I credit my Mother-in-Law, Kay, for giving me my first taste of corn chowder about a million years ago. We were visiting in the heart of winter (long before we moved to Texas) and she served up a heaping bowl of corn chowder yumminess and I fell in love. Of course I’ve made it three million times since then and it was a favorite of my customers at the store. That being said, it has been tweaked and tweaked so many times that I’ve forgotten her original recipe and this is the one that I use when I make it.
In case I need to remind new readers, I believe that a recipe is just the starting point. Feel free to adjust quantities to allow for likes and dislikes and embellishment is definitely encouraged!
Serve this soup with a hunk of fresh, crusty bread and you don’t need anything else for lunch or dinner.
Corn Chowder 
(serves 6ish)
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 slices bacon, chopped
3 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock (or alternatively 4 cups milk and 1 tbsp chicken base)
1 cup frozen corn kernels (canned is fine, just drain first)
1 russet potato, diced
1 pinch dried thyme
1/2 pinch cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup cream (optional)
1. Add the diced veggies along with the bacon to a heavy bottomed pot and cook over medium heat until the bacon is cooked and the onions are translucent. Add a drop or two of olive oil if your veggies are getting too brown or sticking.
2. If there is any fat in the bottom of the pot try to spoon it out. Don’t worry if it’s too little to capture. Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Add the milk in a slow stream stirring frequently while over medium heat. Once the milk is all in, then add the stock. Turn the heat up to medium high and stir until the mixture bubbles and is thickened. Turn the heat down to low.
3. Add the thyme, cayenne, salt and pepper. Add the corn kernels and potato and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the cream before serving.
