Friday, September 28, 2012

Corn and Potato Chowder

It's only been a few days that I have not been around...not commenting to all you dear friends, and not linking to my favorites...Hearth and Soul Blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen for Tuesday...Thursday Favorite Things Bog Hop @ Katherines Corner and Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage...  so, I'm hoping that I'm not too late to be linking my post this week!


I made this incredible Corn and Potato Chowder, from ingredients that I had on hand, and seriously....no recipe required. If you have chicken or vegetable broth on hand, either homemade, or for me; preferably with soup base, or in a 32 oz Swanson brand. carton of chicken broth which is 100% natural...best of all, 99% fat free and no MSG added.



My week was like a blur and just sped by so quickly. On Tuesday of this week I was woken up to about 10 huge FPL (Florida Power and Light) trucks, doing a major work on our electrical system, so naturally, they had to shut off all the electric in the entire building. I just had to leave for the day, and not return until later...not realizing that my computer was entirely down, as well! When you have the advantage of getting someone else's computer (a real nice one of course)...my son gave me his computer 3yrs ago, and left quite a lot of programs of his own in there, along with my programs, it sure has been over crowded....so I let him work on it to take most of his programs out...now, my Microsoft picture viewer and editor is missing, (luckily before these photos were edited)...and for 2 days I could not use it entirely.

What happened to the good old days?....really, only about 10yrs ago when no-one had a food blog until maybe since 2005, and now, I can't even imagine life without having to (forget about my own)...check out food blogs for their latest post! Wow, life sure has changed in a matter of a decade...oh yes, it sure has changed. To think I'm a grandmother of 4 beautiful children, the oldest, just recently turning 11. Life is a treasure, and we should enjoy all the changes, surprises, and continuous adventures, not 'sweating the small stuff'...and face trials and tribulations head on, as well. There's a saying; 'Deal with it!'...so here I am, dealing with it all!


Corn and Potato Chowder
recipe: by, Elisabeth

1-32 oz. container of chicken, or vegetable broth,
or 2-15 oz. cans of the same...or your own homemade chicken or vegetable broth
2 or 3 medium potatoes peeled and diced small
1-12 oz.(about) frozen corn
or 1-14 oz. canned corn
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
plus 1 Tbsp. for finishing
1 med. onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 carrots scraped and diced
2 stalks of celery diced
1 sweet red bell pepper diced
1 medium tomato diced
fresh parsley, or dry (a small amount)
fresh thyme, or dry (a small amount)


fresh rosemary, chopped (just a small amount)
Do not use dry rosemary...just omit, if you don't have fresh!
1 cup (8 oz.) half and half cream
2 Tbsp. flour, mixed in with the cream

In a medium or larger size pot, saute onions, garlic, and celery, until onion is wilted. Add the red bell pepper, and tomatoes and stir. If you're using dry herbs, add them as well. Give it a good stir.(For the fresh herbs add them at the end.)

Add half of the amount of broth, salt and pepper to taste, and let it come to a boil on high heat.
Lower the heat to medium, and add the remaining broth.
Simmer until vegetables are tender, but not mushy.

Now you can add the corn, which will only take about 5 minutes to cook, of frozen, or to heat up if it's canned.

At the very end of the process, add the half and half cream with the mixed in 2 Tbsp flour. You can use a mesh strainer to assure a smooth texture. Just stir, to incorporate (do not boil) heat up till its thickened, and add your fresh herbs. Adjust seasoning at the end, if needed.

If you like corn, and potatoes, and a creamy comforting soup...do not miss this one! Also vegetarian...a wonderful soup 'for the soul' ...and perfect for welcoming the fall...even has the fall colors of reds, orange, and yellow, just like the 'turning leaves' on the trees. Fall is one of my very favorite seasons!

On Yom Kippur Eve Tuesday...all day without electricity, 2 more days without computer use, and service...what a beautiful way to say a prayer for family, friends, and pray for forgiveness, and PEACE...SHALOM!
An unforgettable view from my balcony, in Palm Beach Florida, where the sky always weaves its 'magic'...God's Glory...and Mother Nature's painted sky!
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43 comments:

Kati said...

Jó kis sűrű levest készítettél:) Külön - külön mindkettőt szeretem, így együtt még nem készítettem, de ki fogom próbálni:)

Swathi Iyer said...

Elisabeth, I have to try this corn and potato chowder, looks really creamy and delicious.Yes we are blessed with lot of other things. We need to be happy about that. I linked my bread recipe to Tweleve loaves.

Katherines Corner said...

I love a good chowder and this one is surely a winner ( great photo too).Thank you for sharing at the The Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop xo

Patty said...

A lovely post...lovely soup...lovely thoughts and lovely photos...

Gizi said...

Csodálatos őszi színekben pompázik ez a leves!! Nagyon finom lehet, olyan jó krémesnek látszik. Én is szívesen elkanalazgatnám.
Csodálatos a kilátás az erkélyedről, gyönyörűek a fotók.
Szép hétvégét kívánok az egész családnak!!! Puszillak

High Heeled Life said...

Wow .. this definitely is perfect for the cooler days we have been getting. happy holidays to you and your family.

Thank you so much for stopping by and your kind words .. I'm happily following your blog too! HHL

Cardamom Hills said...

Ohhh...corn and potato...my daughter's fav veggies....actually the only veggies she would eat....I love this recipe...now that winter is approaching...this one might just happen in my kitchen very soon.....just wondering, how different is using dried rosemary from fresh? Actually, I have only used dried rosemary till now but I kinda always feel its too over powering flavor....is it more mild when fresh?

Pegasuslegend said...

Now this is about the yummiest looking soup I have ever seen just spectacular in color and flavors oozing out of the bowl!

Jennifer aGlimpseOfOurLife said...

Your pictures and your soup are beautiful. I've not yet been able to capture soup with a pretty picture. That recipe sounds delicious.

Phong Hong said...

Elisabeth, love your chowder. Great to have a bowl of warm chowder, it would make me very happy. My home computer died on me last weekend and I am suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Lucky I can use my office computer :)

Marina@Picnic at Marina said...

I made corn chowder today too, how fun is that?! :) Your photos from the balcony do look fantastic, breathtaking! :)

Emma said...

Yummy looking, creamy chowder!

Stunning photos and sunsets. I so miss seeing sunsets from our balcony since we moved a couple of years back.

Lovely philosophy to have too Elisabeth. I often wish I could go back to 10-15 years ago before all the complications we have now with technology and social networking etc.

Lora CakeDuchess said...

So I don't see you for a couple days and I miss this fabulous chowder and this incredible sunset. Like a painting. Save me some next time-please?:)

Anita at Hungry Couple said...

Beautiful photos and a delicious looking soup. Comfort food! :)

Illéskrisz Konyhája said...

Nagyon finomat főztél. A leves és a főzelék közti finomság. Kukoricát még nem főztem, csak simán csövesnek. Ki fogom próbálni! A képek csodásak!

Angie's Recipes said...

Eli, this looks incredibly comforting and tasty. I love soups at this time of year. Gorgeous clicks!
I wish you a relaxing and lovely weekend!
Angie

Mari said...

Your chowder looks amazing, absolutely mouthwatering! You are right, life is to enjoy every moment. Everything happens for a reason, it up to us to face life with a smile or frown.

Hugs

Zsuzsa said...

So glad to see you posting dear friend. You were on my mind.

The Mistress of Spices said...

I love a good corn chowder! Your version sounds and looks delectable!

Katalin said...

Nagyon guszta, csodálatosak a színei. Finom lehetett!

Sissi said...

Gorgeous photos, Elisabeth! I see some rays of sunshine... Lucky you! We have such a gloomy, rainy weather here today. I like autumn, but only when it's warm and sunny. Your chowder looks fabulous, delicious and I suppose perfect also for a cold dark day.

Catherine said...

Dear Elisabeth, I would miss my blogging world too. So many beautiful and kind people are in this blogging world.
The soup you made looks both hearty and delicious.
Thank you for posting the beautiful sunsets.
Blessings dear. Catherine xo

Jacqueline said...

What a pretty looking soup. Love the colours. So appealing!

Ola said...

very colorful, perfect for fall!

Blog about life and travelling
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Curt Iffert said...

This really caught my eye. I am not a seafood person per say, so chowder is usually not on my menu of must haves. However potato and corn combo? Oh yeah give me the whole darn pot! LOOKS like I need to learn how to make this soup, best of all it's sounds doable!

The KitchenMaid said...

Elisabeth, that soup looks fab - really comforting to eat. I can't wait for the summer corn to appear (even though that's months away), so I might try this with frozen corn. As for the rosemary, there's a house at the bottom of our street with loads of it that we 'borrow' on a daily basis. Hope you have a great week.

Treatntrick Treat and Trick said...

Your photo makes me want to dig into this comforting and awesome chowder right away! Thanks so much for your encouraging words and joining in my blog. Have a fun filled weekend!

lena said...

hi elisabeth, truly comforting and i like the little corn in there! oh yeah, quite handicapped sometimes without a computer, i experienced that too and though i dont blog everyday, i still enjoy communicating with all of you. Have a lovely week ahead!

Lizzy Do said...

I've been gone all weekend...nice to unplug for a couple days :) Wow, your sunset photos are incredible...yes, Mother Nature offers so many blessings. Your soup looks fantastic, too...Bill and I would both love a big bowl (and seconds!). Happy Sunday, my friend!

Amanda said...

the rosemary garnish is the perfect touch!

Vicki Bensinger said...

I love corn chowder and although my family claims they don't like it I'm not sure they've ever really tried it. Your recipe sounds wonderful, hearty and delicious. I will definitely make this especially with our weather getting cooler.

Miz Helen said...

Hi Elisabeth,
This is one of my favorite Chowders, I just love the Corn and Potato combination. Hope you have a great week and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen

The Mom Chef said...

I'd love to be forced to be disconnected....for a little while. Imagine all the things that would get done and dishes cooked! This chowder looks so creamy and packed with flavor. It just screams comfort food.

Priya said...

Will definitely seduce my tastebuds, such a super delicious chowder.

Amelia said...

Hi Elisabeth, can you please pass me 1 bowl of your delicious chowder, it look extremely good. Love all the combination, while eating I'll like looking for treasure in the bowl of yummy chowder. LOL

I can live without hand phone but not computer and internet connection. Without internet connection it's like going back to caveman lifestyle.LOL
Life changed and with all the new gadgets coming out, we just follow the trend and adapt to it and deal with it. LOL

Love the last 2 pictures very beautiful sunset.

Have a nice week ahead, regards. With hugs and love to you.

Patty said...

Elisabeth- it looks like you are 'dealing with it' extremely well;-) Life is good and your chowder looks absolutely perfect to me! What would we do without our computers and food blogs!??! Hope you're off to a good week;-)

Elisabeth said...

MJ, there's a huge difference between dried rosemary and fresh. The dried is more overpowering, than the fresh, which has a milder flavor, and an incredible aroma. If you can get fresh rosemary, it would be well worth it!

Elisabeth said...

Jennifer, the best way to capture a pretty picture with soup, is to have some colors with other vegetables, and even if the color is bland, you can always add some fresh herbs for color and flavor.

Lisa said...

I originally saw this chowder on Pinterest early yesterday morning. I didn't see that it belonged to you, but since I was rushing to an appointment, I said to myself 'I've got to pin that when I get home'. So I get home..sleep for awhile, wake up..and I can't find it in my stream. I was bummed. SO, I see you on Pinterest now..pop over here..and here it is! Kismet! That said..lovely Yom Kippur sunset photos. Personally, I cannot handle no electricity. We had a 7 hour blackout last weak so we went out to eat, then a moviee, just to be somewhere with electricity!

Elisabeth said...

Hi Lisa, Being w/o electricity for 7hrs is not much of an issue; during the last bad hurricane, we were w/o electricity for 3 weeks in the area here in S. Florida. Had to make the best of it, with lots of take-out foods, and endure the heat, as well!
Thanks for pinning my Corn and Potato Chowder:)

wanna said...

Igazán csodás már igazi őszi színekben pompázik! Hogy finom, az nem kérdés :)

Kathy said...

Elizabeth, Such gorgeous sunset photos…incredible! Love your corn and potato chowder…I could use some of that for my dinner tonight!
In Georgia…kid sitting for my grandsons. I have not been as active as I would like with commenting!

Kim Bee said...

This chowder is gorgeous.I love a good corn chowder and this fits the bill. Loving the sunset photos. And good attitude. I try never to sweat the small stuff. At the end of the day it's all small stuff if you have people around you that you love. Life first, blogging second is my motto.