Easy Corn Chowder

Favorite recipe from my "college family"...

Corn Chowder

3 medium potatoes, diced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (I use 1/2 onion)

Add water to almost cover and cook til tender, about 15 minutes.

2 c. corn (I use frozen, thawed)
1, 12 oz can evaporated milk (I use regular)
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Add the above. Heat to boiling again.

2 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. cold water

Dissolve together. Add to soup, stirring til thickened. (I didn't do this yesterday and it was thick enough without it.) Fry/crumble 3 strips bacon and sprinkle over top before serving.

Easy, economical and good!

Taco Soup

Fast food at our house? One pot Taco Soup. I throw in odds and ends, but here's the basic idea:





Taco Soup

1 lb hamburger
some chopped onion, to taste
some chopped jalapenos or green peppers, optional, to taste
2 cans kidney beans, drained
2 cans stewed tomatoes (I use 1 qt, canned)
2 cans corn, undrained (I use about 2 c. frozen, thawed)
1, 16 oz can tomato sauce (I use 1 pt. canned)
1 pkg taco seasoning (I use bulk, Costco)

Fry hamburger in large pot with onion, peppers til hamburger is cooked. Add remaining ingredients and simmer about 15 minutes til flavors are blended. Optional: serve with grated cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream.

Fast, easy and good!

Garden Tomato Soup

After three canner loads of tomatoes, I still had a bowl left so I tried this recipe. I will definitely be making it again. Anakin's initial reaction was that it tasted bland. It probably is when compared to the highly processed, sodium-rich canned stuff from the store. That was my first reaction as well. But then I got seconds. And thirds. And made more today for lunch. If anyone knows a similar recipe that has been tested as safe for canning, I'd love to make some. Most of the on-line recipes I found for tomato soup look suspiciously unsafe and not up to current food safety standards.

GARDEN TOMATO SOUP

8 lg. vine ripened tomatoes
2 slices onion
1/2 bay leaf
2 c. water
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 whole cloves
Salt to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated

Immerse tomatoes in boiling hot water so skins can be easily removed. Cut in half, hold cut side down over strainer and squeeze gently to remove seeds. Chop tomatoes. Melt butter in deep heavy saucepan. Add onion, cook until soft; stir in cornstarch. Cook until it bubbles. Add chopped tomatoes, bay leaf and cloves; simmer until tomato is soft. Add water and salt. Cook 20 minutes. Force through strainer or food mill. Serve topped with cheese.

Zucchini Garden Chowder-favorite summer soup!

First, the flu. I have no answers. Anakin had a fever between 103-104 for seven days and was sick for nine. He was not tested for flu but eventually was diagnosed with pneumonia, which they later changed to bronchitis. A week later I got "it." I was put on an anti-viral after two days of fever. I had a fever for seven days. But the flu test came back a week later...negative. So I have no idea what we had. But it wasn't fun. We're both still coughing.

But, what was fun? Kids cooking when I was sick. They made this soup twice that week. It is my ALL TIME FAVORITE summer soup. The recipe comes from Simply in Season.

Zucchini Garden Chowder

2 T. butter or margarine (I use coconut oil and my dh says it gives extra flavor)
Melt in soup pot over medium heat.

2 medium zucchini (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 T. fresh parsley (chopped)
1 T. fresh basil (chopped; or 1 t. dried)
Add and saute until tender.

1/3 c. flour (I use rice flour)
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
3 c. water
Stir flour and seasonings into vegetables. Gradually stir in water to make a smooth stock.

3 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes
1 t. lemon juice.
Add and mix well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

2 c. tomatoes (chopped)
1 1/2 c. evaporated milk (I use rice milk; it's less thick, but tasty)
2 c. corn
Add and return to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes until corn is tender.

2 c. cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (grated)
Just before serving add and stir until melted.


We LOVE this soup. It's best when the zucchini is just barely cooked (don't cook it to mush!) and the corn is slightly crunchy.

I have frozen the vegetable ingredients to make it in the winter. It's okay, but can't compare with the summer version...mostly because the zucchini gets mushy upon freezing.

Sausage and Greens Soup

You know it's a winner when EVERYBODY asks for seconds! (Except GG...but he ate "firsts"...which was a first for anything GREEN...so it counts!)

Tonight I tried "Sausage and Greens Soup" from the "Spring" section (pp. 38) of Simply in Season. I doubled the recipe. It was a hit. The only request was for more "bulk" next time with the suggestion that I add more potatoes. That's easy enough. :)


Sausage and Greens Soup (serves 4)

1/2 lb. bulk sausage
Brown in a soup pot and drain all but a spoonful of fat. Remove meat.

1 c. onion, green onions, or chives, chopped
Saute in reserved fat until soft. Return sausage to soup pot.

4 c. chicken or veg broth
1 c. potatoes, diced
salt/pepper to taste
Add, bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are soft, 10-15 mins.

1 1/2 c. evaporated milk**
1-3 c. fresh, tender greens (I used spinach), chopped
Add and cook until tender (really brief for spinach). Garnish with grated Parmesan.


**This is where I thought I'd get in trouble. I used all kinds of milk odds and ends. A little rice milk, a little leftover (freezer) goat milk, a little leftover (freezer) evaporated milk, a little 2%. I could taste the strange combination of milks, but apparently no one else could. [Grin.]

Crockpot Chicken and Chicken Corn Soup

Want slow cooked fast food? Nothing like two crockpot recipes in one week! Here are two family favorites from Fix-It and Forget-It. I make the chicken in the crockpot one day and follow up with the soup a couple days later. Both are wonderful comfort foods. The soup is different from any other soup I make...really a unique recipe.

Frances' Roast Chicken
-modified from Fix-It and Forget-It

3-4 lb. whole chicken
half an onion
1 rib celery
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t. poultry seasoning
1/4 t. dried basil

Put half onion and celery rib in chicken cavity with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning. Put chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with basil. Okay to add a little water (to stretch broth), but not necessary.

Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hrs or High 4-6 hours. I basically cook it until the chicken starts to fall apart. After cooking, strain and save broth...it's amazing!



Chicken Corn Soup
-modified from Fix-It and Forget-It

2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
--or--
a couple cups of chopped, cooked chicken from above recipe.

1 onion, chopped (I used less)
1 garlic clove, minced (opt)
2 carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 med potatoes, cubed
1 t. mixed dried herbs (I skip if using above broth...it's flavorful enough)
1/3 c. tomato sauce
12 oz can cream-style corn
14 oz can whole kernel corn (I sub the two cans of corn with several cups of frozen corn)
3 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. chopped Italian parsley (opt)
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Combine all ingredients except parsley, salt, pepper in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 8-9 hours or until chicken is cooked/tender and veggies are cooked. (I sometimes do it on High for about 4 hours, but the chicken is already cooked.) Add parsley and seasonings 30 minutes before serving.

Taco Soup

Taco soup is a staple at our house. I have made it so often, I no longer follow a recipe. (That's BIG for me!) But for the benefit of taco soup "newbies" :), I'll post a recipe, followed by some of the modifications I've made over the years...

This is the kind of inexpensive, nutritious "fast food" we like!


Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef
chopped onions (amount to taste)
1/2 c. taco sauce or 1 pkg taco seasoning or 2-3 t. chili powder (to taste)
2 (16 oz) cans kidney beans (I drain)
2 (16 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
1 can corn, undrained
1-2 cans creamed corn

Brown beef and onions. Add seasoning of choice. Add beans, tomatoes and sauce, corn. Mix well. Bring to boil, then simmer, covered, 15 minutes.

Optional toppings: grated cheese, tortilla chips (broken from bottom of bag is great for this!), sour cream

Notes: Before I started gardening, this took a lot of canned goods. (I always knew when Taco Soup was on the menu by the number of cans in the dishwasher after dinner.) Now, I use a lot of garden goodies...

I brown the beef with onion, adding chopped green peppers and diced jalapenos from the freezer. I generally use chili powder as the seasoning (least expensive) or homemade Mexican seasoning. I throw in a full quart of canned tomatoes, a pint of homemade tomato sauce and a couple cups of frozen corn. The only canned good I use is the kidney beans. When I'm truly ambitious (not often), I buy kidney beans in bulk, cook them, and freeze. They are significantly cheaper than canned beans.

Day 48, Curried Sweet Potato Chowder (93...Free!)

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, sweet potatoes are usually a pretty good deal. I just picked up 4 for $1.75 (3lbs @ .58/lb) at our local grocery. Not a bad time to stock up. Since sweet potatoes rank #1 among veggies, you really get a lot of nutritional bang for your buck.

The following recipe for Curried Sweet Potato Chowder comes from our church camp. I liked it so much I asked for the recipe. The odd amounts are no doubt the result of reducing a camp recipe to a serving size of 8.

Curried Sweet Potato Chowder

2/3 onion, chopped
1 1/2 T. oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. curry powder
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/8 lbs chicken broth
5/8 lb coconut milk, unsweetened (I used about 2/3rd of a can)
dash ginger, to taste
dash pepper, to taste
dash salt, to taste

In soup pot, cook onion in hot oil over medium heat. Add curry and garlic and cook until onion is tender. Add sweet potatoes, chicken broth, coconut milk and ginger. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10-15 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. Cool slightly.

Remove half the mixture from pot and in small batches, place mixture in blender and blend until smooth. Return to soup mixture in pot. Add pepper and salt; heat through.

Serve with peanuts and raisins for toppings, optional.

Day 43, Crockpot Beef Stew (93...Free!)

I usually make beef stew following the recipe that came with my crockpot. It's good, but with some modifications I tried yesterday, it was the best beef stew I've ever made. I was particularly happy with it because pretty much everything came from the garden...always a plus! ;) Here's what I did...

Beef Stew

1 lb stew meat cut into small pieces
1/4 c. flour (gluten free for us)
1 t. salt, or to taste
1/2 t. pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. paprika
4 carrots, sliced
4 potatoes, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced (with leaves, chopped)
2 t. Kitchen Bouquet (opt.)
1 - 2 c. corn

Place meat in crockpot. Mix in flour, salt, pepper, stirring with meat to coat. Add 1 1/2 c. boiling water and stir. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. (I did this part first thing in the morning.)

After 4-5 hours (around lunch time), add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT corn. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or til veggies are cooked. Add additional (boiling) water toward end of cooking time if you want it more "soupy." Add corn in the last 30 minutes of cooking, enough to heat it up. Green beans are another great addition.

Note: If you can't add ingredients in the middle of the day, it works to do it all day on low heat. I just think it turned out better when I cooked the meat for awhile before adding everything else.

Day 25, Chix/Turkey Vegetable Soup (93...Free!)

You know the criteria by now...if 'LilDude asks for 3rds, the recipe gets blogged. :) Tonight the kids all enjoyed "Chicken Vegetable Soup" from Simply in Season. 'LilDude had three helpings despite one concern...

"Mom, there's a bug in my soup."

I didn't doubt it since I'd just brought the broccoli and kale in from the garden, but I asked anyway, hoping it was pepper. "How do you know?"

"It has LEGS."

Lizzi consoled him. "That's okay. Bugs are just protein. People in other countries eat bugs all the time."

That satisfied 'LilDude.

I hope you enjoy it, legs or not... ;)



Chicken (Turkey) Vegetable Soup
-modified from Simply in Season

The recipe calls for a 3 lb chicken, cooked, with reserve broth. I just cooked a turkey, so I used that meat & broth.

3 c. carrots, diced
2 c. celery, diced
1-2 medium onions, diced
1 medium parsnip, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced

In large soup pot saute the above in 2 T. olive oil. Add a little water for steam.

1/2 t. ground red pepper
salt/pepper to taste

Add the 2 above ingredients and cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender but not mushy, 15 minutes. Add water to chicken/turkey broth to make 12 cups. Add to soup mixture along with cooked chicken or turkey (cut into bite-sized pieces.)

2 c. broccoli florets
2 c. kale, chopped
1/2 t. dried dill (or 1 1/2 t. fresh)

Add, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer to blend flavors.

Note: We had leftover rice in the fridge. 'LilDude LOVES rice and added some to his soup. The cold rice helped to cool the hot soup. The kids also added Parmesan cheese or grated cheddar if they wished.

BTW, I don't think I'd ever eaten a parsnip until last year. I really like them. And in a recipe like this, they provide a little sweetness that's not-to-be-missed. Now if I could only figure out how to grow them.

93...Free!

This morning as I canned more salsa, I listened to several finance experts on the radio. My toes curled a bit. Then, I asked several friends what they thought about the current economic outlook. My toes curled a little more. Then, at dinner, my husband and I discussed our own financial resources. We agreed on a plan. For the remainder of the year, we will try to spend as little as possible, challenging ourselves to buy what is necessary and putting off "extras." Although we live a fairly frugal lifestyle anyway, the specific challenge..."93 Free"...or 93 days free of spending anything that isn't necessary, is new.

In that spirit, I'll be trying to post a reflection on each day of our "93...Free!" Hopefully, this will include tips and ideas that others can use as well. Since Christmas falls into this time frame, I'll be posting Christmas ideas.

93...Free
Day 1

I didn't spend any money today, but I tried to get creative in saving some. "Dump Soup" was the result. The last several days' worth of cooking and canning has resulted in our fridge being filled with odds and ends:

* cooked hamburger
* half a cabbage
* chopped onion, tomatoes, green peppers, celery (from making salsa)
* corn (cut off some corn-on-the-cob we had a few nights ago)

I basically emptied the fridge into my crockpot and added beef broth (frozen, from previous leftovers), chili powder, Worcesterchire sauce, and salt. The outcome? "Dump Soup!"

We added a little grated cheese and a few tortilla chips. My husband asked to take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. It might not be the 'purtiest thing, but it tasted good! Our neighbor gave us some Asian pears to round out the meal.

Tough Times Tomato Soup

My mom is going to crack up when she sees I went to the effort to post this.

One of my favorite food memories from childhood is of macaroni/tomato soup. It consists of nothing more than:

cooked elbow macaroni
tomato juice
salt and sugar to taste

For the past several days, 'LilDude has requested it for lunch. He finally got his wish, as Daddy recently made a grocery stop for more tomato juice. 'LilDude--really all of my kids--think this tomato soup is delicious. The recipe probably came out of the depression... I believe that my grandma made it for her kids.

In the 21st century, we've occasionally embellished it with sprinkles of parmesan cheese or leftover popped popcorn. ('LilDude has been known to save some of his kindergarten popcorn snack so that he can put it on his soup!) But it's still the same basic recipe...

Cook about 3/4 c. of elbow macaroni per person. (At least that's how much my kids often eat. Yours might not eat that much. ;) When it's just barely undercooked, drain and add heated up tomato juice. (Add as much juice as you like.) Stir in salt/sugar to taste.

If you want a healthier version, use whole grain pasta. I make gluten free pasta when 'LilDude eats it.

I don't think I know of a more economical lunch that this.

Black Bean Chicken Chili - Crockpot

Here's a longtime family-favorite recipe from a longtime favorite friend...

I've made it in the crockpot and on the stovetop...both work great.




Black Bean Chicken Chili

2 lbs chicken breasts (I just use a handful of leftover, chopped chicken that I freeze after we eat chicken dinner)

2-3 cans black beans

1 can diced mild chilies (optional, esp. since $$$, but YUMMERS!)

2-3 cans chopped tomatoes (I use a quart of frozen tomatoes)

some chopped jalapeno, optional (I freeze this in the summer and use
a spoonful at a time)

chili seasoning to taste

If you use raw chicken, you may want to saute it briefly before adding to crockpot. I always use leftover, cooked chicken. I dump it all together in the crockpot at the "low" setting if it's all day and "high" setting if it's half a day. Or I dump it all in a large pan and heat it up on the stovetop.

This freezes well. I'm making a double batch tonight so we have extra to take on a camping trip.

Slow Cooker Chili

Late winter is not especially exciting when you’re trying to eat in season. Root vegetables and squash are getting old…both literally and to the palate. But things are starting to bloom, a signal that it’s time to really make an effort to use up whatever is in the freezer in preparation for next year’s supply. At this point we have a lot of frozen corn and tomatoes left. It’s time to use those ingredients in abundance. Here is a favorite recipe modified from Simply in Season…


Slow Cooker Chili

1 lb ground beef

Brown in large frypan.

1/2 to 1 onion (chopped)
1-2 cloves minced garlic (optional)
1/2 to 1 cup green pepper (I use frozen, chopped)
1/2 to 1 cup celery (chopped, optional)

Add to beef and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Place in slow cooker.

4 cups beans (I use 1 can black and 1 can kidney)
1 qt. tomatoes (chopped, I use frozen**)
1-2 T. chili powder
1 T. honey
1 t. salt
1-2 or more cups corn (I use frozen)
1 can pieces & stems mushrooms (optional)
1 T. Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 hot chili pepper (minced, optional, I use frozen)

Add and cook on high for 15 minutes then on low for 8-10 hours. Serve as soup (add water at the end to make soupier) or over rice or pasta.

My family really likes this as an alternative to taco soup which is another soup/stew favorite.

**This past year I read several articles about the potential problems with plastic packaging in food storage. I was particularly concerned with storing acidic ingredients in plastic. In the past, I froze tomatoes in yogurt or cottage cheese containers (recycling!) or in standard freezer containers. This year, in an effort to get away from plastic, I froze tomatoes in quart jars with used canning lids from the previous year. (So the lids had already had the seal used, but the seal was still adequate for freezing.) I left plenty of head space for expansion. The system has worked great as long as I remember to pull out ingredients with time to allow for thawing.

Squash That Kids Will Eat

Growing squash could make a person rich. A couple cheap little seeds yield bushels and bushels of the veggie...high in vitamins, antioxidants, fiber. In a cool winter climate, storage is as simple as piling it in boxes in the garage. When we eat from our stash of squash, we save on our grocery produce bill. Since 'Lil Dude (can you tell that the kids named themselves?) is gluten intolerant, it's also a great food for him.

Squash is a good thing! And I've got a LOT. Time to pull out the recipes!

Curried Squash & Mushroom Soup
(modified from the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen)

2 med. acorn or butternut squash
2 1/2 c. water
1 c. orange juice
1 T. coconut oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. coriander
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger
1/4 t. dry mustard
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
dashes cayenne to taste

1. In a 375 oven, bake squash halves until soft. Puree in food processor with water. Transfer to kettle and stir in orange juice.

2. Heat coconut oil. Add onion, garlic, salt, spices. Saute til onion is soft. (Add water if needed to prevent sticking.) Add mushrooms, cover, & cook for 10 minutes over med. heat, stirring occasionally.

3. Add saute to the squash. Add cayenne and heat gently. YUMMERS!


Butternut Squash Casserole
(modified from Mennonite Country Style Recipes & Kitchen Secrets by Esther Shank)

3 c. (or more) cooked, mashed butternut squash
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 (20-oz or less) can pineapple**
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/3 c. chopped peanuts

**Drain pineapple and save the liquid (and some pineapple if you don't want it all in the casserole) for smoothies. Crush pineapple with a potato masher, integrating into squash. Combine all remaining ingredients except peanuts. Sprinkle peanuts on top. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes.

We like this hot and cold. When it's cold, it's sorta like a pumpkin pudding.