• In pan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove with slotted spoon and reserve for later.
• Add diced onion to bacon drippings and cook until it becomes translucent, 6-7 minutes.
• Add garlic (chopped or with garlic press) and cook another 30 seconds. Add pinch of salt and pepper.
• Add the diced celery and carrots and cook another 5 minutes.
• Transfer everything from the pan to crock pot.
  

• diced potatoes
• 32 oz chicken stock
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp dried parsley

• Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
• Whisk together flour and milk.
• Pour this mixture into crock pot along with the can of evaporated milk and stir.
• Cook another hour.
• At the end add the cheese and reserved bacon and stir to incorporate.
• When reheating, you can add milk to thin if needed.
  

Some Tips

• Too chunky for a sore throat? Mash the veggies with a potato masher before serving.
• Still tastes bland to you? Add more seasoning or spice it up with some red pepper flakes.
• Don't have a crock pot? Instead of transferring to the crock pot, put everything into a dutch oven or big soup pot and simmer about 3 hours. Add the milks, flour and cheese at the end the same way.