I Did It, A Recipe And An Adorable Baby

In the blog for Saturday, November 15 I wrote, “With our departure date approaching rapidly I’ve set myself a goal of finishing all my customer quilts this coming week.”  And I did it!!!  Actually one day late but who is counting—I took the last customer quilt off the frame this afternoon and loaded the backing for one of my own quilts!!! 

Whew what a nasty day weather wise—yesterday it rained and spit ice pellets, today there was a cold, bitter wind howling.  Just nasty!!  In spite of the weather, Michael loaded the ATV’s into the cargo trailer. 

At Costco the other day I bought a set of fleece sheets for the motorhome—put those on the bed today and I just may have to buy a set for the house they felt so good! 

Soup was on the menu for lunch—it was just one of those kind of days.  This is a recipe I adapted from one I saw in Real Simple Magazine.  That recipe called for shrimp but as I didn’t have any the soup became vegetarian except for the bacon. The cowboy told me I could fix this soup anytime—it was that good!

Smoky Corn and Potato Chowder

What it took for 2:

* 2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
*2 yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed

* 1 Tbs. smoked paprika
* 1 pinch crushed red pepper
* 3 cups frozen corn
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 1/2 cup half and half (or cream)
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel to drain. Drain all but 1Tbs. bacon fat, if you have that much in the pot.

Add the onions to the pot and sauté 5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, crushed red pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté another minute.

Add the corn and potato cubes to the pot and toss to combine.

Add the stock and half & half to the pot. Stir to combine. Keep on a low simmer for 15 minutes. Taste it. Need a little salt and pepper? Add a pinch or two.

If you have an immersion blender, place it in the pot and pulse it a few times until about half of the soup becomes creamy, still leaving whole kernels and potato cubes as well. If you don’t have an immersion blender, ladle about a cup and a half of the soup into a blender and pulse until creamy. Pour back into the pot and stir to combine; add the bacon stirring to combine.

Enjoy!!

Sweet Lora Elizabeth sporting her new hat Aunt Katie made—I can’t wait to kiss those little chubby cheeks!!