Ham Potato Cheese Soup

I had a lot of ham leftover from Christmas so I cut up small chunks of ham and froze them to make use of them in other ways.  Found this recipe and it really tastes great on a cold winter day.  Hope you enjoy it too.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup diced cooked ham

3 1/4 cups chicken broth (or enough to cover the potatoes)

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules (I used a chicken base)

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground  black pepper, or to taste

5 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Directions

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. 

Bring to a boil, then cook 

over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

 Stir in the chicken 

bouillon, salt and pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. 

Whisk in flour with a fork, and

 cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. 

Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps 

to form until all of the milk has been added.  

Then, add the shredded cheddar and continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick for 4 minutes.

Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. 

You can either serve immediately or set aside on low covered until you're ready to eat.