Potato and Corn Chowder

This recipe is adopted from Pioneer Woman’s Corn Chowder. I have made hers and it is good, but after tasting a friend’s at the football game last night that had potatoes and chicken, I decided to come up with my own!

Ingredients

3 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/2-inch Pieces (or Smaller)

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Yellow Onion, Diced

2 Bags of Frozen Corn (about 4 cups)

1-2 whole Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce, Finely Diced

1-2 Chicken Breasts Boiled & Shredded

1-2 potatoes diced to roughly the same size

1 whole 4-ounce Can Diced Green Chilies

32 ounces, fluid Chicken Broth

1-1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)

3 Tablespoons Corn Meal

1/4 cup Water

Instructions

Add bacon pieces to a pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes. Throw in diced onion and stir, cooking the onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add butter and melt. Add corn. Stir and cook for one minute. Add both kinds of chilies and stir. If it was just for Denver and me, I would put two chipotle peppers, but if it is for others one gives it PLENTY of spice. They are deceiving, trust me!

Add potatoes and shredded chicken. Pour in chicken broth and cream. Add salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.

Combine cornmeal with water. Stir to combine, then pour into the chowder. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat until the potatoes are tender. If chowder needs more thickening, add another tablespoon of cornmeal mixed with water. Cook for another ten minutes.

This was a big hit with my family. I doubled the recipe and it was all gone at the end of the night! 

Taste Like Lasagna Soup

Tonight I had the best soup I have had in a long time. I had been trying to find the recipe to try from Pinterest called Lasagna Soup. I googled and found this recipe from Paula Deen and another shocker is, I didn't alternate the recipe. Can you believe it? It actually tasted pretty darn good without my tweeking. If it does get too thick, I would add a can of chicken broth to thin it back down to soup like consistency. 

Ingredients

1 lb ground chuck
1   onion, chopped
1   green bell pepper, chopped
3   cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1   (32 ounce) box chicken broth
2   (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1   (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cup broken lasagna noodles
1   (5 ounce) package grated parmesan cheese
2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
garlic crostini, recipe follows

Garlic Crostini:
1 thin French baguette
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves smashed garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large Dutch oven, combine ground chuck, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well. 

Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 8 to 10 ovenproof bowls. Evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups, 6-inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly. Add a garlic crostini slice on top. Serve immediately. 

For the garlic crostini: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Cut bread into 1/4-inch round slices. Place on baking sheet and brush each slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper; place in oven and bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Rub each side with smashed garlic cloves. 

Let me know what you think! 

Ham & Potato Soup

I wanted to name this soup a chowder, but when I googled the definition, it said a "thick soup." This soup could be made thicker, but I like mine thinner, so I added more water. Basically you can adjust to your taste or texture preferences.

Since Denver was gone hunting, I pulled out my faithful Pampered Chef food chopper to chop all my veggies. Normally he does my chopping for me.

3 stalks of celery finely chopped
1/2 cup of finely chopped or shredded carrots
8 oz of frozen broccoli finely chopped
1/2 large onion finely chopped
6+ cups Water
1 large jar of Cheez Whiz
2 cups of chopped Petit Jean ham
30 oz frozen shredded hash browns

Boil the finely chopped veggies (celery, carrots, broccoli, and onion) until soft in six cups of water. Add shredded hash browns, ham, and shortly after add cheez whiz. Be careful to keep it on medium low or it will scorch. Add water if needed, and stir until all combined. The potatoes don't take long to cook, so this comes together fairly fast. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

The veggies makes this heartier than your normal potato soup. The ham adds a deep level of flavor. Let me know how you like it!

Hienes White Bean Soup

This is a soup my mom used to make and I love!

2 cups white beans
12 cups water
4 pieces of bacon
1 c each chopped onions, celery, carrots
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 bay leaves
1 cup mashed potatoes instant
1/2 c half & half or whipping cream

Add everything except mashed potatoes and cream. Cover and cook for two hours. Add salt and pepper, potatoes and cover. Simmer for one hour. Add cream and cook twenty more minutes. Add water if too thick. Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

3 chicken breasts
3 cans of chicken stock
½ bag of carrots, chopped
6 celery stalks, chopped
1/3 bag of egg noodles
2 cans of biscuits
2 cups of milk
1 tsp approx of rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken in four inches of water in a stock pot. Once done, set aside. Add the carrots, celery, and cans of chicken stalk and boil. After ten minutes, add the biscuits pinched smaller than a quarter to the boiling mixture. Slightly stir after the biscuits get their form. After five or ten minutes, add the egg noodles. Once they are almost ready to eat, add the two cups of milk and seasoning. Enjoy!