Cream Cheese Potato Soup

It was a cold, rainy day here in TX. Perfect soup weather. I have torn out a bazillion potato soup recipes, looking for the perfect one. This soup turned out nothing like I was expecting. It is not a cheesy, thick, hearty potato soup--definitely different than the bacon/cheddar cheese/potato soup I am used to--but definitely good in it's own right. The key ingredient is the dill weed. I love dill--it reminds me of the summer we spent in Finland....every day we would walk down to the produce market at the marina and you could smell the fresh dill at every produce stand. People would buy huge armfuls of fresh cut dill (like a massive bouquet of flowers) and use it generously in a lot of Finnnish dishes. Marc commented on how good the dill was in it, too--maybe that's why we liked it so much.
The other great thing about the soup is that it is SUPER easy to throw together....seriously. Because the potatoes are just frozen hashbrowns, there is no peeling & dicing of potatoes or any other prep work involved. I even bought a bag of cubed ham in the deli dept and just threw it in. Nice.
But because this was not a thick, hearty soup, I made grilled sandwiches and a green salad to go with it. A great meal on this cold day.

Cream Cheese Potato Soup
(Quick Cooking, Nov/Dec 2003)

6 cups water
6 boullion cubes (OR 7 tsp. chicken boullion granules)
2 pkgs. cream cheese (I used fat-free and it turned out fine)
1 pkg. (30 oz) frozen cubed hashbrown potatoes, thawed (I didn't thaw mine)
1/2 c. chopped onion
**note: I used OreIda hashbrowns that had onion and peppers already chopped up in it, so I omitted the 1/2 c. onion
1 1/2 c. fully cooked ham, cubed
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dill weed

In a large pot, combine the water and boullion. Then add the cream cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for 18-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
About 12 servings.