New England Clam Chowder

I'll be honest, I was a bit worried about this recipe. Mostly because the potatoes in my last recipe turned out like crud. I mean like, serious crud. Something about the russet variety didn't freeze well, nor did it taste good either.
It was completely horrid.

You don't get that recipe.

But this one... you get. Because, thank goodness, red potatoes freeze VERY well and this recipe turned out amazing! Even fooled my seafood-hating-children into eating it. They asked what was in it and I said, "Bacon, Potatoes, and Cheese... you like cheese." I just left out the clams part. And boy am I glad I did. They ate it! Didn't complain either(Though the kid that knew there was clams, only ate what she 'had' to, but she cleaned her plate. So she couldn't have believed it to be that bad!).

And I really wasn't sure how this would be coming out of the freezer, but it was fabulous. I'm so glad I made a double batch! So, if you'd like to make your own (and yes, it tastes like New England Clam Chowder!) here is the recipe.

 Put the following ingredients in a gallon ziplock:
1/2 pound bacon diced as small as possible, raw
1 (6.5-ounce) can minced clams, drained and chopped again small (if you have picky eaters)
5 small red potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (I didn't peel mine, because I love color in my food)
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 cup sliced celery
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups chicken broth

Write on the outside of the bag Cook 6-8 hours on low. Blend some of the soup to naturally thicken. Then add 2 cups half-and-half and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

I served ours with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread (Added 2 tablespoons of sugar to the mix) and it was just the touch it desired! So definitely serve with cornbread.

Corn Chowder

When I did my shopping this month, I spent a whole day scouring the internet for new freezer friendly meals (I hadn't tried). After shopping, I cooked all day and prepped all  my months meals. All in the matter of 24 hours. This is what is called ONCE A MONTH COOKING. And I love it. Especially on days like today when I'm totally not into spending any more time in the kitchen then I have to.

Yesterday, I pulled out the Corn Chowder from the freezer and knew it would hit the spot for at least 2 of the children as they would be frozen to the bone from sledding. So this morning, I stuck the half frozen meal into the crockpot (added the warmed chicken broth I'd just reconstituted) and forgot about it the rest of the day.

Shown here with my fresh Oat Flour Bread

I came back to the crockpot around 3:30 (after picking up the children who were disguised as frozen popsicles), and I tested out what would be our dinner in an hour and a half. Oh goodness, was it ever good. Now the real test would be the kids. Because after all, it has onions. I'm happy to report, that two of the three of the kids didn't even notice the onions and the third just knew I'd put something "yucky" in it that he didn't like. But he's been my picky eater since he was two, so I wasn't so surprised.

One thing I will say is that while this soup had exceptional flavor, I almost thought it could have done with half as many onions OR maybe the onion I used was just super potent  Whatever the case, it was a hit regardless. Just my preference would have been a little less onions. Dragon breath is only ever attractive to those who all eat the same meal.

Ingredients for the Ziplock:
1 - 16oz bag frozen white corn
2 - cans corn (and juice)
4 cups chicken broth
1 small diced onion
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces (1/2 block) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese
(You will also need a blender)

You will notice there is no addition of salt. The salt/sodium comes from canned corn and chicken broth. So if you use a salt free corn, or choose to use a low sodium chicken broth, be sure to taste before you serve.

For the freezer: Put everything but the chicken broth in a gallon zip lock. If you have a system that allows you to add liquids to the bag without spilling it all over the place, then go for it. I didn't feel like finding the tall Tupperware crock I use, so I opted to omit the chicken broth until the day of cooking.

Seal the ziplock well and put it inside another ziplock(especially if you do add the chicken broth before the freezer).

Label the bag with "ADD 4CUPS CHICKEN BROTH" if you didn't add the chicken broth. Be sure to write "LOW 6-8 hours" too.

Instructions for cooking: Defrost 12+ hours. Crockpot low 6-8 hours. 30 minutes before serve time for blending. If you have a hand blender (which I don't but soooo desire one), this would be the perfect time to use it and "chowder-fy" the soup. I used my regular blender (imagine the mess) and only blitzed about half the soup then poured it back into the crock. Serve with crusty bread and/or crackers.

Results: The results were wonderful but almost a little too soupy. Maybe I will use 1 cup less broth next time, but no one else seemed to care. It did leave the meat and potato folks of my house wanting more. They felt like this was not dinner, but more like a soup course and they still desired something to sink their teeth into. Upon further review, we all decided that next time I would add some sort of meat. In fact, ham, turkey, or chicken would be a fabulous addition. And it might be a great way to incorporate some of my left overs.

We will definitely make this again and again.