MY POTATO SOUP

This my best soup. You can never go wrong with it when you need simple nourishment for yourself or if you need to take something warm and filling to a grieving family that has lost a loved one. Be sure and serve with a cake of my Mama Joe's Cornbread.

10 or 12 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large sweet onion, peeled and diced
2 to 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 or 4 large stalks of celery, diced
8 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 (15oz.) cans chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 large can evaporated milk
3 Tbsp. flour
fresh or dried parsley, chopped

Place potatoes, onions, carrots and celery in your largest soup pot. Add the chicken bouillon cubes or the stock. Add enough water to cover potatoes well. Salt and pepper to taste. (I use 1 Tbsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper)
Cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Lower heat to medium low and mash vegetables with a potato masher. Place the flour in a small bowl and add about 1/2 cup of the evaporated milk to it using a wire whisk. Whisk until smooth then add a ladle of the hot soup and whisk well again. Add this back to the pot and stir well to blend. Simmer for a few minutes until soup begins to thicken. Slowly add remaining evaporated milk, a little at a time, until all is used. Add a tablespoon or two of the parsley. Serve with cornbread.

“When I was a young man, I had a mentor on women and he said when you meet a woman that you think you like, don't ask her for a drink. Take her out for a bowl of soup. Because a woman who can enjoy a bowl of soup is bound to be more interesting.”