My Mother-in-Law's Spicy Potato Soup

Yesterday was the first day it really felt like fall to me.  I turned off the AC and opened some windows (for the first time since probably March or April).  I burned my ginger spice candle all day and I put my mother in law's soup recipe in my crock-pot.  I have to say - the house smelled like fall.  Ahhh...it was cozy.  And there just so happens to be a new little kitten in the family so there was a lot of cuddling going on here - cuddling not only the kitten but also our cat and dog, you know, so they wouldn't feel left out.  

The recipe as written below isn't a crock-pot recipe but almost everything goes in the crock-pot around here.  I browned the ground beef and drained, then dumped all the ingredients in and let it cook all day.  As you know, I heart my crock-pot.  

1 lb ground beef
4 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1 small onion, chopped
3 cans (8oz) tomato sauce
4 cups water
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp hot pepper sauce

Brown ground beef, drain.  Add potatoes, onion and tomato sauce.  Stir in water, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for one hour until the potatoes are tender and soup has thickened.  Delish!