October 18 - Farmhouse Ham Chowder

I think I've only made this once before and from what I had remembered, I enjoyed it enough to do it again. I went back through the blog to figure out if I really did and can't find a single post about it...so I either skipped blogging that day, or made it before the first of this year? Regardless, it tasted delish, and even Linds and the boy (who aren't big soup eaters) finished their bowls. Luke? Well he was a different story altogether. Maybe he stuffed himself full of popcorn and Cinnamon Toast Crunch during this snack?!?

Farmhouse Ham Chowder
Ingredients
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red sweet pepper
2 T butter
1/4 cup flour
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
4 1/4 cups milk
2 cups frozen cubed hash browns, thawed
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1/4 tsp thyme
2 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, shredded (I used cheddar this time)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, sauté the onion, celery and red pepper in butter until vegetables are crisp-tender. 
2. Stir in flour and dressing mix until smooth; gradually stir in milk. 
3. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. 
4. Add the potatoes, corn, ham and thyme. Bring to a boil. 
5. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until heated through. 
6. Sprinkle with the cheese before serving.

The prep time is only about 10 or 15 minutes of chopping and then there's about 25-30 minutes of cook time. Normally I would have served bread and salad, but I wasn't that hungry (nor was the boy), so we just stuck with the soup. The recipe makes 8 servings at 267 calories/serving...not bad for a chowder!