Easy Farmhouse Chicken Chowder

This recipe was fabulous! I adapted it from a Cooks Country Recipe (again!) and it was a hit at our house! go ahead and wipe the drool off your laptop or computer desk...it is really as delicious as it seems!

Easy Farmhouse Chicken Chowder
adapted from "Farmhouse Chicken Chowder" in the April/May 2011 Cook's Country Magazine

6 slices bacon, chopped
6 scallions, white parts chopped fine and green parts
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 celery rib, cliced thin
salt & pepper
6 tablespoons flour
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups cooked and shredded chicken breast (I boiled mine first, then shredded it)
1 cup half and half

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Cook scallion whites, carrots, celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt in bacon fat until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add chicken and half and half. Simmer for about 2 minutes until the chicken is heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with bacon and scallion greens and serve!

Vegetable Fried Rice with Bacon

This is another GREAT recipe from Food Network! We love it...we just substitute cabbage for the watercress..my kids were not such a fan of watercress, but it was good the first time we had it! We have made it several times since! Yummy! Click here and enjoy!

Creamy Dreamy Potato Soup

Oh dear! This recipe is YUMMY! and not that good for you, but I did use low-fat creme cheese! The leftovers were fabulous! My husband thought it was too cheesey (that is not really in my vocabulary because I think all things should be topped with cheese!), so maybe next time I won't add as much cream cheese, or add more chicken broth...BUT I thought it was perfect!
Creamy Dreamy Potato Soup
4 pounds of red potatoes, chopped into chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
16 oz low-fat (or regular) cream cheese (don't use no fat!!!)
optional toppings (as shown above):
crumbled bacon
shredded cheddar cheese
chopped green onion or chives

You can either make this soup on the stove-top or in your crock pot...it just depends on your day!

Stove-Top Directions: Place chopped potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and broth in a large pot. Boil until you can stick a fork in the potatoes and they are soft (NOT mushy), about 15 minutes. Then slice the cream cheese into chunks and add to the broth. Mix into the soup and let melt, takes about 5 minutes. (These 5 minutes are a good time to get all of the rest of your toppings finished!)

Crock Pot Directions: Place chopped potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and broth in your slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8. About 30 minutes before it is finished add the sliced cream cheese chunks. Replace the lid and let cook for another 20 minutes. Stir the soup frequently to allow the cream cheese to melt and blend completely.