Corn Chowder will warm you up

With the return of some colder, damper weather, it seemed like a good time to break out the old once a year corn chowder recipe. My first cookbook that I received at age 12 was the Betty Crocker cookbook. Many of its recipes are favorites. My go-to cornbread is from that book. Tried others but...
Anyway, I have modified Betty's recipe over the years. Here is my version with several variations if there are any dietary restrictions.
Corn Chowder
4 slices bacon
1 chopped onion
2 stalks chopped celery
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups of milk (see suggestions below)
1 16oz. can cream of corn soup
1-2 cups of frozen corn kernels, depends on how thick and "corny" you want it
1 16oz. can diced potatoes (you could also peel, dice and cook your own potatoes beforehand)
diced green onions for garnish
paprika for nice color
hot sauce if you like it.

Cook bacon till crisp in large dutch oven. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the grease. Add onion and celery, cook until soft. Add the flour and stir, allowing the flour to "cook" for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, add the milk and whisk till smooth. Return pan to heat, allowing for a slow boil. Add cream of corn, corn kernels, and potatoes. Cook on low for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Taste for seasonings and add more if needed. Serve with crumbled bacon, green onions, and oysters crackers if desired. A sprinkle of paprika adds a nice color and flavor.
Variation suggestions: instead of bacon, you could use vegetable or peanut oil (olive oil not suited).
You could skip the bacon and use a small amount of ham base sold in jars at the store.
I have made this with regular skim milk, but the results were what you would imagine. 2% makes a good chowder. I have also used evaporated skim milk with decent results.