Cheesy Ham and Potato Chowder

I've eaten many different soup recipes in my lifetime and this recipe is one of the best I've ever tasted. I'm not even crazy about ham, but the ingredients in this soup make the most delicious, satisfying comfort food! I don't even remember where I got the original recipe, but I have changed it up a bit to make it even better. There are other chowder recipes out there that are quick to fix with adding canned soups and they are pretty good, but making this recipe from scratch makes your time worthwhile and your family will love it.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Chowder

1/2 lb. bacon (or 10-12 strips)                       pepper to taste
1 large onion, chopped                                 1 cup diced carrots
3 Tablespoons flour                                      1 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups cubed potatoes                          
1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained or 1 can cream style corn
3 cups milk (Vitamin D, heavy cream or evaporated milk)
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
3 cups (12 oz) shredded cheese (cheddar, Colby or American. (I used half Velveeta and half Colby this time)
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

In large soup pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. In the bacon drippings, saute onion and carrots until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add water. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, corn, bouillon and pepper. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or til potatoes are tender.Add milk, cheese and ham; heat til cheese is melted. Stir in crumbled bacon. YIELD: 10 servings
Note: I hadn't made this soup in years but tonight I didn't have whole kernel corn so I used the cream style corn. I also didn't have enough regular milk so that's why I used evaporated and the heavy whipping cream. The original recipe said to add the milk with the water and cook the potatoes, but I didn't want my soup to curdle from boiling it, so that's why I added the milk later. I didn't have enough water in the pot to boil the potatoes so I added about 4 more cups water and 4 more teaspoons of the bouillon. I also added more ham, potatoes and cheese! This soup is SO good!