Cheeseburger Soup

*Really yummy, and a great way to "hide" a bunch of veggies! I'm not that much of a measuring type of person when I am cooking soup, so I'll tell you what they say, and what I use is in parenthesis.

1/2 pound ground beef (I use a 'log' of turkey burger)
3/4 cup chopped onion (I just chop a medium onion)
3/4 cup shredded carrots (I use probably 1/2 bag of the pre-shredded carrots)
3/4 cup diced celery (About 4-5 stalks)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes (I have yet to use any of these two herbs, and it still works out great!)
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced peeled potatoes ( I u7se 4-5 SMALL potatoes. I have always pre-baked them, and then cut them up for the soup. It helps to thicken the soup, plus the potatoes fall apart in your mouth. Yum!)
1/4 cup flour
8 oz process American cheese, cubed (Small brick of Velveeta. My mom once used a whole big brick of Velveeta. It worked fine, until it cooled down and thickened right up.... it was velveeta cheese soup!...lol)
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

How they say it:
Brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same pan saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon butter until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add four; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper cook and stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

How Breezi actually does it:
Brown beef; drain it.
In a crock pot add the following: onions, celery, basil, parsley, potatoes (already baked, peeled, and diced), beef, and broth.
Mix flour and some water (making a thickener) add it to soup.
Let soup get hot enough to melt the Velveeta. Add milk, and Velveeta. Stir until melted. Salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/4 cup sour cream.
Eat whenever I'm ready to serve. :)

*When I'm feeling the need to make it extra cheesy, I'll add 1 to 1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese to it

**the soup will thicken the more that it cools down. The Velveeta acts like a thickening agent. It reheats easily and when re-heated it liquefies again. (if that doesn't make since let me know)

***also good if you add a clove or two of garlic.