Apr. 12 - Corn Chowder & Bread

There was a bit of a dichotomy in tonight's dinner - half was really, really successful, while the other was a food FAIL. In the end, it wasn't too big of a deal, but still, I hate when my dishes get screwed up!

The success was the corn chowder - it was creamier and tasted a lot better than how I remembered it. I didn't have green pepper, so I used red pepper, and I amped up the amount of veggies to make it heartier. The entire pot is roughly 825 calories, and the boy and I each ate about 1/3 (Linds ate half of the rest and I put the other half in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch). Even with the extra ingredients and larger serving size, it was still about 275 calories for the entire bowl.

The fail? Well, that would be my beer-cheese bread. I was pumped about that one because it was so great last time, but I knew even while it was baking that something was wrong. The top of the loaf never rose - it was kind of sunken in. When I took it out, there was about 1/2 - 1 cup of the flour loose on the bottom. For some reason it never fully mixed. I need to troubleshoot and see what went wrong because every so often that happens when I make bread. Also, the mixer knob thing was stuck in the bread (that happens every time I make bread, too). The bread was too doughy and moist and tasted way too strongly of beer (you'd think that I would have liked that, huh?!). Oh, well, saves the calories, right?

I also decided to get fancy and made dessert for Miss L and me. I found blackberry gelatin when I was grocery shopping last time, so I made some of that and topped it with light Cool Whip. Another low-cal, yet delicious, complement to the meal!

Corn Chowder
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1 small finely diced onion
1/4 cup finely diced red pepper
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
2 medium potatoes peeled, diced, into 1/2" cubes
1 cup water 1/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups low-fat (1%) or skim milk

Directions

1.  Heat oil in medium saucepan. 
2. Add celery, onion, and red pepper and saute for 2 minutes. 
3. Add corn, potatoes, water, salt, pepper, and paprika. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium; and cook, covered, about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 
4. Place 1/2 cup milk in a jar with tight fitting lid. Add flour and shake vigorously. Add gradually to cooked vegetables and add remaining milk. 
5. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens.

Beer Cheese Bread
Ingredients
1 package yeast
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon butter
10 ounces beer, flat
4 ounces extra sharp cheese, shredded
4 ounces Jack cheese, cut in 1/4" cubes

Directions

1. Warm beer and American cheese over low heat on top of stove or in microwave. Cheese doesn't need to melt completely. Stir. 
2. Add all ingredients in the order listed. 
3. Use basic bread cycle for 1.5 lb. loaf.