Cheese and Corn Chowder - Cooking with The Pioneer Woman

It's been a while, but I promise, I have been cooking. I just haven't been cooking a ton from Ree. I have a lot on the list to make, I've just been relying on old recipes lately. I am dying to make her Apple Dumplings. It looks and sounds amazing, but has the most interesting twist in incredients.

 

Now that it's turning cooler, I immediately start thinking of chowders and chili. I can't make as many as I would like, my hubby isn't one for any type of soup and he hates chili, but I've been able to get him to eat this Cheese and Corn Chowder. And, it's become a Christmas Eve tradition in our home. And when I say a Christmas Eve tradition, I mean that I made it last Christmas Eve in hopes of making it every year after that, which would make it a tradition.

 

This chowder is so easy! You cut a few things up, throw it in an enormous skillet and let it simmer. The cooking time might be a little long, but the ease is what I love. That, and the taste! Let's get started!

 

Chop up some onion and add it to butter. Can I just say that the smell alone is amazing! Once softened, add some chopped up bacon!

 

Add chopped red, yellow and green bell peppers to the amazing aroma of the bacon, onion and butter concoction. Then add the star of the show, corn! I use frozen corn, but Ree suggests five ears of fresh corn.

Add a tablespoon of flour....

 

And three cups of chicken broth. Add some half and half as well.

 

Grate Monterey Jack and Pepper Jack cheese. You add this to the end. Result = amazing!

 

Add the cheese, and green onions if you remember to purchase them, and you have an incredible meal! I added corn bread muffins as a side, which I crumble up and add to my chowder. So good!

 

I promise, this pot-o-goodness is totally worth making during this fabulous time of year! We had so much left, even after two dinners, that we passed left-overs onto my parents. Gotta love a meal that keeps on giving! Check out the recipe in full here!

 

Happy eating!

 



Medicine Man

Medicine. We are a family who rarely takes medicine. An Advil here and there for fever, joint pain or headaches. Joel takes a cholesterol pill and I take one to prevent a second baby! But that's it. We have other members of the family who take a pill to get out of bed in the morning. To go to bed at night. Or for anything that might happen throughout the day. And because of this, I think that's why we have such an aversion to taking any forms of medicine.

 

We very rarely give any medicine to McKinley. Children's Tylenol before shots on his well visits, antibiotics for the ear infections he has battled and children's Allegra as of this past allergy season. That's it. That's all the kid gets. So you can imagine my internal conflict in giving McKinley medicine when I'm not sure it's really needed. Currently, he is cutting his two year molars and from time to time he will say "Mouth hurt. Mama kiss it." Side note, I love that he now asks me to kiss his boo-boos! He's fussy, agitated, constantly chewing on his fingers or us, and unwilling to eat. My midwife suggesting giving him ibuprofen for the pain. And I asked myself, should I?

 

After much internal debate, I decided we should give him some children's Advil. So, on Sunday morning among cries, we dropped a dose of liquid medicine into his mouth and a couple of hours later he was a different baby boy. The baby boy I remembered before teething. We had planned to give home some Sunday evening before bed, but he feel asleep earlier than planned and woke up in the middle of the night crying and asking mama to kiss it. I guess the medicine had worked earlier in the day. Too bad we missed a dose that night. We asked my parents to do the same thing Monday morning and we were able to give him some Monday night. Totally different baby. Why had I waited so long to help him?

 

I know that Advil isn't going to make him groggy, give him medicine head or make him lethargic. I just don't want to get him, or us, dependent on medicine to cure what ails him. Yes, I've heard that cutting two year molars is incredibly painful, and if I can relieve that pain for a bit, I will. I just don't want to give him something when he doesn't need it. Like when friends suggest that we give him Benadryl when we fly next month. Not going to happen! He's never had it so we don't know what kind of reaction he will have to it and imagine it mid flight! I personally can't take anything like that over the counter. It makes me horribly sick. What if that happened to him?

 

I feel like, even in the adult world, we are so quick to take something. We are so quick to diagnose things. What if it's just a common cold? What if it was something you ate? What if it's a headache induced by too many bobby pins? (I have one of those now, actually.) Advil or Tylenol isn't going to help. Running it's course, or taking my hair out of this bun, is the best medicine. And I'm not suggesting that there aren't actual reasons for medication. I'm just saying that for the every day, run of the mill type symptoms, this mom is going to stray from loading up her son with meds.

 

What are your thoughts on giving your child medication? For it? Against it? Do whatever is necessary?