Pioneer Woman’s Corn Chowder with Chilies

I don’t know what my ish has been this week but I’m just not having it. It could be the return of the 5-day work week after one shortened by a long weekend… or that it’s too cold for me to willingly get out of bed in the morning. The promise of pumpkin spice coffee (all ready to go thanks to the program feature!) isn’t even helping the situation. The most likely reason though, is that I am so excited to head out of town and up north this weekend to Maine to visit the fam and friends.

In the mean time though, I guess we’ll keep trucking along. Due to our upcoming travels, dinner has been concocted using whatever can be found in the fridge and pantry (I just wrote panty!). Last night was some sorta homemade hamburger helper situation (coined so by my roommate) with roasted acorn squash thrown in the mix. I guess that was my attempt at “adultifying” (totes a made up word) a dish where 1/3 of the ingredients was velveeta cheese. Yep.

Tonight though, after a quick stop at the store for essentials (spinach and bacon), I whipped up the Pioneer Woman’s Corn Chowder with Chilies. Yum. Despite the onset of heartburn (I was a little heavy handed with the chipotle peppers), I am still thinking about the deliciousness I just consumed.

Timber. Whoa… such a country bumpkin I am. It looks like my bread is about to go for a swim. The stuff you see floating on top of my chowder is cheddar cheese and fresh ground black pepper.

My chowder was SO not being cooperative with my camera tonight. Whatevs. I swear it was pretty. Not as pretty as hers, but still mildly attractive.

Corn Chowder with Chilies adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 2 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/2-inch Pieces *I used turkey bacon
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• one bag of frozen corn, thawed and drained
• 4 whole Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce, Finely Diced
• 1 whole 4-ounce Can Diced Green Chilies
• 32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 2 cups coconut milk (no not the canned kind, the refrigerated unsweetened kind… doesn’t taste like coconut I swear)
• ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cups Water

Instructions

Add bacon pieces to a pot over medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes. Throw in diced onion and stir, cooking the onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add butter and melt. Add corn. Stir and cook for one minute. Add both kinds of chilies and stir.

Pour in chicken broth and milk. Add salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.

Combine cornstarch with water. Stir to combine, then pour into the chowder. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. If chowder needs more thickening, add another tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with water. Cook for another ten minutes.

Serve with crusty (or toasted!) bread and enjoy!