Corn & Potato Chowder

This has recently become a household favorite. The original recipe is found here, but we made a few modifications to suit our family's taste and resources. The biggest ones being we use russet potatoes instead of red potatoes, the full pound of bacon to avoid having leftover bacon go bad in our fridge, and no onion, because we felt it overpowered the chowder.

It is indeed a family pleaser. Our potato-loving toddler loves it. My meat and potatoes husband loves it. And I find several opportunities to dip a spoon into the cooking pot and make sure it tastes right; After all you can't be too careful, the taste might change on you if you don't sample it frequently! It takes a little time to prepare, so it's always nice to have a second set of hands around to wrangle the kids while you are cooking.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. butter/margarine
1/4 c. flour
1 c. water
2 1/4 c. milk
2 tsp. chicken bouillon
3 medium-sized potatoes
1 can of corn, drained
1 pack of bacon
Chili powder
Pepper

Directions:

1. Cut up and cook bacon until crispy. Set on a paper towel to drain the grease.

2. Peel and dice potatoes. The smaller the potato is cut the faster it'll cook. You'll want these pretty small, otherwise they'll take forever to cook.

3. In a cooking pot, melt butter. Have flour and water on hand. Once melted, whisk the flour in to make a roux (butter and flour should be completely mixed together). Add water and whisk to dissolve the roux completely.

4. Add milk and bouillon.

5. Add potatoes and simmer over medium heat. Stir frequently as the chowder heats up (the hotter it is the more you need to stir) to avoid burning the bottom of the chowder (don't worry, it doesn't make the chowder taste burnt if you get a little burnt at the bottom). This step can take awhile (40+ minutes) Using the red potatoes, instead of the russet potatoes, may cut down on how long this will take. Or you may choose to heat it on high to cut down on cooking time, but you up your chances of getting slightly-burnt chowder stuck at the bottom of the pan to clean out later (again, this doesn't affect the taste, that I've noticed).

6. Add corn and bacon.

7. Add chili powder and pepper to taste. You can also add some cheddar cheese, salt, or hot sauce to suit your family's taste.

8. Serve and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Potato Soup with a Zip

I have made this soup a couple of times. It's great when I want potato soup but don't want to spend an hour peeling, cutting, and cooking the potatoes before I can eve start making the soup. While my mom's potato soup is yummy, this is I can throw together in the morning while Lynne's eating dinner.

Two cans of cheese soup can be used if you can't find the Fiesta cheese; it just won't have the kick that it would otherwise. It only half fills my slow cooker, though, so there's a ring at the level of the soup from the burnt on cheesy goodness, so make sure you spray your cooker. Or use one of those throw away liners.

I prefer it with rolls, but I prefer all soups (and most other meals) with rolls or bread. Lynne likes it; Jeff likes it; Melanie likes it; I LOVE it; and Greg & Zach can take it or leave it. But then Greg & Zach change their minds on what they like daily, so...

Recipe from here

Ingredients

• 5 medium potatoes, peeled, and cubed
• 2 cups cooked cubed ham
• 1 cup fresh broccoli florets, cut very fine
• 1 (10 ounce) can cheddar cheese soup
• 1 (10 ounce) can Fiesta nacho cheese soup
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 2 1/2 (10 ounce) cans milk, use soup cans
• paprika
  

Directions

1. Spray slow cooker with vegetable spray, than add potatoes, broccoli, and ham.

2. In a large saucepan, combine soups, and milk.

3. Heat just enough to mix until smooth.

4. add to slow cooker , stir well.

5. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

6. When serving add a dash of paprika , if desired.