Corn & Potato Chowder

So, I'm on this addictive thing called Pinterest....heard of it?? Yeah...if you're not on there, you seriously should be! It's awesome! I am constantly surfing the web for things....recipes, decorating and entertaining ideas, fashion, stuff for Hudson, etc. and this site is the best place to keep all those ideas...and find new ones!! This is the second or third recipe I've tried from it and it was a hit. In true Lauren fashion (and because I can't ever just let things be), I changed a couple things so I'll put my recipe up for it.


Corn & Potato Chowder

Ingredients:

• Appr. 8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled. You could, of course, add more...you can always have more bacon! ;-)
  
• 2 lbs frozen corn
• Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into small chunks (or any kind you like, these worked well and I ended up using about 4 shy of a whole bag)
• A few shakes of celery salt (you can use chopped celery if you'd like, I didn't have any)
  
• Minced garlic - I used about 4 little squeezes of the pre-minced kind
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 32 oz carton chicken stock (veggie stock could easily be substituted)
• Appr. 10 oz evaporated milk - I didn't have any half & half or heavy cream and this worked just fine...didn't need quite the whole 12 oz can though, which saved some calories. :)
  
• s&p

Directions:

1. Literally, toss EVERYTHING in the crock-pot, aside from the milk you decide to use. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or you could do it on high in about half the time....low and slow is always better in my opinion though.
2. My favorite part, besides eating it, is next....blend about half of the soup using an immersion blender. (which is the best invention EVER and I LOVE mine!) You can also just put it in an upright blender, then toss it back in the pot.
3. Add your milk, cream, whatever you use, and continue cooking for about 15 more minutes, uncovered.
4. Season with s&p as needed and I also added a little ground red pepper and this was a great addition. I'm not a fan of spicy things, but this added a little, subtle heat to it. If you have any bacon saved, crumble a little bit on top and serve! It's great with grilled cheese, cornbread, crackers, or alone! Enjoy!!
   

P.S. I think I'll try it with crab next time. It would be so good in this chowder!! :)