MONDAY MORNING RECIPE ON TUESDAY INSTEAD - EASY POTATO AND CORN CHOWDER - SERVES 4

The weather has turned decidedly chilly. I didn’t think I would be making any soups again until the Fall, but here we are. I found a recipe for an easy potato and corn chowder at Cook2eatwell hosted by Elizabeth Rodriguez. Thank you Elizabeth, it is a delicious soup. You can find her original at this link. She has great tips to make this, along with more delicious recipes.

This soup was a ten out of ten. I made it while Gregg was out of the house for the day, and when he came back and smelled the aroma, he couldn't wait to have a bowl. 

Easy Potato and Corn Chowder

Serves 4

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium yellow or white onion, small dice

1 stick of celery, diced

2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra at the end if needed

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

2 (16 ounce) cans cream-style corn

10 ounces frozen corn, defrosted (cooked to approximately half suggested cooking time on the package)

1-1/2 pounds potatoes (russet potatoes preferred but Yukon gold, yellow potatoes, or red potatoes will also work)

1/2 cup half-and-half or whole milk

4-5 bacon slices, cooked crispy for garnish (optional)

1 tablespoon chopped chives or green onions for garnish (optional)

Preperation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Preparation times above are just a guideline. It always takes me longer as I do everything in stages. Start early and make sure I am awake enough to prepare veggies, which I usually do sitting at the kitchen table. I take breaks to drink a cup or two of coffee. I try not to have any more after the noon hour, and have a cup of green tea in the afternoon, and in the evening have a cup of an herbal caffeine-free chamomile, honey and vanilla tea, which is my favorite at the moment.  

Instructions:

Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. 

Once the butter is melted and foamy, add the onions and celery. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent.

Add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often.

Sprinkle in the flour and cook and stir to mix together for at least two minutes to remove the raw flour taste. Stir almost constantly.

Gradually add the broth while stirring briskly with a whisk or wooden spoon. Continue adding and stirring until the flour is fully dissolved.

Stir in the creamed corn.

Raise the heat to bring the soup to a simmer, which will take about 5 minutes.

Once simmering, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir occasionally, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.

While the soup simmers, cook the frozen corn enough to defrost—usually about half the recommended time on the package. Drain well.

Add the potatoes and defrosted corn to the pot. If the soup doesn’t begin simmering immediately, raise the heat slightly. Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the half-and-half (or milk), cover, and cook gently for 2–3 minutes, until heated through.

Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference, ½ teaspoon was added to ours.

 Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with crispy bacon and chopped chives or green onions for garnish.

If you have to watch such things, our blog host suggested using reduced-sodium ingredients like unsalted butter, low-sodium broth, and low-sodium bacon for garnish. We always use low sodium chicken broth.

I wondered if this soup might have been a bit bland but we both agreed it was very tasty. We served it with a crusty roll but feel that it is hardy enough on its own. 

I had whole milk in the fridge especially bought for this recipe. It was one of the ingredients, that or half-and-half. I thought of using my regular 2 percent and might try it next time but my dear other half says I wouldn't mess with it, that's how much he enjoyed it as is. When I went to the fridge this morning I saw the milk I had put in a measuring jug that I was going to add along with the rest of the ingredients. Just saying, because if you ever find yourself without it, we didn't miss it one iota.

We added the bacon and green onions. Gregg ate his on the side while I added mine on top. I ate another bowl without cooking any bacon, just adding the green onions. I think it would be fine without those too.

Other half also suggested a tablespoon of sour cream on top for garnish sometime.

The first bowl I added a few dashes of Siracha hot sauce, the second time left it off. Great either way.

I also made a double batch of soup, so there will be leftovers for the next two or three days.

I left the blog address out in full below, just in case you prefer to cut and paste rather than to use the link I provided above.

https://www.cook2eatwell.com/easy-potato-corn-chowder.

I always try to reread everything to make sure I don't have any typos, but sometimes they get in there. If you have any questions, please feel free to put them in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by, 

have a great day and 

Bon Appétit!

MONDAY RECIPE POST - CHICKEN EGG NOODLE SOUP

Yesterday (December 10th), it was a rainy day here in our part of Virginia. I had a soup on my list for such a day. It was delicious so thank you Elizabeth, host of Cook2EatWell. You can find the original recipe here. It is a great soup, has a wonderful flavor, and a ten out of ten!  Please visit to see all the notes and helpful tips for this recipe.  Other great recipes on here also.

Chicken Egg Noodle Soup

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 

Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 6 - Calories: approximately 261calories per serving.

 

1 pound chicken breasts (2 pieces) skinless, boneless and trimmed of any fat

8 cups chicken broth divided (2 cups to poach the chicken, plus 6 cups for the soup)

Pinch of salt

4 thyme sprigs divided (2 for the poached chicken and 2 for the soup)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, finely diced

2 carrots, sliced into rounds (about 1 cup)

1 celery rib, sliced or diced

2 garlic cloves minced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 ounces egg noodles

Poach the Chicken:

Place the chicken in a medium saucepan large enough so that they fit side by side without overlapping. Cover the chicken with 2 cups chicken broth, add 2 thyme sprigs and a pinch of salt.

Start the chicken on high heat and bring the broth to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and cover.

Gently simmer the chicken breasts for 15-20 minutes or until fully cooked (165°F at the thickest part).

Remove the chicken breast from the poaching liquid and set it on a cutting board to cool.

Don’t discard the chicken broth; we are going to use it for the soup. Strain it using a fine mesh strainer and reserve it for the soup.

When the chicken has cooled enough to handle shred it using two forks, or your hands.

Make the Soup

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot and the butter has melted, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute, stirring almost constantly.

Add the flour to the pot and stir well until it’s incorporated. Cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes. Stir almost constantly.

Slowly add in the reserved poaching liquid and the 6 cups of chicken broth. Stir constantly until the ingredients are combined and the flour mixture is dissolved in the broth.

Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the broth to a boil.

Add the shredded chicken and the remaining thyme sprigs to the pot. Stir well.

Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and cook the soup for 20 minutes. Stir the soup occasionally and keep it at a simmer; if it starts boiling too vigorously lower the heat a bit.

While the soup simmers cook the egg noodles to package directions in a separate pot. Use the lowest recommended cooking time. We don’t want to overcook them.

Drain the egg noodles well and set aside until the soup is ready

 

Finish the soup:

Remove the thyme stems from the pot. Use tongs to fish them out and discard.

Add the cooked noodles to the soup and stir well. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the soup sit for a few minutes before serving.

Taste the soup and add salt if needed.

Elizabeth's Notes:

Cook the egg noodles in a separate pot, not in the soup. If we add the uncooked noodles to the soup, they will soak up most of the broth as they cook.

Don’t add salt to the soup until the end because packaged chicken broth contains a good amount already.  (Denise’s note: I always use low-sodium chicken broth.)

It was a great soup and I didn't make any changes.  I made cornbread to go with it.

Added note: we have leftovers for at least two meals each. The next bowl will have had a chance for the flavors to develop even more. They will be very welcome as there is a dusting of snow on the ground today.   

I also like to freeze meals for another day. I found this website with some great tips on freezing.  There are also links to more chicken soup recipes.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - PORK POT ROAST COOKED ON THE STOVE TOP - SERVES 6

Today's recipe came from a food blog called Cook2EatWell, hosted by Elizabeth.  The original recipe can be found here.  I always recommend looking at the original recipe, in case I have missed anything out. She adds a lot of tips (several I have included below but I am sure there are more), and I always enjoy their photos.  The finished result we were very happy with, and it was so tasty!  

Pork Pot Roast (cooked on the stove top)

Serves: 6

Approximate calories per serving: 591

Elizabeth's equipment she used:

Large, Heavy Pot - 7-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven

Kitchen twine - to tie the roast for even cooking

Aluminum foil - to loosely cover the pork after browning.

Cooking time: 3 hrs. 30 mins (see my notes at the bottom).

4-5 pound Boneless Pork Shoulder picnic or pork butt

2 teaspoons Salt

½ teaspoon Black Pepper

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Medium Onion finely diced

1 Celery Rib Diced

3-4 Garlic Cloves minced

1 tablespoon Tomato Paste

½ cup White Wine

2-3 cups Chicken Broth enough to cover ¼ of the roast

3-4 Thyme Sprigs

1 Rosemary Sprig

1 Bay Leaf

2-3 Carrots cut into ½ inch rounds (about 1 – 1½ cups)

1 pound Small Red Potatoes keep whole, do not cut

Tie the roast with kitchen twine to hold it together and to ensure even cooking. Season the pork with the salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the pork shoulder.

Cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until browned. The meat will release from the pot when a crust forms on the outside. If it is hard lift and is sticking to the pot, give it another minute or so.

Turn the pork a quarter turn and cook 3 minutes to brown the side. Repeat with the remaining two sides until the entire piece is browned.

Take the pot off the heat. Remove the pork roast from the pot and place on a pan or a large platter. Loosely cover with aluminum foil.

Do not wash the pot. Place it back over medium heat. Add the onions and the celery. Cook the vegetables for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Next, add the garlic and tomato paste to the pot. Stir well and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Add the white wine to the pot and stir while gently scrapping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Continue cooking until most of the wine has cooked out, about 1-2 minutes.

Return the pork roast to the pot, along with any juices collected on the pan. Add enough chicken broth to go ¼ way up the thickest part of the roast.

Next, arrange the potatoes, carrots, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf around the roast.

Raise the heat to medium-high and let the broth to come to a simmer. Then, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.

Cook for approximately 3 hours or until it is tender. It should give and tear easily when a fork is inserted and twisted.

During the cooking time keep the liquid at a simmer. If it’s boiling too vigorously, lower the heat a bit. If it’s not simmering, raise it. Check on it every ½ hour or so, especially after raising or lowering the heat.

Remove and discard the rosemary, thyme stems and the bay leaf. Serve the roast with the carrots and potatoes and a side of rice, a piece of crusty bread, Texas toast or your favorite side dish.

Elizabeth's Notes:

If you don’t drink wine or don’t have any on hand, use broth instead and follow the same instructions (this is what we did).

Make sure to use a pot that’s large enough to fit the roast and arrange the carrots and potatoes around it (we have a funny story about this below).

Tie the rosemary and thyme together with kitchen twine to make it easy to pick out the stems (we had no twine and didn't really have a problem removing the herbs, though I can see how it would help).

Full nutritional information can be found on the website.

A good tip from Elizabeth is to choose small red potatoes to avoid cutting them in half or quarters.  (I am all for cutting down on steps when cooking.)   Also, with the long cooking time the whole potatoes will hold their shape best (We couldn't find the small potatoes and cut ours into large-ish chunks).

Her other tips I am including are If you do not have fresh herbs, you can substitute dry herbs but reduce the amount. Use about ½ teaspoon of each.

If you do not use wine, deglaze the pot with chicken broth instead. Use the same amount and follow the same instructions.

You will have a well-rounded meal with the added potatoes and carrots, but Elizabeth also suggests serving it with a side of rice and crusty bread, a slice of Texas toast or your favorite side dish.  (The first time we just had it on its own.)

Store leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze for 2 months.

What we thought:

It was delicious and we have lots of leftovers.  Here's the funny story which Gregg wanted me to include.  He enjoys giving people a smile too.  Also, maybe it will help newcomers to check the labels thoroughly before purchasing.

While it was cooking I mentioned that it was awfully big for a 2 lb. roast and he said he was sure on the size as he had checked the label thoroughly.  I was grateful he had done the shopping.  I got a call from him to say he could only find a 2-pounder. I said that would probably be better for us anyhow, size-wise, no problem.  

My brain doesn't do portion size very well, and even for me it looked too big for the size of the pot.  It was the biggest one in our cupboard.  He mentioned he wasn’t sure whether all the vegetables would fit, and I watched as he poked them around the edge and down the side to fit them in. Vegetable purée I was thinking.  It wasn’t easy! 

We often go back and forth when we are in the kitchen. I am the corner-to-corner person, he is the adventurer, I have to measure everything, he throws it all in, which works great as he has given us some excellent culinary results with his seat-of-the-pants cooking style.  Gordon Ramsey would be impressed.  But, pain that I am, I again said that looks REALLY big.  He was emphatic that it weighed 2.15 lbs. when he purchased it.  Okay, I won’t say any more.  However!

I couldn't stop thinking about the size.  In the middle of the cooking time, me, "Do we still have the wrapping?"  I can’t stop myself, I was curious.  I really wanted to check the weight as the meat seemed to be taking a lot longer than the recipe called for. 

I think Gregg was wondering himself now as he said, “Okay, I’ll check.” and went back into the kitchen to look for the wrapping in the trash. There was silence and then I heard him having a chuckle. More silence and when he came back he had a big smile on his face. It wasn't the weight he had looked at.  It was actually the price per pound, which was $2.15, so the number he looked at while in the store was the price per pound and not the weight. Turns out the weight was actually 8 lbs! 

We had a good laugh and I hope our story gave you a smile.  I am so glad my portion-size scrambled brain was not so portion-size scrambled this time!  

And, we have a lot of leftovers! 

As for the cooking time, it took forever to cook this roast. "Surely it should be done by now?” to which Gregg replied, "It's 8 lbs!  It's going to take a while."   I think it took well over an hour longer to cook, maybe more as we were supposed to keep it on slow.  You should be okay if you follow the exact weight measurements, and not have the problem we did.  Check your packaging thoroughly would be my advice.

The first meal we ate was incredibly tasty.  But there is a lot of fat.  After one night in the fridge, a layer had solidified on top.  I got a large spoon and scooped it off.  It still had an excellent taste and we also added a very nice crusty roll that second night.

If I haven’t mentioned it before, the broth/gravy is excellent!

Next time I will buy a more leaner cut but final result? It was a delicious meal.  On a chilly day, comfort food at its best.

I try to remember to add the full address of the website, in case you prefer to copy and paste instead of using the link above this page:

https://www.cook2eatwell.com/pork-pot-roast/