Soup Showdown Recipe: Vickie's Golden Cheese Chowder

For our Souper Bowl Showdown for Super Bowl Sunday, try this Golden Cheese Chowder recipe from Vickie, one of our Facebook friends! I tried it and thought it was really good. I used 1/2 white cheddar and 1/2 sharp cheddar for the cheese and added a little goat cheese (I had some in the fridge so I used it up) but I think any cheese combination would taste pretty good. Try it and let us know what you think!

VICKIE'S GOLDEN CHEESE CHOWDER

3/4 Cup Butter or Margarine

1/2 Cup all purpose flour

4 cups Milk (warm)

4 Cups (1 lb) shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

3 Cups Water

4 Medium Potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced onion

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 cups diced, cooked ham

Hot Sauce (to taste)

Melt butter in heavy 2 quart saucepan over low heat and add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute; Stir constantly. Gradually stir in warm milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly. Add cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine water, vegetables, salt and pepper in a 5 quart Dutch oven; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in all other ingredients. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated (DO NOT BOIL). Makes 12 to 14 servings.

Vickie's note: The better quality cheese you use, the better the soup will be. Sometimes I substitute beer for some of the water and bacon for ham.