir . Let soup thicken. 10 minutes before serving, add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup heavy cream. Stir in gently. Let come back to simmer.
You can also make this in a crock pot. Just caramelize the onions before you add them to the crock pot.
To serve:
Ladle soup in bowl, add croutons, crumbled bacon and grated cheese on top.

Now, my other favorite soup is Beef and Barley. I usually serve that with a nice slice of French bread that I have put a slice of cheddar cheese on and stuck under the broiler until all melty....*drooool*
Beef and barley soup is also inexpensive to make...and will fill you up and make you feel all warm and cozy inside!