Baby it's Cold Outside!

I don't know about your neck of the woods but here and throughout much of the country we've been experiencing an extreme cold front! Brrr...it's COLD! Even during our trip to Florida we experienced days with highs in the mid 50s and nights that were upper 30s low 40s. Not what we were expecting on our trip south! (I only packed one pair of jeans and a light sweater!) With temperatures here at home not getting much above freezing lately (I won't even mention the -5 windchill at night) there's nothing that will warm you up better than some good ole comfort food...and what's more comforting than a nice bowl of hot soup or chowder?!! I stumbled upon a recipe a few days ago while searching for a way to use the shrimp that's been hanging out in our freezer and it turned out to be one of the best things I've EVER made!! Yeah, it's that good! Hayden loved it so much that he told me I should share it here on the blog for anyone else that might need a little warming up! So here it is. Oh, I'm sharing it as I made it since I had to change things up a bit based on what I had on hand. It was so good that I'm going to make it this way every time. You can find the original recipe here. Mine is a lower fat version but I'm betting you won't even know the difference!

Creamy Shrimp and Potato Chowder

1/2 stick butter
1 small-medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
8 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups skim milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
1/2 can of corn
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pound shrimp

Optional:
crumbled bacon bits
shredded cheddar
saltine crackers

In a large pot, melt butter and saute onion until slightly tender, @ 5 min. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, milk, and chicken broth. Bring to simmer and cook 15-20 minutes until potatoes are soft and have begin to mush. Pour in evaporated milk, corn, salt, and pepper and continue to cook several more minutes.

In small saucepan, bring 2 cups salted water to a boil and add shrimp all at once. Cook 2-3 minutes until shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat and drain. Cut cooked shrimp into bite-sized bits and add to the soup mixture. Soup should be rich and creamy!! Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheese and bacon bits. Serve with crackers!! Enjoy!