Source: adapted from here
Ingredients:
3 cans white beans, rinsed and drained (I used 4 1/2 cups cooked Great Northern beans, which is just a titch over 2 cans-worth - it was plenty beany)
4 slices bacon (I used a nice thick cut- if you're using thinner bacon, maybe try a few more)
1-2 carrots, minced (mine were really small so I used 3)
1-2 stalks celery, minced
1 medium onion, chopped fine
4 cups chicken broth (I didn't have any chicken broth - horror! - so I resorted to my chicken boullion, which I only had two teaspoons of, so then I subbed the rest with beef boullion cubes - 2 of those, all mixed up in 4 cups of water)
2 cups water
1-2 bay leaves
~1/2 teaspoon paprika (my addition, based on this other recipe for homemade Bean 'n' Bacon)
1/2 of a small can (approx 2 Tablespoons) tomato paste (I didn't - and usually don't ever - have paste on hand, so I used 4 Tablespoons of tomato sauce, which was just great)
a few drops of liquid smoke (also inspired by the other recipe)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cut the bacon into small pieces. In the pan you plan to cook the soup in, fry the bacon until crispy.
Remove the bacon from the pot, leaving a couple tablespoons of the rendered grease behind. Discard (or save for something else that needs tasty bacon grease to fry in) the rest of the grease. Add the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring to get up all the bacon-y goodness, until the vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes.
Add the beans, broth, water, tomato sauce (if you're using sauce instead of paste), paprika, and bay leaves. Cook over med-low heat for a good long while. (I let it simmer for about a half hour, but the longer the better, I say).
Add bacon (my pieces were a little bigger than I wanted for my final soup, so I broke up the pieces a bit before adding them to the pot) and tomato paste (unless you used sauce) to the soup. Cover and cook another 20 minutes or so.
Just before serving, use an immersion blender to half-puree the soup, leaving some whole beans and chunks intact. (If you don't have an immersion blender, remove about 2-4 cups of the soup, puree in a blender till smooth, and stir back into the pot.) Season with liquid smoke and salt and pepper to taste (it shouldn't need much; the bacon is salty, so start with a light hand) and serve, preferably with a slice of homemade bread or a grilled cheese sandwich. If you're feeling really adventurous, you can wash it down with a cool glass of milk.
Notes:
My original plan for Thursday Soup Day fell through (I ran out of sweet potatoes!) so I was searching for something I could whip up with things I had around the house before this weekend's grocery trip. I remembered the first Homemade Bean with Bacon recipe I made a few years ago, but when I looked at that recipe and I saw that it called for potatoes, again I was stuck. (No red potatoes in my house, either! Did I mention it's almost grocery trip time?) Then I got to thinking that Campbell's Bean with Bacon Soup doesn't have potatoes, so why should mine? And I decided to do some more searching for a new recipe. After perusing a few recipes that google helped me find, I decided on this one, and with a few tweaks mentioned above, I'd say it turned out pretty dang awesome. I can tell you I won't be going back to that other homemade recipe; it was good, but this was SO much better. It doesn't taste exactly like Campbell's, but it does taste delicious. Gregg declared it one of the best soups I've made. Ever. So, there's that.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Zesty Orange Glazed Orange Sour Cream Muffins
Source: adapted from here, via pinterest
Ingredients:
for the muffins:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 1/4 cup all-purspose + 1/2 cup freshly ground whole white wheat flour)
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sour cream (I used vanilla yogurt instead)
1 large egg
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (one orange gave us just a titch over 1/4 cup)
Zest of 1 orange
for the zesty orange glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest (this is basically the zest of one orange)
Directions:
for the muffins:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. (I had enough batter for 13 standard muffins, filled with 1/4 cup batter each.)
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together butter, sour cream, egg, orange juice and orange zest. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.
Scoop the batter evenly (I used my 1/4 cup) into the muffin tray. Place into oven and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
for the glaze:
Combine confectioners’ sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Whisk until smooth. If the glaze is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar as needed.
When the muffins are done, cool for 10 minutes and dip the muffin crown into the glaze.
Allow glaze to set before serving. (I had enough leftover glaze to double-dip the muffins - I let the first dipping set up and then dipped again, then waited, mouth watering, for it to set. Amazing!)
Notes:
For my February Muffin of the Month (I have a goal to try a brand new muffin recipe each month - in January I made these beauties) I felt like doing something citrus-y. I found a couple of orange muffin recipes and this is the one that ended up winning. I may have to try the other, just for a comparison, but I have high hopes for these (I must, since I'm blogging about them before they're even done cooking - they smell amazing!).
Ingredients:
for the muffins:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 1/4 cup all-purspose + 1/2 cup freshly ground whole white wheat flour)
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sour cream (I used vanilla yogurt instead)
1 large egg
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (one orange gave us just a titch over 1/4 cup)
Zest of 1 orange
for the zesty orange glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest (this is basically the zest of one orange)
Directions:
for the muffins:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. (I had enough batter for 13 standard muffins, filled with 1/4 cup batter each.)
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together butter, sour cream, egg, orange juice and orange zest. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.
Scoop the batter evenly (I used my 1/4 cup) into the muffin tray. Place into oven and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
for the glaze:
Combine confectioners’ sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Whisk until smooth. If the glaze is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar as needed.
When the muffins are done, cool for 10 minutes and dip the muffin crown into the glaze.
Allow glaze to set before serving. (I had enough leftover glaze to double-dip the muffins - I let the first dipping set up and then dipped again, then waited, mouth watering, for it to set. Amazing!)
Notes:
For my February Muffin of the Month (I have a goal to try a brand new muffin recipe each month - in January I made these beauties) I felt like doing something citrus-y. I found a couple of orange muffin recipes and this is the one that ended up winning. I may have to try the other, just for a comparison, but I have high hopes for these (I must, since I'm blogging about them before they're even done cooking - they smell amazing!).
Grandma Elwood's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: My grandma, Margaret Elwood
Ingredients:
1 cup shortening (if I remember right, she always uses the yellow butter-flavored shortening, but I didn't have that and they turned out just fine)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (for some reason this didn't make it in the original posting of this recipe 6 years ago - about time I fixed that error!)
1 teaspoon milk
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 oz chocolate chips
Directions:
Combine first five ingredients. Beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Sift together the flour, soda and salt. Add flour mixture to the shortening mixture; mix well. Add chocolate chips and mix in. Roll a tablespoonfuls (I actually used my 1/2 Tablespoon measuring spoon for the perfect cookie ball) of dough into balls. Bake 9-11 minutes at 350 degrees on a greased cookie sheet. Don't over-bake if you want a chewy cookie!
Notes:
Pretty much every time we visited my grandma's house (which was nearly every Sunday evening growing up) there would be a big batch of these cookies waiting in the cookie jar for our little (and not-so-little) hands to snag. If they weren't in the cookie jar, then there were tupperware containers of them stacked in the freezer. When I made these recently, I decided to leave a few out on the counter to munch on, but froze the rest "for later." Later actually only meant "the next day" when I was reaching for more. They're especially good straight out of the freezer - a little bit hard on the first bite, but they slowly warm up and become chewier (if you can wait that long!) and are quite a refreshing, cold treat on a hot summer day. (Not that it was anywhere near summer when I made and devoured this most recent batch.)
Blanchard note: as with my disclaimer on Jill's Pie Crust recipe, I know not all of you use shortening on a regular basis (or ever) but I just couldn't resist posting this recipe for nostalgia's sake. Don't hate me. ;)
 |
| My grandma's own handwriting in a cook book she made for my dad when he left on his mission. A treasure! |
Ingredients:
1 cup shortening (if I remember right, she always uses the yellow butter-flavored shortening, but I didn't have that and they turned out just fine)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (for some reason this didn't make it in the original posting of this recipe 6 years ago - about time I fixed that error!)
1 teaspoon milk
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 oz chocolate chips
Directions:
Combine first five ingredients. Beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Sift together the flour, soda and salt. Add flour mixture to the shortening mixture; mix well. Add chocolate chips and mix in. Roll a tablespoonfuls (I actually used my 1/2 Tablespoon measuring spoon for the perfect cookie ball) of dough into balls. Bake 9-11 minutes at 350 degrees on a greased cookie sheet. Don't over-bake if you want a chewy cookie!
Notes:
Pretty much every time we visited my grandma's house (which was nearly every Sunday evening growing up) there would be a big batch of these cookies waiting in the cookie jar for our little (and not-so-little) hands to snag. If they weren't in the cookie jar, then there were tupperware containers of them stacked in the freezer. When I made these recently, I decided to leave a few out on the counter to munch on, but froze the rest "for later." Later actually only meant "the next day" when I was reaching for more. They're especially good straight out of the freezer - a little bit hard on the first bite, but they slowly warm up and become chewier (if you can wait that long!) and are quite a refreshing, cold treat on a hot summer day. (Not that it was anywhere near summer when I made and devoured this most recent batch.)
Blanchard note: as with my disclaimer on Jill's Pie Crust recipe, I know not all of you use shortening on a regular basis (or ever) but I just couldn't resist posting this recipe for nostalgia's sake. Don't hate me. ;)
Jill's Pie Crust
Source: Jill Barr, a neighbor of mine growing up and a pie-making extraordinaire
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
4-5 Tablespoons cold water
A note to the non-shortening users in the Blanchard family: I know you've got a great oil crust recipe, and I know there are butter recipes out there in the world. I just decided to use this one with shortening on this occasion and decided to post it here for my future reference and in case there are others who do use shortening who happen to read this blog. :)
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
4-5 Tablespoons cold water
Directions:
Add flour and salt. Blend in 2/3 cup of shortening. Then add the last 1/3 cup shortening and blend. Add water one tablespoon at a time. Mix with a fork. Form into a ball of dough. Divide. Leave in bowl. Makes two singles (smallish ones – for my 9.5” single crust there was some left over, but not enough to warrant me only making half the recipe). Roll out and bake at 400° for about 8 minutes (unless you're cooking your pie and your crust at the same time, obviously).
Notes:
I decided to make pumpkin pie for Valentine's Day. Yeah, not sure how they really go together, unless you count the fact that my love happens to love all kinds of pie, including pumpkin, and I had a can of pumpkin in the cupboard since Christmas when I was planning to make pumpkin pie, but didn't get around to it. And, I just really had a hankering for pumpkin pie. And it happened to be Valentine's Day. So, in that context, it totally makes sense. I realized upon making said pumpkin pie that I had never, up til that point, made a whole pie by myself. I was quite pleased and proud with the results. A tasty treat that we enjoyed for a few days. Now that's love.
A note to the non-shortening users in the Blanchard family: I know you've got a great oil crust recipe, and I know there are butter recipes out there in the world. I just decided to use this one with shortening on this occasion and decided to post it here for my future reference and in case there are others who do use shortening who happen to read this blog. :)
One more note: with the leftover crust, I decided to be festive and cut out some heart shapes using cookie cutters. I sprinkled them generously with cinnamon sugar and popped them on a cookie sheet in the oven while the pie was baking for about 20 minutes (I think at that point the oven was at 350 degrees?).
Sausage Gravy and Drop Biscuits
Source: The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients:
for the gravy:
1 pound breakfast sausage, hot or mild
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk (I was fine with my trusty 1%)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 teaspoons black pepper, more to taste (I know this is supposed to be quite a peppery dish, but we just don't like pepper that much and cut this way down - I think I only added 1/2-1 teaspoon and it was plenty peppery for our liking)
for the biscuits:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 stick (3/4 cup) cold butter, cut into pieces
1-1/4 cup butermilk (I did the lemon-juice + milk trick and it was great)
Directions:
for the gravy:
With your finger, tear small pieces of sausage and add them in a single layer to a large heavy skillet. (Or don't - you can just break up the sausage with a spoon in the pan if that floats your boat better.)
Brown the sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Sprinkle on half the flour and stir so that the sausage soaks it all up, then add a little more until just before the sausage looks too dry. (I must have had really fatty sausage and I had to add quite a bit more flour than 1/3 cup (more like double that) to "soak it all up". Next time I'll drain some of the grease first.) Stir it around and cook it for another minute or so, then pour in the milk, stirring constantly.
Cook the gravy, stirring frequently, until it thickens. (This may take a good 10-12 minutes.) Sprinkle in the seasoned salt and pepper and continue cooking until very thick and luscious. If it gets too thick too soon, just splash in 1/2 cup of milk or more if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings.
for the biscuits:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a food processor (or a large bowl). Add butter pieces and pulse until butter is completely cut into the flour mixture (or use a pastry cutter or two knives or a fork if using a bowl). While pulsing (or stirring) drizzle in the buttermilk until dough just comes together and is no longer crumbly.
Drop in clumps on two baking sheets, then bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown. (Optional: brush with melted butter when biscuits first come out of the oven.)
Spoon sausage gravy over warm biscuits and serve immediately!
Notes:
Another one of those recipes that I've never tried making before in my life, but for some reason thought sounded good this month. Once again, Pioneer Woman made something that seemed pretty intimidating to me (the gravy, not so much the biscuits, though this drop version was kind of fun and different) easy as pie (which actually intimidates me, too). We had leftovers for days, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Unless you're trying to lose weight. Then, leftover sausage gravy and biscuits probably isn't something you want hanging around your house. Yummy stuff.
Ingredients:
for the gravy:
1 pound breakfast sausage, hot or mild
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk (I was fine with my trusty 1%)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 teaspoons black pepper, more to taste (I know this is supposed to be quite a peppery dish, but we just don't like pepper that much and cut this way down - I think I only added 1/2-1 teaspoon and it was plenty peppery for our liking)
for the biscuits:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 stick (3/4 cup) cold butter, cut into pieces
1-1/4 cup butermilk (I did the lemon-juice + milk trick and it was great)
Directions:
for the gravy:
With your finger, tear small pieces of sausage and add them in a single layer to a large heavy skillet. (Or don't - you can just break up the sausage with a spoon in the pan if that floats your boat better.)
Brown the sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Sprinkle on half the flour and stir so that the sausage soaks it all up, then add a little more until just before the sausage looks too dry. (I must have had really fatty sausage and I had to add quite a bit more flour than 1/3 cup (more like double that) to "soak it all up". Next time I'll drain some of the grease first.) Stir it around and cook it for another minute or so, then pour in the milk, stirring constantly.
Cook the gravy, stirring frequently, until it thickens. (This may take a good 10-12 minutes.) Sprinkle in the seasoned salt and pepper and continue cooking until very thick and luscious. If it gets too thick too soon, just splash in 1/2 cup of milk or more if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings.
for the biscuits:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a food processor (or a large bowl). Add butter pieces and pulse until butter is completely cut into the flour mixture (or use a pastry cutter or two knives or a fork if using a bowl). While pulsing (or stirring) drizzle in the buttermilk until dough just comes together and is no longer crumbly.
Drop in clumps on two baking sheets, then bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown. (Optional: brush with melted butter when biscuits first come out of the oven.)
Spoon sausage gravy over warm biscuits and serve immediately!
Notes:
Another one of those recipes that I've never tried making before in my life, but for some reason thought sounded good this month. Once again, Pioneer Woman made something that seemed pretty intimidating to me (the gravy, not so much the biscuits, though this drop version was kind of fun and different) easy as pie (which actually intimidates me, too). We had leftovers for days, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Unless you're trying to lose weight. Then, leftover sausage gravy and biscuits probably isn't something you want hanging around your house. Yummy stuff.
Navajo Fry Bread / Navajo Tacos
Source: The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients:
for the fry bread:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder (slightly rounded teaspoons)
3/4 cups milk
water as needed to get dough to come together
vegetable shortening or lard for frying (I used vegetable oil, even though P-Dub says it's way, way, way better with shortening and/or lard)
for the tacos:
1 lb ground beef
1 can black beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 packet taco seasoning (or 2-3 Tablespoons homemade taco seasoning)
shredded lettuce
grated cheese
chopped tomatoes
diced green onions
sour cream and/or ranch dressing
salsa
Directions:
for the fry bread:
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a fork as you pour in the milk; keep stirring for a bit to get it to come together as much as possible. Add just enough water (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup) to get it to come together. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it sit for 35 to 45 minutes to rest (mine rested for over an hour and it was just fine).
When you're ready to make the fry bread, heat about 1 to 2 inches shortening/lard (or oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Grab a plum-sized piece of dough (or larger if you want larger fry bread) and press it into a circle with your fingers: place it on a clean surface and begin pressing in the center and work your way out, stretching it as you go.
When the circle is about 4 to 7 inches (however big you want it) carefully drape it into the skillet. Allow it to fry on one side until golden brown, about 1 minute, then carefully flip it to the other side using tongs. Fry it for another 30 to 45 seconds.
Remove the fry bread to a paper towel-lined plate and allow it to drain while you fry the other pieces.
Serve warm!
for the tacos:
Brown the ground beef and drain the grease. Add the black beans, tomato sauce and taco seasoning and let everything simmer until your fry bread is ready to eat.
Take a piece of fry bread and top it with the meat mixture followed by lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, salsa and sour cream (in no particular order) and/or any other taco toppings you love.
Notes:
We had regular ol' taco salad a couple of weeks ago for dinner. As we were eating, Gregg mentioned that he hadn't had forever, but loved, Navajo tacos. I hadn't eaten a Navajo taco since elementary school lunch days, let alone made them to eat myself, but I was up to the challenge. Luckily, good ol' P-Dub spelled everything out plain and simple and it was no challenge at all to whip these up for our dinner last week. Yum! I think we'll keep these in our rotation.
One more note: I halved the recipe for the fry bread since it was only two of us eating and it made 4 good-sized (I'd say 4-5ish inches diameter) fry breads and one little guy (~2 incher) that was left over.
Ingredients:
for the fry bread:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder (slightly rounded teaspoons)
3/4 cups milk
water as needed to get dough to come together
vegetable shortening or lard for frying (I used vegetable oil, even though P-Dub says it's way, way, way better with shortening and/or lard)
for the tacos:
1 lb ground beef
1 can black beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 packet taco seasoning (or 2-3 Tablespoons homemade taco seasoning)
shredded lettuce
grated cheese
chopped tomatoes
diced green onions
sour cream and/or ranch dressing
salsa
Directions:
for the fry bread:
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a fork as you pour in the milk; keep stirring for a bit to get it to come together as much as possible. Add just enough water (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup) to get it to come together. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it sit for 35 to 45 minutes to rest (mine rested for over an hour and it was just fine).
When you're ready to make the fry bread, heat about 1 to 2 inches shortening/lard (or oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Grab a plum-sized piece of dough (or larger if you want larger fry bread) and press it into a circle with your fingers: place it on a clean surface and begin pressing in the center and work your way out, stretching it as you go.
When the circle is about 4 to 7 inches (however big you want it) carefully drape it into the skillet. Allow it to fry on one side until golden brown, about 1 minute, then carefully flip it to the other side using tongs. Fry it for another 30 to 45 seconds.
Remove the fry bread to a paper towel-lined plate and allow it to drain while you fry the other pieces.
Serve warm!
for the tacos:
Brown the ground beef and drain the grease. Add the black beans, tomato sauce and taco seasoning and let everything simmer until your fry bread is ready to eat.
Take a piece of fry bread and top it with the meat mixture followed by lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, salsa and sour cream (in no particular order) and/or any other taco toppings you love.
Notes:
We had regular ol' taco salad a couple of weeks ago for dinner. As we were eating, Gregg mentioned that he hadn't had forever, but loved, Navajo tacos. I hadn't eaten a Navajo taco since elementary school lunch days, let alone made them to eat myself, but I was up to the challenge. Luckily, good ol' P-Dub spelled everything out plain and simple and it was no challenge at all to whip these up for our dinner last week. Yum! I think we'll keep these in our rotation.
One more note: I halved the recipe for the fry bread since it was only two of us eating and it made 4 good-sized (I'd say 4-5ish inches diameter) fry breads and one little guy (~2 incher) that was left over.
Smoky Corn Chowder
Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Ingredients:
4-5 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup diced onion or leeks
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (I only had regular paprika, so to get the smoky flavor that I was missing, I added a few drops of liquid smoke at the end with the salt and pepper)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen corn
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I just had two 14-oz cans in my cupboard, so I used them and then upped the milk to 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup milk (see note above)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 green onions, white parts cut off and discarded and green parts thinly sliced
Directions:
In a 4 or 5-quart saucepan, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat until golden and crisp. Scoop onto a paper towel-lined plate and discard (or save it in a cup in the fridge like I did for later deliciousness) all of the bacon grease except a very thin coating (about 1-2 teaspoons).
Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic, paprika and red pepper and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
Stir in the corn, broth and milk. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Transfer half of the soup to a blender (very carefully - don't overfill the blender since hot liquids will expand while blending!) and puree until mostly smooth.
Return the blended soup to the pot and add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Taste and add more if needed.
Serve warm topped with green onions and bacon.
Notes:
This soup was pretty good. Not great, but maybe I was expecting something creamier and hearty and thick, like I'm used to with corn chowder. This recipe was never advertised to be such a soup, so I can't really blame it. I don't know why mine didn't turn out lovely and yellow, like Mel's pictures, and was instead a kind of drab creamish-gray color. Not super appetizing looking. But it did taste pretty good, really. I liked the little kick from the red pepper flakes and, of course, the bacon and green onion combo was fantastic. We had this with some nice, thick slices of homemade Oatmeal Wheat Bread (only the BEST bread on the face of this earth, I've decided). Another successful Soup Thursday in the books.
Ingredients:
4-5 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup diced onion or leeks
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (I only had regular paprika, so to get the smoky flavor that I was missing, I added a few drops of liquid smoke at the end with the salt and pepper)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen corn
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I just had two 14-oz cans in my cupboard, so I used them and then upped the milk to 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup milk (see note above)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 green onions, white parts cut off and discarded and green parts thinly sliced
Directions:
In a 4 or 5-quart saucepan, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat until golden and crisp. Scoop onto a paper towel-lined plate and discard (or save it in a cup in the fridge like I did for later deliciousness) all of the bacon grease except a very thin coating (about 1-2 teaspoons).
Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic, paprika and red pepper and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
Stir in the corn, broth and milk. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Transfer half of the soup to a blender (very carefully - don't overfill the blender since hot liquids will expand while blending!) and puree until mostly smooth.
Return the blended soup to the pot and add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Taste and add more if needed.
Serve warm topped with green onions and bacon.
Notes:
This soup was pretty good. Not great, but maybe I was expecting something creamier and hearty and thick, like I'm used to with corn chowder. This recipe was never advertised to be such a soup, so I can't really blame it. I don't know why mine didn't turn out lovely and yellow, like Mel's pictures, and was instead a kind of drab creamish-gray color. Not super appetizing looking. But it did taste pretty good, really. I liked the little kick from the red pepper flakes and, of course, the bacon and green onion combo was fantastic. We had this with some nice, thick slices of homemade Oatmeal Wheat Bread (only the BEST bread on the face of this earth, I've decided). Another successful Soup Thursday in the books.
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