Who loves bacon... we do we do!

What is it about that smoky aroma that swarms through the house and demands your attention when you are crisping up bacon on the stove? While we don't cook with it too often, when we do, you know you are going to be in for something really good!

Because we are trying to push through ingredients in the freezer (bacon being one of them!) and pantry to reduce what we have on hand, this Edamame Corn Chowder we made for dinner tonight was a good starting point as it used a few canned goods and frozen items. The pantry items used were an onion, a potato, creamed corn (canned) and Italian seasoning. The freezer items were the bacon, shelled edamame and chicken broth (we make our own often and then freeze it in 1 cup containers). The only ingredient we actually had to buy this week was the half-and-half - however, that was already on the list as we needed it to make that blueberry ice cream the other day!

To give the base of this chowder a boost, the onions are softened in a tablespoon of the distinctive drippings left after crisping up the bacon. The broth, potatoes and seasonings are added to the onion and the mixture bubbles away to allow the potato to become just tender. The protein-rich edamame, creamed corn and half-and-half are then stirred into the pot until the emerald edamame are tender and warmed through. I was a little unsure of the canned creamed corn as we really don't use it often, but there was no "tinny" flavor and it gave the dish some body. Topped with a smattering of the crispy bacon pieces, this chunky chowder had just enough richness from the half-and-half to boost the savory nature of the recipe without being too heavy.

Recipes
Edamame Corn Chowder