* Creamy Corn Chowder *

Remember the Amish White Bread I posted last week? Well, one of the loaves had "an accident" (involving my husband trying to vacuum/seal it in our food saver and scrunching it up into bread balls...it's okay honey! It still tasted good) and we ended up needing to use it as bread dippers (instead of say toast or sandwiches). I made this awesome Creamy Corn Chowder from Our Best Bites (love that site!!!) and it was perfect with our scrunchy bread :)

* Creamy Corn Chowder *

2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. water
2 1/2 c. milk (skim or 1% work just fine and lighten it up considerably)
2 regular-sized chicken bouillon cubes, 1 Knorr chicken bouillon cube, or 2 tsp. chicken base
1/2 lb. bacon (optional...I didn't have real bacon so I used a 1/2 tsp. of liquid smoke)
1 small onion, minced
2 red potatoes, diced into small cubes
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can corn, drained or about 1 1/2 C frozen fresh corn
Salt and pepper to taste
A few dashes of hot sauce (like Tabasco or Cholula...I used Franks Hot Sauce--like in the Winger's Sticky Fingers sauce)

Fry bacon until crisp. In the meantime, melt butter over low heat in a soup pot. When melted, add flour to make a roux and whisk until it comes together in a little ball.

Add water and whisk until completely combined and there are no lumps. Add milk and chicken base or bouillon and bring to a simmer.

Add potatoes, onions, and garlic, and simmer (but don’t boil!), stirring very frequently, for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add crumbled bacon and corn and heat through.

Add a few drops of hot sauce and then salt to taste. Start with about 1/4 tsp, give it a few minutes, and then add more if you need it.

YUMMY!!!!