Yummy Ham, Cheddar and Potato Soup

If you like potato soup you will love this recipe. It is easy to make and delicious. I found the base recipe in a cookbook and made changes to my own liking. If you don't like ham or corn , just leave them out. The soup will still taste great!
Enjoy :-)

Ham, Cheddar and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups diced red potatoes

4 cups water

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped celery (according to how much you like celery...we love it)

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules (not the cubes!!!)

1/2 can either yellow sweet corn or white shoe peg corn (either would be delicious)

3/4 cup diced, cooked ham

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

10 tablespoons butter

10 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups milk......you can add more if you need to.

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Put the water into a stockpot. Add the diced potatoes, chicken bouillon granuals, celery, onion, ham, and corn to the water. After cooking for about 10 minutes start cooking the next part.

Now we are going to make a bechemel sauce (white sauce). This will thicken and flavor the soup. In a saucepan, melt the butter and add all of the flour. Cook the flour until it smells "nutty" (about 1 minute). Then add the milk slowly, while whisking briskly!!! If you add all the milk and it is really too thick then add more milk until it looks like thick gravy. Add the salt and pepper to the bechemel sauce. Add the bechemel sauce to the stockpot. Cook a few minutes and then add the shredded cheese. Stir until the cheese is all the way melted and serve!