Parmesan Potato and Ham Soup

Tonight I came across an EXCELLENT potato soup recipe. We have been eating on ham the past couple of days, and I have been thinking of alternative meals to use up the ham. Last night I made lentil and ham soup which turned out pretty well. And tonight I made potato and ham soup. I am blogging the recipe before I forget it! I altered this recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com.

6 Tbsp. butter
1/2 med. yellow onion, finely diced
1/4 c. celery, finely diced
1/3 cup flour
3 c. water
1/2 tsp. season salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt
2 chicken boullion cubes
5 sm. to med. Gold potatoes, peeled and 1/4 in. diced
2 c. milk (1 c. whole, 1 c. 1%)
1 c. parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c. (or so) ham, diced

Saute celery and onions in butter. Add flour and stir for a couple minutes. Add water, seasonings, and boullion cubes. Once mixture in heated through and begins to thicken and the flour is completely dissolved, add potatoes. Cook covered for about 15 minutes over medium heat until potatoes begin to soften (stir every couple of minutes so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan). Add milk and parmesan cheese. Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes until potatoes are soft and soup is thickened. Enjoy!

I thought this soup was as good as any restaurant soup. It was very flavorful!