February Dinner Party - Cheesy Bacon and Vegetable Chowder Trina2:20 PM 0 comments

This month, we decided to invite our very good friends, the Collerans, to join us for dinner.  Unfortunately, Mr. Colleran was away for work, so he didn't get to join us, but we were able to spend more than just an hour with Mrs. Colleran and little Cire (pronounced Ky-rah).

We started the day at the playground located at First Baptist Church Woodstock.  No shortage of things to play on or with there!  We will definitely have to make this place a regular stop for us.

After we had the kiddos wipe themselves out, we headed home for dinner time.

It was so fantastic, I'm going to share the soup recipe here!

Cheesy Bacon and Veggie Chowder (makes about 6 servings)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
4-5 carrots, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth (I use Swanson, since it's gluten-free)
3-4 red skin baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp flour (I use Jules' Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour)
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup milk (I use 2%, since it's what we have)
2 cups chopped broccoli
1 bag real bacon bits (I use Kroger brand)
2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese (I use Kraft Triple Cheddar)

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot.  Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until tender.  Add garlic and cook 1-2 additional minutes.
2. Pour in chicken broth and add potatoes.  Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender (about 20-30 minutes).
3. In a small bowl, mix flour with water.  Add mixture to soup and simmer until soup is slightly thickened.  Add milk, broccoli, and bacon and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through.
4. Slowly add in cheese while stirring constantly (don't let it turn into a cheese ball at the bottom of your soup!) until cheese is melted.
5. Serve it up with some crunchy artisan-style bread or some soup crackers!

Where did I find this fantabulous recipe, you ask?  Why, on Pinterest, of course!  But if you're not so special to be on the site, here's the actual blog it came from: Lulu the Baker.