Cheesy Chicken Corn Chowder - 4 C Soup

The temperature has dropped, it's windy, and drizzling outside - that all adds up to a warm, thick, hearty bowl of soup in my book!  There's nothing better than creamy chowder on a wintry day - and no one does southern soup like my Mother in Law!  When I had Bryce she came and stayed with us for the first week or so.  Of course there were lots of things she helped out with and we definitely couldn't have done it without her (mainly because I was completely clueless about babies).  I hope that I can help my children with their babies like she has helped us.  I specifically remember her cooking her Creamy Chicken Corn Soup and everyone loving it!  It was November and cold outside so it was the perfect comfort food.  Every time she makes the soup that memory pops into my head.  As fantastic as her soup tastes I thought I would pump up the nutritional value so that I could make it for the boys and it could be a nutrition packed meal in one bowl.  I think I hit a home run with this one - it honestly tastes so close to the original!

Heads up - your timer and stove top knob thingy will get lots of use while cooking this soup!

Ingredients:

- 3 cups water

- 6 chicken tenders (chicken tenders boil much faster- and what mom doesn't love faster?)

- 1/2 -  1 can rotel (I use half a can b/c my boys don't like spicy foods - YET)

- 2 cups frozen corn

- 1/4 cup diced onion (I mince them as small as possible b/c my boys don't like chunks of onion)

- dash of black pepper

- pinch of salt

- 1/2 cup all purpose flour

- 1/2 cup water

- 8 oz velveeta (there are lines on the foil covering that you can measure by)

- 1 1/2 cups pureed butternut squash (At the bottom of this entry I will explain how I do this)

- 1 large sweet potato, diced (cook in microwave, cool completely, then dice into small - medium bites depending on your preference, I again do tiny b/c my boys are big texture nuts)

- fresh spinach for garnish (I grab a handful and roll, then slice into strips - the fancy word for this is chiffonade - now ya know!) - AND fresh spinach doesn't have much of a taste!

Directions:

- place chicken & water in a large pot- bring to a boil & cook chicken completely.  After cooked, remove and let cool completely. Turn off burner #TIP ALERT: you can use frozen chicken, no thawing necessary - oh yes, save yet another step!

- add rotel, corn, onion, salt & pepper to the pot.  Bring to a boil, then turn down to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

- in a small bowl mix 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup flour, blend until smooth.

- slowly pour flour mixture into pot continually stirring soup (you don't want to do this too fast b/c it will make little flour biscuits in your pot = gross)

- turn up the heat and let soup thicken (3-5 minutes)

- add velveeta and let it melt, then add the squash puree - stir until all blended.

- last step is to add your diced sweet potato.

- spoon into bowls, top with sliced spinach - serve warm with whole wheat bread for fiber

NOW FOR THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Butternut squash (we're going to call it BS, yes I had a little 13 year old boy chuckle at the abbreviation myself) is packed with vitamins & is a fantastic "sneaky" food.  I buy a large butternut squash & get it cooked up & pureed & store it in baggies in the freezer for later use.  Here's how ya do it:

Preheat oven to 415.  Cut the BS (yep, I've heard that before *chuckle*) in half.  Spoon out the innards (seeds and stringy stuff like a pumpkin has) and discard the insides.  Lay the BS cut side up on a cookie sheet (I cover with foil for easy clean up), then smear the tops with a tiny bit of olive oil to prevent burning.  Cook in oven for at least an hour maybe longer for larger BS.  You'll know it's done when it is very mushy to the touch.  You could just chop it up, salt it, & eat it right then and there.  But for turning it into a "sneaky" food you have to get out the food processor.  I use a Ninja & it rocks.  To puree just simply remove the meat of the BS from it's skin & place in food processor along with a little water to get things rolling.  I add 1 Tbsp of water at a time b/c you don't want the BS watery, just creamy & smooth (we're not going for baby food consistency).  Spoon 1 1/2 cups puree into a freezer safe baggie, repeat until your puree is gone.  When you're ready to use, pop it out of the freezer, thaw, and use. Speed up the thawing process by putting it in a bowl of hot water.

FINAL THOUGHT - yes the prep for the butternut squash puree takes time, but it is SUCH a great thing to have in the freezer - even if you are making boxed macaroni and cheese that night you can sneak in a baggie of pureed BS and your kids will be none the wiser!  I promise - take a Saturday to puree, you won't be sorry!