Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery (i cut up 3 celery stalks)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion (i used half a onion)
3/4 cup diced cooked ham (you can cut the chunks as big as you would prefer)
3 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons of chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon pepper
5 tablespoons of butter
5 tablespoons of all purpose flour
2 cups milk (put it out so it will be at room temperature)
1/2 cup grated cheese plus more for dressing (use whatever kind you'd like, cheddar, jack, etc. i happened to have the shredded 4 blend left over in my fridge so i used that)

1. combine to potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes (depends on how small you cut the potatoes). stir in the chicken bouillon and pepper. my opinion is DO NOT ADD SALT. the chicken bouillon and ham have lots of salt in it. so i let everyone salt and pepper their soup to taste.

2. in a separate saucepan while your other ingredients are cooking, melt the butter over medium-low heat. whisk in flour with a fork or whisk, stiring constantly for 1 minute. do not let this burn - so don't let it come to a boil. i cook mine pretty low. then slowly add in the milk whisking the whole time. its important for the milk to be at room temp because it reduces the possibility of a lumpy roue. continue whisking over med-low heat for 4-5 minutes. during this 4-5 minutes add your shredded cheese - don't worry about it melting, it will fully incorporate when you add it to everything else.

3. stir the roue (milk/flour mixture) into the stockpot and mix with the whisk. this helps break up some of the potatoes which makes the soup creamier. keep on a low heat until heated through.

4. serve. have salt, pepper and shredded cheese on the table. everyone can add more to taste :)