Ham and Potato Soup

I am home from work today with a very sick boy.  He has the flu.  Why, oh why didn't I get him a flu shot?  The hour drive and having to take a day off from work seem like such ridiculous excuses now.  Lesson learned!  Next year he will definitely get the flu shot!

Since I am home, I want to make sure the family has a nice warm meal to come home to.  It is a very frigid Tuesday here.  I believe it is our coldest day yet this winter.  We have some ham left over from dinner yesterday.  I intend to put that to use again in this soup and maybe I will even make some ham salad sandwiches tomorrow.  I know that ham three days in a row seems a bit much but remember, I am trying hard to keep our food budget at $250 per month.  AND this will be ham - three very different ways.  Here is the recipe -

Ham and Potato Soup
1/3 cup of diced celery
1/3 cup of chopped onions
3/4 cup of diced, cooked ham
3 1/2 cups of peeled, diced potatoes
3 1/4 cup water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
5 tablespoons of butter
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups milk

1.  Add celery, onion, ham, potatoes, and water to a stockpot.  Bring to a boil and then cook until potatoes are tender.  This usually takes about 15 minutes.  Stir in the chicken bouillon cubes, salt, and pepper.
2.  In a small saucepan make a rue by melting the butter and then whisk in the flour.  Cook, stirring constantly, until thick which is about 1 minute.  Add the milk slowly and continue stirring until thick. This usually takes about 5 minutes.
3.  Pour the milk mixture into the stockpot, stir, and cook the soup until heated.