Potato and Corn Chowder

Potato and Corn Chowder

     Well it's only the end of November and the weather is feeling more like January. The temperature in the morning has been in the single digits and of course the wind has been doing its thing too. It was just too cold to take the dogs for their morning walk today. I opted to have them go outside in the backyard. Katie, my Sheltie, was not very happy about it. She loves her walks, but I know we would have frozen if we went. I worry about their poor paws when it is this cold.

     Since the weather has been so cold and miserable, I decided to make some soup for dinner. I sort of adapted this from a recipe in my Simple and Delicious magazine. I had to spice it up a bit so I added some red pepper flakes. Feel free to leave them out if you don't like it hot. You can adjust the intensity by just adding a shake or two of red pepper.

     The soup turned out nice and full bodied. It was very creamy and had nice chunks of potatoes with  just a hint of corn. It is similar to a Spicy Baked Potato soup that I make. (I'll have to share that recipe sometime soon.)

     This didn't take me very long to make. I made it on a Friday night after getting home from work. It probably took me about 45minutes to an hour to make. So not bad for a week night meal. Of course I doubled the recipe because one batch is never enough around here. Besides if there are any leftovers people like to have it for lunch the next day. I'm sure it would freeze well too. Just let it cool down before putting in a freezer container. When you want to eat again just thaw in the refrigerator.

     So here's the recipe. I hope you enjoy it.

Potato and Corn Chowder
1 T olive oil
1 small onion chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 C peeled, cubed potatoes
1/2 C shredded, peeled carrots
2 1/2 C water
2 t dried parsley flakes
2 t broth base
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 C frozen corn
2 C milk
3 T real bacon bits
1/2 C Velveeta cheese, cubed
Red pepper flakes (opt)

In a large soup pan put a tablespoon of olive oil and heat on medium. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add the water, potatoes, carrots, parsley, broth base, salt, pepper and corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Stir in the milk and bacon bits. Bring it to a boil cooking until it starts to thicken up. Add the cheese and red pepper flakes. Stir until the cheese is melted. Serve.

Chicken Lo Mein

Chicken Lo Mein

     Ooops! I said I was going to get this recipe posted on Wednesday and it just never happened. But here it is. Better a day late then not at all.

     I've just been so busy with the end of the trimester at school that I'm either correcting papers like a mad woman or entering data into the computer. I've been coming home exhausted which doesn't help since I'm running errands after work just about every night. Not to mention my attempts at trying to get to the gym 3 times a week to work out. Things just need to slow down some.

     Well at least this dish is quick and easy to make especially on a very hectic night. It doesn't take much time to make and I think that you could play with the ingredients a bit to make it the way you like.

     After I made this I thought that a can of mushrooms would be good in this. I also thought stir frying some carrots would be good too. I think you could mix it up with just about any kind of vegetable that you like or happen to have on hand.

     The original recipe called for lo mein noodles, which I didn't have so I used spaghetti noodles instead. It also called for fresh ginger root. I also did not have any of that either, so I just used some ground ginger. I used fresh pea pods instead of frozen and added some red onion to it too. Don't be afraid to mix it up a bit.

     Well here's the recipe I promised. Hope you enjoy it.

Chicken Lo Mein
8 oz spaghetti noodles
2 T oyster sauce
1/4 C soy sauce
1/2 C chicken broth
1 t cornstarch
Red pepper flakes
1 T olive oil
8 oz chicken breast, sliced thinly
1/2 t ginger
1 small onion, quartered and sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, sliced (dark green parts reserved)
8 oz fresh pea pods
Sesame oil

Directions
Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain, toss with a few dashes of sesame oil and set aside.
In a small bow, whisk the oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth, cornstarch, and red pepper until smooth; set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Stir fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes or until almost cooked through. Add the ginger, onions, garlic, white and light green onion parts, and pea pods.
Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the onions are cooked to your preference, stirring frequently.
Whisk the sauce and add it to the pan, letting it boil for 1 minute before adding the noodles. Toss to coat. Top with dark green onion slices and serve.

Chicken Pot Pie

My new favorite cookbook. Check out the author.

     I just got this new cookbook and I am loving it. I have tried a few recipes and they all have been very easy to make and they have all tasted absolutely fantastic. This cookbook happens to be one of the better cookbooks that I've gotten in the mail. I always seem to have everything that I need to make most of the recipes in here. They don't really call for any weird ingredients.

     I had to laugh at the last name of the author. Who knew we'd share the same last name. I hadn't noticed it at first then one day I went to grab it off the shelf and I noticed the name. Made me laugh.

     Anyways I made the recipe in here for Chicken Pot Pie. I cut the recipe in half and I used a store bought pie crust. I also used frozen corn instead of frozen peas and it turned out to be really tasty.

     I wish we would have let it cool a little longer once it came out of the oven like the recipe says. We were so hungry we dove in. If we would have let it cool a bit the center would have thickened up a bit so it wouldn't have oozed all over our plates. Never the less it was still yummy, I just don't have any real good pictures of it. I'll add one at the end, but it's just not the best.

     I thought that one could substitute turkey for the chicken, especially since Thanksgiving is just around the corner and there is always the question of what to do with the leftovers.

     Here's the recipe and remember I've cut the recipe in half to make one pot pie.

Chicken Pot Pie
1 C peeled and diced potatoes
3 carrots peeled and sliced
1/3 C chopped onion
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 C flour
3/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 T chicken soup base
1 1/2 C chicken broth
3/4 C milk
 2 C cooked chicken, cubed
1/2 C frozen corn
2 pie crusts

Preheat the oven to 350.
Boil the potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan over medium heat until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet, saute the onion and butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and chicken soup base until blended. Gradually stir in the broth and milk. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until thick. Add the chicken, corn, potatoes and carrots to the broth mixture. Remove from the heat.
Place one pie crust in a glass pie plate. Lightly press along sides to form the sides and bottom. Add the chicken mixture. Put the top crust on and crimp the edges of the top and bottom crusts together. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. Once pie has cooled cut and serve.
Pie can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Chicken Pot Pie