Cream of Potato and Cheddar Soup

I have a lot of catching up to do! Sometimes I am so busy I can't type these in a timely manner. But here we go, in catch up mode. Also when I get a backlog like this, sometimes I am not as funny, because it becomes about getting all the recipes up, not about being funny. So sorry about that in advance...

It does seem like I have made several variations of potato soup in the last few weeks. I don't even crazy love it, but the recipes make it sound good and easy. This was a crock pot recipe, and I put it in the crock pot on Wednesday because I had an appointment in the afternoon and I wanted to have dinner all ready when I got home. This version of potato soup is from the April/May 2012 Simple & Delicious.

Cream of Potato and Cheddar Soup
8 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large red onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth (I used 4 cups of homemade veggie broth)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup half and half
Optional toppings: salad croutons (yes), crumbled cooked bacon (yes), additional shredded cheese (yes)

Combine first seven ingredients in a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in cheese and cream. Cover and cook 30 minutes longer or until cheese is melted (mine only took like 5 minutes). Garnish each serving with toppings of your choice.

Sounds benign enough, right? Well, two out of three children reduced to tears during dinner over it. I gave Nathan a bite with just potato and broth, and he started crying, "Where's the meat???" I explained that this soup doesn't have any meat. He was not impressed. Emma didn't like it either, and also cried, although I can't remember any specific complaints. The rest of us ate it and liked it okay. I have a lot of this left over that I, obviously, cannot give to the children. Guess it will be soup, soup, and soup for Steve's lunch leftovers...