Barefoot Bloggers Corn Chowder

This week we have Jill of My Next Life to thank for choosing such a delicious Fall soup. I am not a chowder connoisseur, mostly because I can't stand the thought of clams coming anywhere near me, but this selection was a really winner sans seafood.

There was a fair amount of prep work involved, but when you have a willing husband, you can make quick work of that dilemma!

We absolutely loved this dish. There was a complexity of flavors with the addition of the turmeric, and it really added to the overall taste of the chowder. The only additions we made were the green onions and blue corn chips for garnish. I think this would be fantastic with some homemade croutons, but alas, there was no time to include them.

Cheddar Corn Chowder

Ina Garten

8 ounces bacon, chopped
1/4 cup good olive oil
6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
12 cups chicken stock
6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
2 cups half-and-half
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
Directions
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Barefoot Bloggers Gazpacho

This week for our Barefoot Bloggers challenge, Gazpacho was the choice made by Meryl of My Bit of Earth. I was really excited about this one because I have always loved Gazpacho, and because it was too stinking hot to be doing much more than chopping! I really liked how it turned out...the texture, the depth of flavors, the sour cream I added to top it off. Matt on the other hand could not get on board with this one. It is rare that he doesn't like something, but the cucumbers were too much for him to stomach. I would make this again, but in retrospect I would halve the batch because it really does make a large portion.

Italian Sausage Soup

During these chilly March Michigan days, we can still get away with a hot bowl of soup for dinner. After looking at the grocery ad for the week, we decided an Italian soup would fit the bill. Turkey, spinach, and beans were on sale, so it was the perfect time to throw together this hearty soup. I imagine you could use any type of sausage, but we really like the turkey. We served this with garlic bread and a fruit salad and will have plenty of leftovers for lunches.

Italian Sausage Soup
1 pkg. Jennie-O Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage 2 cans beef broth-low sodium
2 cans chicken broth
1 can stewed, diced tomatoes
1 can cannellini beans, slightly drained
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 c. onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 large zucchini, chopped
2 c. macaroni, cooked
2 c. fresh chopped spinach
salt
pepper

In large stock pot brown sausage until no longer pink. Add garlic and onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, and carrots and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in zucchini and beans and simmer until zucchini is tender and the beans are warmed through. Season with salt and pepper and then add spinach and cook for 5 minutes, or until spinach is wilted but still has its bright green color.

*I had parmesan cheese on hand, so I grated a little in near the end. It definately added a good flavor, but it would be fine without it.

Chicken and Chocolate

I have neglected the blog for about a week, so here is the latest:
I have enrolled in a cake decorating course! So! Excited! It starts tonight, so I will be posting more about that later.
Last week we had a lot of leftovers from the company we had over the weekend, but when we ran out of those, we had some good ol' chicken noodle soup. When I make soups I rarely follow a recipe, and this was no exception. Just some chicken, onions, celery, carrots, and seasonings and we were in business. I read somewhere that a bit of fresh lemon juice adds a brightness to chicken noodle soup, so I also added that at the end of the simmering.

Also managed to crank out a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies and I was so happy with this recipe. I will definately use it again. I packed them up (so we wouldn't inhale every last one) and sent them to work with M. The guys approved:)