Ok, here is my soup of the week. I am getting later and later each week, but the week isn’t over yet. As the saying goes…better late than never. I haven’t made ham chowder in ages. It’s more delicious than I remembered. Let’s get the ball rolling……it’s getting close to supper time.      How about a nice bowl full of soup to warm your innards?! We had a very “frigid” start this morning, so as soon as I got in the house after chores………I rustled up  this delicious soup.

5 cup water

5 cup diced potatoes

1/2 cup chopped onions

1  1/4 cup diced carrots

1  1/4 cup diced celery

1/2 tsp. pepper

2  1/2 tsp. salt

2  1/2 cup cubed ham

Boil the above ingredients together until vegetables are tender. Hold the ham until the vegetables are done cooking and then add it last. I use pre-cooked ham and I don’t want to over cook it and have dry ham. Meanwhile, prepare white sauce.

      In medium saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Add 2/3 cup flour and stir until smooth. Allow to brown slightly. Slowly add 5 cups milk and stir until sauce thickens. Add white sauce to undrained vegetables. At this point I turn the burner off and dump all the “awesome cheese” in the pot. Add about 5 cups grated cheese. I like to use colby, but cheddar works great too. Shhh……I have also used velveeta.       Oh yea…..this is what I’m talkin’ about. Cover with a lid and allow it to melt slowly, on its own.    Now, while you wait for the cheese to melt……..eat yourself a cute little cupcake or two. Rinse it down with some coffee or milk. This will give us a quick little burst of energy to finish our work. Ok, back to the soup………….give it a good stir before serving. And by all means, eat two bowls if your heart so desires…………it’s delicious!!     There you have it…..a nice, big pot of soup. In fact, I’m going to go eat a bowl full before I head out the door to do evening chores. Brrrr…….it’s “chilly” outside today………………………..Carol