Cheesy Creamy Potato-Ham Soup

Prepare (chop, dice, etc.) all ingredients before beginning the actual cooking. Melt the butter in a large stock pot, and sauté the onions and garlic first, until onions are almost translucent. Add Carrots and Celery and continue sautéing for about 8-10 minutes over reduced heat until tender. Add the Chicken Broth and Potatoes, all the Spices, and one tablespoon of the Parsley. Vary Spices according to taste. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to keep bottom from burning. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. If you have a hand blender, use this to purée all of the ingredients. If you do not, do this in a food processor or blender. Due to the amount of soup, you will probably need to do this in stages. With the now-puréed mixture in (or returned to) the large stock pot, raise the heat a bit, and slowly pour in the Quart of Heavy Cream (you can substitute Half and Half if that's what's in the Fridge. Stir. Then add the Shredded Cheddar (or other preferred cheese) and stir, until all the cheese is melted, and the Cream and cheese are well blended with the rest. Add diced ham, and stir again to mix all thoroughly. Heat thoroughly (no need to boil), serve, and garnish each bowl with parsley. Due to dairy contents, refrigerate as soon as any leftover soup has cooled. Not only is this a hearty and delicious soup, it also works well as a hot topping for many kinds of open faced sandwiches. We used it on pulled pork, and it could supplement other foods.