New staple at our house!

Okay, so my hubby is *NOT* a big soup fan. Believe me... I've tried. I keep trying. I'm stubborn that way. LOL! Other than the occasional bowl of chicken noodle (like mom's, please...), David has just not been a fan of soups. However, last night I made one that had him licking the bowl and telling me that it was to be a staple in our household! LOL!

The original recipe, I found on the Miserly Mom's website. However, in typical Alicia fashion, I completely altered it - which fit better with our dietary restrictions. I'll give you the original, then my alterations.

Original:

Frugal Recipe #173 - Potato Chowder

3-6 slices of Honey Ham
3-4 small potatoes already cooked previously
1/4 cup corn
1/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup flour (thickener0
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
1-3 Garlic Cloves
1/2 small onion
dash of paprika

Chop all ham and potatoes (cubed is nice). Next, in your blender, puree onion and garlic together with about 1/4 cup of water. In medium saucepan, melt butter on medium heat (so it doesn't burn), and saute your puree in this for 1-2 minutes. Gradually add flour to the butter so that it incorporates smoothly. Next, gradually add milk so you don't end up with lumps. Next, add your corn, ham, and potatoes. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes - or until corn is cooked through. (the notes say this has a bit of a sweet taste due to the corn and honey ham.) Serves 4.

Okay... I did this:
Can't eat ham, corn, and didn't have fresh garlic (I know... cooking sacrilege!)

Microwave 4 potatoes for about 4 minutes. Long enough to be tender, but not squishy/mashed. Think potato salad firmness. Peel, cube, set aside. (you may want to cool them a bit before peeling - lol)

I *think* I had close to 1/4 cup of butter, but I didn't measure. Just used what we had left of a stick on the counter. I put that in a saucepan on medium heat to melt. Added about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of frozen chopped onion (thanks Kroger for the .58 sale!) I also dumped in about 1 or 2 tsp. of the following spices; garlic powder, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and smoked paprika. I threw in some salt and pepper. I let that cook until the onions were clear.

I added about 1/4 cup of water, then a few tablespoons more. Same with flour - and stirred using a whisk. This made a paste at the bottom of the pan. I slowly - and I do mean slowly - whisked in a total of 3 cups of milk. If you add it slow enough, it should make a nice thickish base.

Then, I dumped in about 1 cup (maybe a bit more) of chicken I had pulled off of the bone from a few days before. Added the potatoes, and about 1/2 cup of broccoli. I let this simmer for about 10 minutes, then threw in 4 slices of american cheese. Simmered another 10ish minutes.

You may need to adjust the spices depending on your family's tastes.