Creamy Corn Chowder

I spent the better part of my evening last night reading seed catalogs and dreaming about sitting outside on a warm summer night. I pictured the sound of crickets, the scents of grass, flowers and dirt, and even tried to envision the sting of a mosquito bite. In a nutshell; I'm getting tremendously excited for spring. This has been the coldest and snowiest winter here in 139 years I read yesterday, and we're just breaking all kinds of meterological records, including the ones for cabin fever crabbiness. However, we do live in a cold and snowy place, so I make the best of it, and try not to gripe too much. The fact is, you kind of get numb to it after a while, and yesterday while I ran into a shop, 6 degrees felt awfully darn normal and temperate. I'm trying to enjoy the little things, like  rotund little chickadees trying to land on my head when I shiver and fill their feeder, hanging out with friends ( indoors of course) and planning what's shaping up to be a pretty fun sounding wedding. I'm getting excited about FINALLY getting a puppy this spring, after all this snow nonsense melts.

Another bright side to winter is soup. I love a good soup recipe, particularly one like this that's so filling and tasty.

Creamy Corn Chowder

-2 stalks celery, diced

-1 cup corn

-1 can cream-style corn

-7 strips bacon, chopped into smaller pieces

-1 medium onion

-1 1/2 cups diced potatoes

-1 cup half & half

-1 cup water

- bay leaf

-1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

-1/2 salt

- 1. garlic, minced

-1/2 garlic powder

-1/8 t. pepper

-1/4 cup parsley

-1/2 t. thyme

Directions:  Ina soup pot, cook bacon, celery, bay leaf and onion over  medium heat 15 minutes, or until bacon is cooked, and drain liquid. Add potatoes, water, garlic and broth, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are softened. Stir in remaining ingredients and  heat until warmed. 

* 6 servings

This is an awesome recipe for a cold and wintry day, of which we have had plenty of in the mid-west this winter. I usually serve it with a hunk of crusty bread, and it's comfort food at it's finest.

To make this vegetarian, omit the bacon and use a T. of olive oil instead, and use vegetable broth. I've made it both ways, depending on what I'm into at the time. Enjoy!