Chowder Time

The “monsters” have spoken! I asked the kiddos what New England food theme they wanted for our Super Bowl party on Sunday (Go Pats!) and was met with a resounding “LOBSTER” from several of them. Uuummm, I am not feeding everyone lobster, omg. Besides, it won’t taste the same as it does back home in Massachusetts. Ooopsie, did I forget to mention we are born and raised Pats fans?!?  After a lengthy discussion of all the things we love about New England, we did finally compromise on a chowder for the party. What kind of chowder? Oh boy, what a gaggle of picky eaters I have! Anyway, I made a potatoe soup several years ago … a TRIPLE batch … and it was gone before I knew it. Thank goodness I had put a small cup aside for myself or I wouldn’t have gotten any! The entire group raved about how delicious it was. ALL the kids ate it … when does that ever happen? So here it is ….  the amazing potatoe soup, now converted to a corn chowder. Don’t forget to save some for yourself!

 

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed potatoes (I use Yukon Gold)

1 cup riced/shredded potatoes (you can use fresh potatoes or frozen hashbrowns)

1 cup water or veggie/chicken broth

1 can of corn WITH the juice

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/4 cup finely diced onions (I use a yellow onion because my family HATES onions and I                                                        have to be sneaky LOL)

1 tsp dried parsley flakes or 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp salt (I use pink Himalayan salt)

1/2 tsp of Old Bay seasoning … or to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper … or to taste

1 cup milk

1/2 cup cream (half and half or heavy whipping)

2 TBSP flour

1/4 LB Velveeta cheese, cubed or sliced

8 oz cream cheese

 

Instructions:

🍴 In a large stock pot, combine first 11 ingredients. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

🍴 In 5qt pot, add flour to milk/cream mixture. Add flour slowly, while whisking quickly to avoid clump formation. Turn heat to medium. When milk mixture is warm, add cream cheese and allow to melt. Begin adding velveeta cubes/slices and allow to melt completely. Do not boil. Allow cheesy mixture to melt slowly. Stir frequently. Remove from heat when mixture is smooth and creamy.

🍴 SLOWLY add cheesy mixture to large stock pot with veggies and broth. Stir frequently to combine. Cover. Allow to continue simmering until veggies are desired consistency. Stir occasionally to prevent chowder from sticking to bottom of the stock pot. Add more broth as needed.

🍜 Serve hot with parsley garnish. Make sure YOU get some because this disappears FAST!

❤ Enjoy!

 

** You may add up to 8oz total cream cheese or velveeta if cheesier chowder base is desired.

** Add seafood, chicken, and/or bacon for your meat protein option

** Add quinoa (instead of the riced potatoes) or black beans (rinsed well) for a vegetarian protein option

🕔 Make this several days in advance … reheat and serve.