Corn Chowder

(Image found here)

Another quick and easy recipe we like at our house and everyone eats it. :) I got it years ago from my friend Emily. I think this would be a really easy recipe to throw into the crockpot and cook since the only thing that really has to cook through is the potatoes. For the bacon, I often use the precooked bacon crumbles. Makes it super easy.

Corn Chowder

1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
3 cups diced potatoes
1/2 lb. bacon, fried (really crispy) and crumbled
2 cans creamed corn*
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. parsley
1/4 tsp. paprika
black pepper, to taste

Melt butter and saute the onions, soon followed by the potatoes. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over low heat for 1 hour. Stir often (or potatoes will stick to the bottom of your pan!). Serves about 6.

*if you don't have creamed corn on hand, you can use regular corn and add a scoop or two of sour cream.

White Chicken Chili

(Image found here)

Here is a quick and easy recipe that I love to make a few times each Fall/Winter. I got it from my friend Mindy Giles, and I believe she said she got it from the back of the can of beans. :) So, it's a pretty basic and easy recipe but it's always a hit at our house.

White Chicken Chili

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1-4 oz. can chopped green chiles, drained
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2-16 oz. cans Great Northern Beans (with liquid, don't drain)
1-14.5 oz. can chicken broth
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken breast (I have used canned chicken when I am going ultra easy on this and it works great for this recipe)

In large skillet, cook onion in oil for 4 minutes or until transparent. Add chilies, flour and cumin; cook and stir for 2 minutes (mixture will be really thick and pasty). Add beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. The "paste" of chilies, flour, and cumin will start to break up as the chili simmers. Stir often. Add chicken; cook until hot.

Garnish with cheese, sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Cranberry Vanilla Granola

Since I shared this recipe with Marilee on Saturday, I figured I would post it here also. I originally found this recipe on the blog called Favorite Family Recipes, and have adapted it a bit to my liking after a few times of making it. It is quite simple to make and my family LOVES this stuff. We eat it with milk for breakfast instead of cereal or by the handful as a snack or on yogurt. It is really, really good and I feel like it is a little bit healthier than other things we could be eating too. :) So, here is my version of the recipe.

Cranberry Vanilla Granola
8 c. oats
1 c. sliced almonds
1 c. wheat germ
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Craisins, to taste (I usually use one small bag of the Wal Mart brand dried cranberries, I think it is between 1-2 cups)
3/4 c. canola oil
1 c. honey
3 Tbsp. vanilla (use the real stuff if you have it-- it tastes much better)

Preheat oven to 300-degrees. Combine first 8 ingredients (dry ingredients) in a large bowl. In a saucepan combine oil, honey, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute then pour over oat mixture. Mix until all ingredients are moistened. Divide and spread mixture over 2 large cookie sheets and bake at 300-degrees for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and leave on pans until the granola hardens (it may be a little chewy and that's ok.. if you prefer it not to be chewy at all, allow to dry completely). Break up granola and store in large Ziploc bags or containers. Serve plain, with yogurt, or with milk. Enjoy!