Potato Cheese Soup

I love, love, love fall weather, especially after a crazy-hot summer. And there is nothing I love cooking on a cool day more than soup. This one comes from my mother in law, and it's one of Matt's favorites. He introduced me to this yummy recipe many, many moons ago when we had only been dating a few months. I was finishing my senior year at Georgia Southern and he was making the 3 1/2 hour trip from Atlanta to Statesboro a couple of times a week (smitten fool!). One night he decided to cook dinner for me. He called his mama to get this recipe, and whipped it up in the tiny kitchen of my apartment in this ramshackle old house. It was delicious, and I've been cooking it ever since!!

Serves: 6-8
Difficulty: easy

Ingredients

2 stalks celery, diced
1 med. onion, diced
1 Tbs. butter
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, diced
3 c. water
5 chicken bullion cubes
3/4 tsp. seasoning salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary, crushed (crushing it is optional, but recommended. I use a mortar and pestle)
pinch of garlic powder
dash pepper
2 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheddar (sharp or mild)

In a large sauce pot or medium stock pot, saute' celery and onion in butter until soft. Add potatoes, carrots, water, bullion cubes, and seasonings. Cover and simmer 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and mash vegetables with a potato masher. Return to heat and add milk and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.