Corn Chowder Recipe

I have fiddled with this recipe to the point of exhaustion, but tonight I finally found the combo that works, and here it is, and it REALLY hits the spot on a cold blustery day!

From J9 and stuff

J9’s Corn Chowder

Recipe for a 3 qt. Crock Pot

16 oz. Frozen Corn
Garlic Salt and Chili Powder to taste
1 Tbsp. Canola Oil
1 Medium Yellow Onion – roughly chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper – roughly chopped
1 Yellow Bell Pepper – roughly chopped
4 Medium Potatoes – peeled and cubed
4 c. Vegetable Broth
1 can sweet corn – drained
1 can creamed corn

Place frozen corn on cookie sheet, season lightly with garlic salt and chilli powder, and place under broiler, until browned, turning once.

While corn is browning, in saucepan on Medium heat, sauté onion in 1Tbsp. of oil, until translucent. Add Red and Yellow Bell Pepper, and sauté until peppers are slightly soft, and onions begin to brown.

Add Potatoes to crock pot. Once corn is browned, add to crock pot. Add Peppers and Onions to crock pot. Add Vegetable Broth to crock pot. Cook on low for 8-9 hours, or high 4-5 hours.

Use your immersion blender to blend the chowder – how smooth depends on how you like it. Alternately, you can use a blender and blend in small batches – be very careful when blending hot liquids! I prefer some chunks of potato, so I blend only slightly. Once all is blended, add the cans of corn (kernels and creamed), and leave on low for at least another 15 minutes.

I serve with toasted bread (sourdough if I have it), and this will serve 8 people generously, or 12 as an appetizer.

Nutritional information for 8 servings of 1.5 cups:

Amount Per Serving
Calories 229.4
Total Fat 3.1 g
   Saturated Fat 0.3 g
   Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g
   Monounsaturated Fat 1.2 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 710.7 mg
Potassium 733.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 47.8 g
   Dietary Fiber 6.0 g
   Sugars 7.4 g
Protein 5.9 g
Vitamin A 11.8 %
Vitamin B-12 0.0 %
Vitamin B-6 26.1 %
Vitamin C 156.0 %
Vitamin D 0.0 %
Vitamin E 3.9 %
Calcium 2.3 %
Copper 9.7 %
Folate 14.8 %
Iron 9.8 %
Magnesium 12.4 %
Manganese 17.3 %
Niacin 12.8 %
Pantothenic Acid  7.7 %
Phosphorus 13.2 %
Riboflavin 7.0 %
Selenium 1.5 %
Thiamin 10.8 %
Zinc 5.6 %

Love Dare Day 11

Today's Dare:

What need does your spouse have that you could meet today? Can you run an errand? Give a back rub or foot massage? Is there housework you could help with? Choose a gesture that says, “I cherish you” and do it with a smile.

The Dude has been grumbling about the state of the back yard, so today after school, I had the boys go through all the toys out there and sort by which really needed to come in, which were to remain outside, and which were to be thrown away. We now have a trashcan full of broken and rusted toys, a straightened up outdoor toy bin, and a much cleaner yard. My next task will be to finish cleaning the patio, and giving it a good scrub so that it is ready for the BBQ season. I love our yard, and like to be out there if it isn't disgusting. After the winter it just needs to be cleaned. I may even tackle this today while it is still sunny and nice out, but right now, I'm still in my work clothes.

Well the boys had other ideas. Our new neighbor kids came over and played for about an hour while I cooked dinner, recipe to follow. By the time The Dude was home and our neighbors back to their home it was an hour past our normal dinner time and the kids were cranky hungry. Despite the initial grumbling about the dinner, the boys really liked it and it totally hit the spot for me as I could not get warm over these past two days!

The Dude appreciated the cleaning of the yard, and the fact that I cooked AND cleaned up the dishes. We usually split those for I cook and he usually does dishes.

J9's Lazy Ass Black Beans and Rice:

2 cups rice (white or brown, your choice)

2 cans Black Beans (you could use red if you prefer)

1 16 oz pkg frozen southwestern style corn

Garlic

Onion

Cumin

Chili Powder

Start the rice, either in your rice steamer, or in a pot on the stove.

In another pot, over low heat, mix the beans, frozen corn, garlic, onion, cumin and chili powder to taste. For me tonight, it was about a teaspoon each of garlic salt, dried minced onion, cumin and chili powder. Leave both pots alone and covered. When the rice is done, dish out the rice, and the bean/corn mix over the top. If you prefer spicier, you could add hot sauce. I've also added green olives and capers for a bit more saltiness, or a squirt of lemon to finish is good as well.

Tonight I also thought of an even lazier version that includes steam in microwave rice, and a packet of taco or fajita seasoning in place of the seasonings above.

Roasted Corn Chowder

In my obsessive attempt to recreate my favorite Whole Foods Soup, I stumbled across this recipe and tried it. I made a couple of mistakes. First, I started it, in the hopes that it could be done for my family while I was away late at work. Second, I used Trader Joe's Hearty Vegetable Broth. There is nothing wrong with this broth, it just lends itself to a lentil soup, or even a barley mushroom, but not a delicate corn chowder.

Today I changed it up, and while I was delighted by the result, the boys were less thrilled. Then again, they are not soup or stew kids, so I have to take their rating with a grain of salt.

1 16 oz. bag of frozen corn

1 medium onion

1 Red Bell Pepper

5 Potatoes (regular Idaho spuds)

1 1/2 Quarts Swanson's Vegetable Stock

1/2 Pint Heavy Cream

Salt & Pepper

Spread corn out on cookie sheet (this works better on a sheet pan with sides), and place under the broiler until brown. Turn the corn a few times while broiling. While this is browning, dice the onion and bell pepper and saute on med-high until the onion is a bit brown. Peel and roughly cube the potatoes. Add Onion, Pepper, Potatoes and Corn to the crock pot. Add vegetable stock to about 2 inches from the top. (you'll need the room later, trust me) Cook in crock pot on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-9 hours. After this has cooked and the potatoes are tender, pull out about a cup of the corn - this is easy with a hand held strainer, as the corn will be floating on the top. Use your immersion blender (aka boat motor) and blend the soup. Stir the remaining corn into the soup. Leave on low until ready to serve. When ready to serve, add the heavy cream and mix. Season to taste. I ended up adding some sugar as the corn I used wasn't particularly sweet. Alternately, you could used creamed corn instead of the heavy cream, and it might give you a sweeter taste. I'm going to try that next time! I'd suggest serving with a nice whole wheat baguette, but I wasn't running to the bakery, so we went with wheat toast.

Was listening to Coast to Coast on the First, when there are predictions for the new year, and this quote struck me as just what we need to do: "A return to Yankee frugality. 'Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without.'" So I did what anyone would and Googled it. I found this page and I think it's AWESOME!

I also found a similar reference here with the image below:



It must be time to pay attention. The economy is a disaster, and I'm looking for a job. To cheer me up, I turned to food as I always do, but this time I wasn't eating a bag of chips, or a pint of ice cream.


I hauled out my slow cooker and looked for a recipe for Roasted Corn Chowder. I love the Whole Foods version, but not the price. I found one to try here, and I bookmarked the site to go back to for more. In researching the recipes, I found some good ones on the Whole Foods site, but alas, not my favorite soups that they sell :-( and only one for the cooker, but it isn't even remotely vegetarian.


The boys went to see Bedtime Stories today while I cleaned the house. Whee for me. I can't complain, because I can only clean the house when I am totally alone, and have the music loud. I got almost everything done before the boys got back too! Tonight, we are going back to the pot luck, and invited some friends over for spaghetti - Ron is trying Aida's recipe for the sauce and it smells wonderful cooking away!


There was a time, when the economy was good, and we all had well paying jobs that we would actually go out to eat. At nice restaurants. Most of those high end places are still in business, but the middle of the road ones (in both price and quality) are long gone. Now if we do go out, it is almost always a family friendly place with the kids (Think IHOP and Hooters). I'd much rather go to a non-franchised place, but the cost of a possibly bad meal is a bit prohibitive. Maybe I can schedule a date and get a Grandmother to watch the kids.

Job search

Earlier today I went to the park with the boys and the visiting cousins from CO. We were only there for a couple of hours, but they all had a lot of fun on the swings, and traipsing through the thigh high drifts of leaves. My oldest and the oldest cousin played a jungle game. She was queen of the felines, and he was king of the reptiles. The younger boys climbed trees and threw rocks and sticks, and the youngest played on the swings and slide. I'll have to get the boys back out for photos. I was a bit photoed out after the holidays. Later today I surfed the web for jobs, and applied for a few. Luckily, I live in an area where there is a multitude of IT work. I just need to find what fits.

Last night was the holiday dinner with Ron's step sister and brothers. The kids all had a good time, except for the 13 year old, who spent the time texting his friends about how bored he was. The three 9 year olds, two 8 year olds, and one each 6, 5, and 3. All but one are boys. It was really loud. They played Wii Olympics, and ran around with swords and Light Sabers. It was casual - spaghetti, salad and bread. And desserts from other holiday offerings. They asked me to bring what I call my stuff salad. They all call it trail mix salad. I don't like lettuce, I like the stuff that goes on it.

That said, here is my Stuff Salad Recipe:

2 bags washed Spring Mix

2 cans Mandarin Oranges, drained

2 cans Hearts of Palm, drained and sliced about 1/2" thick

1 bag Craisins, original flavor

1 tub crumbled Bleu or Roquefort cheese

2 bags Candied Walnuts, Butter Toffee flavor

1 jar Litehouse Balsamic Vinaigrette

Layer all items into a bowl, in any order you like, though I find lettuce on the bottom works best. Pour dressing over, slightly toss and serve. Serves 10-15.

I eat mostly the stuff, and leave the lettuce, but I've found that there are people on this planet who actually like lettuce. Otherwise, I'd leave it out entirely. I've also found I can do these on chilled salad plates for a nice presentation. Alternately I've added thinly sliced red onion, artichoke hearts or water chestnuts instead of the palm. I'd also say candied pecans would work, though I'm not that fond of them.

I did have a strange dream the other night, though now I cannot remember what it was about. Last night I was feeling a bit of vertigo, and I know I need to get to the Acupuncturist.

Our Heritage & more rambling

This week was heritage reports at school, with Family Trees, costumes, reports and food. One kid picked Italy, and I made Mary bread, which is sort of Italian, and really easy.
1 loaf french or sour dough bread
1 cube butter
1 pkg Good Season's Italian Dressing mix
melt the butter to spreadability. mix the dressing mix and butter. Split the loaf (like you would for garlic bread. Spread the buttery mix on bread. Place under broiler until golden toasty. Slice and serve.
The other picked Scotland and I bought Walker's Shortbread. There were Samosas, Tamales, Enchiladas, Puffed Jasmine Rice, Potato Chips (for Idaho), Irish Sweet Bread, and Irish Soda Bread, Lumpia, Pot stickers and Spring Rolls. There were Swedish Meatballs, Spaghetti and Pizza. For dessert there was Rice Pudding, German Chocolate Cupcakes, Chocolate Coins, and Cookies of all kinds.
I'm thinking of creating a cookbook of the recipes, they were THAT good! I found many more vegetarians than I had initially known about, and commiserated with the other moms of picky eaters.
The kids got to wear jammies to school, and were read the Polar Express. They were each given a bell and a book for the holidays and because it was rainy, they were completely wound up.
Now I have to figure out what to do with them next week. Tomorrow I'm going on a photo walk with them. Sunday, Ron is heading to the Raider game. Monday we'll be building Gingerbread houses at Grandma and Papa's house. Tuesday I need to do an airport run. Wednesday and Thursday will be totally nuts. I need to plan a play date for Friday. Saturday we'll be visiting Granny in Hilmar. Sunday-Tuesday is currently open. Wednesday and Thursday again out of the equation. Friday through Sunday totally open. Maybe a snow trip. Maybe just local parks and museums and photo walks. I am feeling a bit cooped up myself and in need of an outing.
Ron is driving me insane with the EMT class. He kept me up past midnight, yammering on about the people in the class, the instructors, the scenarios they have been practicing. Despite wanting some time away and alone, I let him take the car to a study group this afternoon, just to get him to stop freaking out. I holed up in the office, applying at various companies in the area. We'll see what comes of it.