Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.

When oil is hot (surface looks shimmery), add onion, celery, and carrots. Season with salt. Some liquid will cook out of the celery; this is normal. Cook vegetables, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the onion begins to turn translucent and the liquid has cooked off.

Add the garlic and continue cooking until the garlic begins to brown. Remove skillet from heat. Transfer vegetables to a large soup pot.

Break up ground beef into skillet. Season with salt, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Return to heat.

Scramble ground beef over medium high heat until browned.

Transfer ground beef to a large plate or bowl lined with paper towels to remove excess grease. Pat top with a paper towel. Then transfer ground beef to soup pot with onion mixture.

Add both cans of beans (drained), tomatoes (undrained), potatoes, and frozen vegetables to soup pot.

Add beef stock to soup pot. (You can also substitute water and beef bullion for stock. Use 1 cube bullion per quart of water.) Add bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce.

Bring soup to a boil over high heat, then turn heat down so that soup simmers but doesn't boil.

While soup is simmering, add chili powder and cumin. Adjust seasoning (salt, chili powder, cumin, etc.) to taste. You might need more salt than you think because the potatoes absorb quite a bit while they cook.

Let the soup simmer until the potatoes are tender and just starting to break down. (You can tell they are breaking down when the edges start to look rounded-off instead of sharp.) If you need to add water while the soup cooks, heat water to boiling in the microwave first and *carefully* add to the soup pot.

Remove bay leaves before serving.

If desired, crumble a handful of tortilla chips in the bottom of a soup bowl and ladel soup over them. Top with shredded cheese. Enjoy!