Corn Chowder with Chilies and Cheese and Garlic Scones

Corn Chowder with Chilies
adapted from Pioneer Woman
Original link
2 slices bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used Turkey Bacon)
2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 onion, diced
5 ears corn, shucked about 4 c.(although I am sure fresh is killer, I only had frozen)
2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely diced
1 whole can diced green chilies
32 ounces chicken broth
1 1/2 C. Heavy whipping cream (I used whole milk)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 Tablespoons corn meal
1/4 C. water
I didn't have quite enough corn so I also added:
1 can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 small baked potatoes, cubed
Add bacon pieces to a pot over medium heat. Cook for a couple minutes. Throw in diced onion and stir, cooking 3-4 minutes. Add butter and melt. Add corn. Stir and cook one minute. Add both kinds of chilies and stir.
Pour in chicken broth and cream. Add salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. This is where I added the potatoes and beans.
Combine cornmeal with water. Stir to combine, then pour into the chowder. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. Cook for another 10 minutes.

The Easy Cheese and Garlic Scones from Allrecipes.com I have posted before. They are a must with soup!
One note about this recipe. When you get all the ingredients together it is really wet. I find that it is way too wet to knead, as the instructions say, so I just pour it right onto a heated pizza stone and then bake it.

Veggie Beef Stew

This is always good!

1.5 lb pork roast (cut into large chunks)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup red cooking wine (optional)
1 can beef broth
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes
2 medium red potatoes, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried thyme

Season the pork with kosher salt, pepper and Spike (a multi-purpose seasoning).
Heat olive oil in a large metal (non-Teflon) skillet or dutch oven. Add pork and sear on each side about 3-5 minutes.
Remove pork from skillet and place in a large slow cooker (which is turned on HIGH).
Add onion to the hot skillet and cook a few minutes; deglaze pan with wine or a littel beef broth. Add onions to crock pot.
Pour remainder of ingredients over the pork in the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours (or low 6). Shred pork before serving.

Cauliflower Soup and Garlic Cheddar Scones

I have had an awful cold all week. I needed some comfort food. I don't think I have ever had cauliflower soup before, but for some reason it sounded really good. So I did a search for it and a recipe popped up that was from Pioneer woman. I have tried several of her recipes and really liked them, so I thought it was worth a shot. (I just went back and did a search on her site for cauliflower soup and she had about 8 different soups featuring cauliflower!)
I really liked how this turned out. Even thought I was really plugged up I could taste that it had a nice flavor.
I made a few changes to things I had around. I subsituted 2% milk for the whole, fat-free half and half for the real stuff, and I omitted the sour cream and topped the soup with grated cheddar instead.
Gotta have bread with soup. I didn't have a lot of time, so I turned to this recipe that I have used before, is really satisfying and is done in no time.

Chocolate Chipotle Chili

Okay, I saw this on Our Best Bites and didn't think much of it. My friend made some and gave it to me. At first I thought it tasted like any old chili, but when I had some the next day (today) I loved it so much that I came in and am posting it.
Even if you have a tried and true chili recipe, this is really worth giving a try. I love the chipotle flavor!
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/10/chipotle-chocolate-chili.html

Sunday Dinner

We've been traveling and need an easy and light dinner- this tortilla soup does the trick!