And for tonights dinner a new recipe... Creamy Ham and Potato Soup

I've never made soup from scratch before so I wasn't sure what I was in for. It was a long process but it was worth the effort. Nothing in a can can come close to this awesome home cooked soup. 

Most of the ham and potato soup recipe's I looked at called for chicken broth? That just sounded all wrong... I was looking for ham and potato soup, Not ham potato and chicken soup. So I read through a bunch of recipe's and came up with a plan for my own concoction.

Instead of using chicken broth I decided to make a ham stock, the reason I was making the soup in the first place was to use up the rest of the Leftover ham from the night before anyway. 

I also like a hearty soup and found most recipe's where light on ham and veggies. I had to do a little guess work here and I think it worked out well, with a good balance of each. 

This made a delicious creamy soup, that was hearty and filling. Perfect Dinner for a cool fall day.

Ham Stock

1. Cut any usable meat and loose excess fat from the bone.
2. In a stock pot add bone to 2 quarts of water, bring to a boil skimming off foam.
3. Add 1 quartered onion, 1 large carrot and 2 stalks of celery roughly chopped, 1 whole crushed garlic, 1 bay leaf, and parsley, oregano, thyme to taste. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 2 hours.
4. Let cool slightly and strain for use. Makes approximately 3 ½ cups stock.

Creamy Ham and Potato Soup

3 ½ Cups Potatoes

1/3 Cup Diced Celery

1 Diced Onion

½ Cup Thinly Sliced Carrot

½ Cup Corn

½ Cup Peas

2 Cups Diced Ham

3 ½ Cups Ham Stock (recipe above)

5 Tablespoons Butter

5 Tablespoons Flour

2 Cups Milk

Salt and Pepper

1. In a stock pot add the 3 ½ cups ham stock, carrots, celery and onions, bring to boil then reduce heat and let simmer.
2. In a separate pot add 3 ½ cups chopped potatoes and 2 quarts water, bring to boil and cook until potatoes are tender.
3. Strain potatoes and add to stock pot once the carrots are tender. Add peas, corn, and diced ham, continue to simmer.
4. In a Saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour careful not to let butter burn stir until thickens.
5. Stir milk in slowly so lumps don't form, continue stirring until sauce thickens (about 4-5 minutes)
6. Stir creamy sauce mixture into simmering stock pot and continue simmering for 15 minutes or until soup is desired thickness.
7. Serve topped with cheddar cheese :)

and some music...