Corn Chowder

Fall is soup season to me. It's rare that I'll ever request soup during the summer simply because I don't understand how you can eat a bowl full of hot when it's hot outside. What can I say, it's just a complicated preference of mine. But, when fall rolls around I am all about soups and stews! Fall was made for hearty, warm, and cozy meals. I would classify soups under those adjectives.

This chowder was inspired by the corn chowder from Yoder's Country Market in husband's hometown. I love visiting the store every time we are in town. We always swing through the country store for our lunch necessities. We grab their canned soups, my pick is always the corn chowder and husband's is the potato soup, the fried pies, and the fresh chocolate milk. It doesn't get much better, really, Mennonite cooking is spot on. 

I have been craving their corn chowder a lot lately and since we haven't been up that way in awhile, we opted to try our hand at making our own version. I'd say we got super close to theirs, and I am thrilled with the way it turned out! It's like having Yoder's chowder stewing in my kitchen, and the best part is that I can have it any time I want!

• What You'll Need
• 5 small golden potatoes
• 2 large carrots
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 celery stalk
• 6 slices of thick cut bacon
• 5 cups water
• 1 TSP salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 TBSP parsley
• 1 TBSP worcestershire
• 16 oz. bag of frozen corn kernels
• 1 can creamed can
• 1 1/2 cup egg noodles
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• Flour and milk mixture for thickening

• What You'll Do
• Peel and dice potatoes and carrots. Dice the celery and onion as well. Then place these vegetables in a large pot and add the salt, parsley, and bay leaf. Add all of the water and bring to a boil. 
• Then turn it to simmer. 
• Cook the slices of bacon and once done, sop the grease up, crumble, and set aside.
• When the potatoes and carrots are tender, add the corn, creamed corn, worcestershire, bacon, and egg noodles.
• Taste and add more seasonings (salt & pepper) if so desired. 
• Once it has cooked for another 10 minutes, add the milk and whipping cream, stirring well.
• If you desire thicker soup, whisk together 1 TBSP flour with 1/2 cup of milk in a bowl. Then add it to the soup. We did this just once, but if you would like a thicker soup repeat this step until you get it to the consistency you want.