Corn Chowder

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup Water
  • 2 ½ cup Milk (skim or 1% work just fine and lighten it up considerably)
  • 2 regular-sized Chicken Bouillon Cubes, or 2 tsp Chicken Base
  • ½ lb. Bacon (optional)
  • 1 small Onion, minced
  • 2 Red Potatoes, diced into small cubes
  • 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 can Corn, drained or about 1 ½ cups Frozen Fresh Corn
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • A few dashes of Hot Sauce (like Tabasco or Cholula)

Directions

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 ¼ tsp., give it a few minutes, and then add more if you need it.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with extra bacon and/or cheese if you want.

Serves 6-8.

Raspberry Jello Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Crushed Pretzels
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • ½ cup Melted Butter
  • 8 oz Cream Cheese
  • 1 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 12 oz Cool Whip
  • 2 ½ cups Water
  • 6 oz package Raspberry Jello
  • 10 oz Frozen Raspberries

Directions

Mix pretzels, sugar, and butter in 9×13 pan and bake at 325° for 10 minutes to create a crust. Make the cream filling while the crust cools by mixing the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and cool whip. Make the jello filling by boiling the water and mixing in the raspberry jello. Stir in the frozen raspberries and place in the fridge to cool. After the crust has cooled cover it with the cream filling. When the jello filling is almost set pour it over the crust and cream filling.

Fast and Easy Bean Dip

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Pinto Beans (canned, or already cooked from dry)
  • ¼ cup Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing
  • 1 clove Garlic; finely chopped
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients into tall blending cup. Twist cup into base, push down, and pulse until desired consistency is reached. Add chili or cayenne pepper if desired for an extra kick.

Black Beans

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Black Beans
  • 2 qt Water
  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 1 Onion
  • ¼ cup Cilantro
  • Salt to taste
  • ?? Garlic

Directions

Soak beans for 6 hours. (In warm weather soak beans in the fridge.) Heat oil on medium. Cook onion in oil for 3 minutes. Add half the garlic to oil and cook for one minute. Add beans and soaking oil to oil mixture. Add water as necessary so that beans are covered by an inch of water. Reduce heat to low. Skim off any foam then cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add salt, cilantro, and the rest of the garlic and simmer for another hour until beans are soft and fragrant.

Let beans sit in the fridge overnight for the best flavor.

White Beans

Ingredients

  • 1 cup White Beans
  • 6 cloves Garlic
  • 1 cup Fresh Sage
  • 2 tbsp Oil
  • 1 Carrot
  • ½ cup Fresh Fennel
  • 3 Sun-dried Tomatoes
  • ½ Fresh Lemon
  • Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Directions

Soak white beans overnight. Drain and rinse. Heat oil and add garlic and sage. Cook until soft. Add water and bring to a boil. Add carrot, fennel, tomato, salt and pepper. Simmer 40 minutes.

Pull out a bean. If the skin breaks and shrinks the beans are done. Squeeze in a lemon after the beans are done simmering.