I {Heart} Soup

Soup. Stew. Chowder. Chili. I love them all. I miss them so much during the summer months.

Soup is my favorite thing to cook. I love the idea of taking 15 minutes to prep my ingredients, put them in a pot, and let them simmer til done. No split second timing required. One pot for the entire meal. I especially adore soups that take the afternoon to cook. A cool and rainy Sunday afternoon. Soup simmering on the stove. Snuggled on my chair knitting while watching a chick flick. Going into the kitchen every so often to give the soup a stir. This is even more enjoyable if I bake bread at the same time. Heaven on earth.

Depending on my mood, I use two different recipes for corn chowder. My favorite is Ina Garten's Cheddar Corn Chowder. I love Ina. Ina's cookbooks make me look like I know what I'm doing in the kitchen (I see a whole other post coming about cooking with The Barefoot Contessa).

If I want my corn chowder in a hurry, I use this recipe.

EASY Corn Chowder

1 16 oz. bag frozen hash browns
1 15 oz. can whole corn, undrained
1 15 oz. can cream style corn
1 1/2 cups milk (your choice, half and half is over the top!)
1 medium onion, chopped
8 slices bacon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. worcestershire sauce
1/4 t. black pepper

Cook bacon until crisp in a dutch oven or large saucepan, remove to a plate. Drain bacon fat, reserving 1 T. cook chopped onion in reserved bacon fat until translucent.
Add the potatoes, corn, milk, salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce to the dutch oven and simmer over medium-low heat for about 25-30 minutes. Do not bring to a rolling boil. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and reserved bacon, crumbled.