Eats and Thingies: "The Soup"

This is absolutely the best soup! Thanks to Miss Pam for sharing her recipe with me so many years ago <3

The "Soup"

3 slices of bacon

2 onions chopped(2cups)

2 medium carrots sliced

2 cups chicken broth

2 medium potatoes cubed(1&1/2cups)

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 cup half and half

1 Tbs. minced parsley

2 Tbs. butter*

1/2 cup white wine*

1 # fish or seafood

Cut up slices of bacon and fry till extra crispy, set aside bacon and reserve fat in the pot(I drain off all but about 2tsp). Sauté onions and carrots in fat until onions are soft and translucent. Add chicken broth, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme and pepper. Cook till taters and carrots are tender. Okay here's the part you add the fish if you are using fish, cook till the fish is tender and flaky.(I don't use fish but I add only the crab meat at this point and let it cook for a bit.) Stir in half and half, and white wine(if you are using, I've not added it in many years). DO NOT LET IT BOIL!!!!!! After you add the half and half make sure it doesn't boil or you'll have a curdled soup(still edible just doesn't look so good), but you want it to get really hot so you have to keep an eye on it, this is the thickening stage. You know your soup is thick enough when it coats the back of the spoon. Usually in my house the thickening stage doesn't ever complete its process unless I make it when everyone is asleep!! This is a soup that takes its time, but my circus crew can't ever wait and beg me to just add the last ingredients of butter(I haven't been adding because of gallbladder issues with a family member), parsley, and seafood(usually shrimp and lobster) so they can gobble it down. I put the shrimp and lobster in last because we hate tough shrimps, but if you don't mind them or are skeerd of some kinda seafood poisoning I guess you should add them when you add the fish and crab meat. Serve with bacon bits crumbled on top and a slice of toasted sourdough.