This Is Not A Recipe- Potato Soup

Stuck in the house and want a pot of soup? Just don't have time or living out of your pantry or freezer?

I always keep a bag of the southern style hash brown potatoes in my freezer, and a jar of chicken base in the refrigerator. This is what I do if I need something in 20 minutes for my teenage sons.

Put the potatoes in a stock pot; cover with just enough water to cook them, and keep track of how many cups you use. Add a teaspoon of base for every cup of water you used. Add some pepper, maybe 1/2 a teaspoon of dried minced onion, bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Taste and add enough salt to taste (don't do it before you taste, some of the bases are salty enough.) Turn off the heat, add about a cup of cheddar cheese (or whatever you have on hand) and stir, put a lid on it and wait about 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Homemade potato soup is wonderful; but don't let that keep you from throwing this together for a quick meal. With a piece of crusty bread, it's warm and filling. And it's ready in the time it would take you to order pizza, or go through the drive-thru. If you don't use chicken base, you can use chicken bullion, or canned chicken broth - I have to say, I probably don't use my good chicken stock in the freezer for this, I save that for my 'from scratch' foods. This is what my grandmother would affectionately call 'speed scratch.'

Enjoy!