Mom's Potato Soup

This recipe comes to me from my mom, and to her from her mom...It is one of my favorite soups and I will eat and eat the leftovers until It's gone, hungry or not! The recipe for the bread has also been passed down...you can find that recipe here. This is serious comfort food for me!

Ingredients:

• 2 ribs celery with some leaves, chopped small
  
• 2 large carrots, chopped small
• 1 large onion, chopped small
• 4 - 5 pounds potatoes, chopped into 1 inch. squares
• 6 - 8 Tbs. butter
• 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 cup meat, cooked or raw, if desired *
  
• salt & pepper to taste
  

Method:

Sautee celery, carrots, and onion in a little butter or oil with some salt and pepper till tender crisp. Add potatoes and just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, cook until potatoes are tender crisp, adding salt & pepper to taste. At this point, add 6 - 8 Tbs. butter and bring to a boil. Add the evaporated milk, cook until potatoes are soft and gently mash, just to thicken, but soup is still lumpy. Adjust salt & pepper.

* If you are using meat, add the cooked meat along with the 6 - 8 Tbs. butter, if using raw, add to pan when you add the potatoes...keeping meat chopped small.

~ My mother said to me, “If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.” Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso - Pablo Picasso ~