Crock-Pot Veggie Chowder

I don't want to jinx myself, but I just might be getting the hang of combining ingredients to make something relatively tasty.

I love having a crock-pot, love using it, and always have such high expectation for dishes that are prepared with it. I think it's a great appliance to use during the summer to keep from having to heat up your house, and I even used it to make the main dish and cake for my daughter's 2nd birthday party. I love that it's uses have extended beyond chili's, soups, and stews to desserts, appetizers, and even things that don't require 8 hours to cook. But - and I know it's mostly of my own doing - a lot of meals I've made via crock-pot have turned out less than stellar so I'm never quite sure if 8 hours in the crock-pot will ultimately result in a last-minute pizza-run.

With it getting cold, I flipped through my Barnes and Noble bargain-rack find, Best Loved Slow Cooker Recipes for something I had yet to attempt: soup. I opened the "Beyond Basic Soups" section and selected a nice variety for the week, one of them being "Easy Corn Chowder."

This is the book's recipe:

2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
16 oz bag frozen corn, thawed
3 small red potatoes cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 rib celery, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp coriander
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled.

And this is what I actually used:

3.5 cups chicken broth
1 16oz bag frozen "farmer's mix:" corn, carrots, and green beans, un-thawed (if I see an opportunity to throw more vegetables in, I take it)
3 small/medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Variety of small red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, eyeballed to equal 1 whole pepper, diced
1 green onion chopped
2 Tbs dried onion
1 rib celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 tsp fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

To be completely honest, I hadn't realized the recipe called for UN-thawed frozen veggies until just now. Also, I had some time to kill so a lot of the cooked bacon might have gone missing. I can't be sure.

The instructions state to put all of the ingredients, minus the heavy cream and bacon, in the crock pot, cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. I didn't get everything in the pot until it was late enough so we'd be eating like fashionable Manhattan-ites, so I cooked it on low for the first 4.5 hours, then switched it to high for the last 1.5/2.

The recipe then states to partially mash the soup with a potato masher in order to thicken it up, stir in the cream, then turn to high until heated through. I got a little carried away with the potato masher, though. Then I added the heavy cream and let it cook on high while I heated some garlic bread in the oven.

I sprinkled the bacon on top as instructed but used it so it was more of an added ingredient rather than a garnish. I think it had such a good impact on the overall flavor of the soup that I might try harder to rein in my bacon-eating and add the 8 slices after the heavy cream is heated through rather than spreading it around to individual servings.

Overall, though, the soup - what I now call "Veggie Chowder," - was amazing. My husband - upon hearing it was 90-percent vegetables - was initially hesitant only to find himself finishing his bowl, and surprising himself with how much he liked it and how filling it was. I surprised myself, actually, and now I'm wondering how I can sell it to Campbell's...

Beer 'N Brat Soup

Ok, the official title of the recipe is Octoberfest Beer and Brat Soup, meant for celebrating this time of year known as October. I, however, used it to once again keep summer alive by making a soup that - like my Cheeseburger Soup - sounds like something that should never be made. But, oh, it definitely should.

You can find the original recipe HERE, thanks to following Better Recipes on Twitter. See, it doesn't only have to be about politician-genitals.

Of course, I messed with the recipe, this time because I didn't have all of the ingredients and didn't want to go to the store. So since I didn't actually create the Better Recipes recipe, I changed the name up a bit too. I used:

2 Tbs butter
1/2 onion, chopped
Chopped carrot, enough to visually match the onion pile
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 large and 1 small-ish red potato, peel left on, chopped
1 2/3 cup chicken broth
12oz bottle of beer
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/4 black pepper
(in retrospect, I should have also added celery salt)
1 cup shredded cheese
3 brats, cooked and chopped (because I'm also feeding a toddler)

Per the instructions, I melted the butter, but I used a giant pot instead of a saucepan. I then added the onion, garlic, carrot, and potatoes to the pot to cook until the onions became translucent. At least, I think they did. I'm pretty sure they did.

I then added the chicken broth and beer, brought it to a boil, then reduced the temperature so it could simmer for 10 minutes. I did not puree the soup as the instructions say so maybe that makes this more of a stew? I would like to try pureeing it in future attempts, the consistency seems appealing.

It's always a little risky mixing up a recipe, and I'll be honest, it doesn't always work out. When your husband is vomiting in the bathroom approximately six hours post-dinner, your home-maker ego isn't doing so hot. Luckily, this passed the Husband 'N Toddler Test. Whew!

A few things I do have to add, though: never buy Wal-Mart brand brats. I don't know what they taste like since I only used them for this recipe, but they cook up absolutely horribly. Also, I removed the thyme as I hate it and think it taste like eating a pine tree. Otherwise, enjoy gripping on to summer like grim death (which, ironically, is pretty much what fall is...)!

Cheeseburger Soup. Hold On to Those Summer Nights

For my husband's birthday one year, I wanted to make his favorite meal. All I could really come up with was hamburgers, and being new at kitchen roulette, I had never made them before. And this was back when I still thought I could cook without having to touch raw meat so making beef patties was clearly out of the question. Then it was like the daytime television world caught my EPSN, The Chew was showcasing a recipe on Cheeseburger Soup. Perfect!

As you saw from my previous post, I don't follow recipes to the letter. Sometimes it's because I want to - there are spices my palate can definitely do without. But most of the time it's on accident because I have trouble following directions. I try to follow the recipe instructions fairly close, however, since I only look like a person who knows what they're doing. So here is the recipe I used from my food go-to website, allrecipes.com: (You can also find it by clicking here.)

1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
4 Tbs butter
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups cubed potatoes
1/4 cup flour
2 cups cubed cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream

In reality, this is what I actually used, either out of necessity, or personal preference:

1 lb ground beef (this comes from the mountain of ground beef you get at Costco so I'm just estimating this particular chunk is one full pound)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup  chopped carrots (shredded? Why?)
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
1 green onion, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
4 Tbs butter
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups potatoes chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 cups cubed cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream

Per the recipe, I melted 1 Tbs of the butter in a large pot on the stove. Then I threw in the beef, onion, garlic, and veggies to cook until the meet was brown. I then stirred in the basil and parsley, and added the potatoes and chicken broth. I brought that to a boil then let simmer for about 11 minutes, or until the potatoes were tender.

In a separate bowl, I melted the remaining 3 Tbs of butter then whisked in the flour. I added the milk and while I was supposed to mix it until smooth, it didn't happen so I dumped it into the soup anyways. I think the problem was that I wasn't stirring the mixture as I was adding the milk; yet another thing in the kitchen where having a third arm would be handy (PUN!). Anywho... I stirred the soup constantly and brought it to a boil, then reduced to simmer again.

Finally, I stirred in the cheese and when it was melted, added the sour cream. The soup is to then be heated through but NOT BOILED. Within only a few minutes, it's ready to be served, Seinfeld soup mug and medieval spoon or no.