Ham and Cheese Soup

What a whirlwind life has been, last week I was in Florida for work, often working 15 hour days, but at least I ate very well.  We lucked out and the hurricane never hit us which was good for our conference but I personally wanted to experience one.  It was also amazing seeing one of my best friends and catching up, I sure do miss having her around.  I got back to PDX on Friday and my boyfriend was waiting for me with a dozen roses which was so so sweet and it was very nice to have labor day weekend to catch up on my sleep.  Sunday was pickle fest 2015 with my mom and aunt (pictured below), and we made 55 pounds!  My sauerkraut also just finished up and I have a bunch of fresh kraut to eat up before we leave for Europe.  Speaking of Europe we are now down to 9 days away and for some reason I still can't believe we are going.  I am SO excited!  I will try and get as many posts in as I can before we leave but you know I will have tons to write about when we get back.  I don't think I could make a dish more American than this, and with that said it was super delicious.  I adapted this recipe, enjoy!

Serves 4-5

The Ingredients
2 cups diced yellow potatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 can peas
Plain yogurt for garnish


The Process
1.  In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, broth, and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender.

2.  Meanwhile, in another saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add the milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Stir into undrained potato mixture. Add ham and peas; heat through. Serve with a large dollop of plain yogurt.