Slow Cooker Corn & Potato Soup with Sautéed Shrimp

I’ve built up an assortment of cooking magazines from over the years, but I’m not very good and taking them off the shelf and using them. Most of the time I end up picking our meals from Pinterest.

I have a collection of Rachael Ray Every Day, Bon Appétit, Southern Living and Cooking Light. We wanted something easy for dinner this week, so I found a slow cooker soup recipe from the August 2016 issue. This soup was even better as leftovers when we added some shredded chicken to it!

Slow Cooker Corn & Potato Soup with Sautéed Shrimp (adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

•        7 ears yellow corn, shucked
•        4 cups unsalted chicken stock
•        1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
•        1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
•        6 small red potatoes, cut into 3/4-in. pieces
•        1 cup half-and-half
•        1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided
•        1 teaspoon black pepper
•        Sprinkle of Old Bay seasoning
•        1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
•        3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
•        Optional: cooked chicken, shredded (great way to use leftover rotisserie)

Directions:

1. Cut kernels from corn cobs to measure about 4 cups. Using the dull side of a knife blade, scrape liquid from corn cobs directly into a 6-quart slow cooker.

2. Add cobs and 3 cups kernels. Stir in chicken stock, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and potatoes. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours and 30 minutes.

3. Discard cobs. Stir half-and-half and 2 tablespoons butter into corn mixture. Transfer corn mixture to a blender (depending on your blender size, you may have to do half at a time). Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in lid (to avoid splatters). Process until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Stir in pepper.

4. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook 2 minutes or until foamy. Add shrimp, remaining 1 cup corn kernels, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to pan; sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning.  Cook 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and are done, stirring occasionally.

5. Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons chives. Divide soup among 10 shallow bowls; top evenly with shrimp mixture, and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons chives.

Homemade Corn Chowder

Last week a Winn Dixie flyer came in the mail featuring a recipe by chef Curtis Stone for fresh corn chowder.  I don’t make soup all that often (maybe because it’s Florida and 90 degrees out most of the time…) but this one looked really tasty. 

Lance’s only critique of the original recipe was that it ONLY had 3 slices of bacon in the whole soup…so to make him happy I doubled it to 6 slices.  With the heavy cream and all that bacon, it isn’t the healthiest of soups, but it is hearty and filling. 

Homemade Corn Chowder (adapted from Curtis Stone)

Ingredients:

• 6 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
• ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 large sprigs fresh thyme
• ¼ tsp red pepper
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 5 tsp whole wheat flour (that’s the only flour I have…)
• 1-1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1-1/2 cups whole milk (I actually just had 2%, so I did a bit more cream and a bit less of the milk)
• 4 ears corn, husked, kernels removed
• 1 can corn
• 2 t chopped parsley (I only had dried but fresh would be better)
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a large heavy pot over medium-high heat.  Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until crisp.

2. Add onions, garlic, thyme, and red pepper and cook, stirring often, for about 4 minutes or until onions start to become tender.

3. Add celery and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.  Sprinkle in flour and stir for about 2 minutes.

4. Stir in stock, cream, and milk and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Add spinach. 

5. Stir in corn and simmer 5-10 more minutes or until chowder begins to thicken.  Remove and discard thyme stems.  Season with salt & pepper. 

6. Stir in half the parsley.  Ladle chowder into bowls and sprinkle with remaining parsley.  

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I’m lucky that my fiancé is so supportive of my food blog…although it does mean that he gets a lot of exciting meals and we have an excuse to try out new restaurants!  Lance cooks for us pretty regularly but he rarely follows a recipe.  I like to joke that most meals he makes have never been made with those exact ingredients in the history of mankind.  But his crazy concoctions made from whatever he finds in our fridge usually turn out great. 

So I was surprised when he found a recipe in the newspaper and decided to make it for us one night (and actually follow the instructions!)  He even photo-documented his steps for me so I can share it with you here on the blog.   

Some of my favorite foods are the ones you find in the fall – pumpkin, squash, apples, pears, sweet potatoes, kale, pomegranates...and anything that incorporates these ingredients I’m guaranteed to like.  This recipe was for roasted butternut squash soup.  It took a bit of time, but it was actually pretty simple.

And I’m sure for all of you up north, this would be a nice way to keep warm during the cool months!  (Not that we know much about that in Florida…)

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (adapted from Chowhound)

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds whole butternut squash (about 2 medium), halved lengthwise and seeds removed (you can bake the seeds with some salt, pepper & olive oil if you want to snack on them!)

·         2 T unsalted butter

• 1 medium Granny Smith apple
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Place the squash pieces cut-side up on the baking sheet. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and brush all of it over the tops and insides of the squash halves. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until knife tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, peel, core, and cut the apple into medium dice. Cut the onion into medium dice.

4. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the apple, onion, and sage, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

5. When the squash is ready, set the baking sheet on a wire rack until the squash is cool enough to handle. Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh into the saucepan with the sautéed apples and onions; discard the skins.

6. Add the broth, water, and measured salt and pepper, stir to combine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up any large pieces of squash, until the flavors meld, about 15 minutes.

7. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream.

8. Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth, removing the small cap (the pour lid) from the blender lid and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam to escape).

9. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with the pumpkin seeds.

Bamboozle Tea Lounge Takeout

I’m helping write a healthy living blog for the restaurant Bamboozle (we just started, but you can check it out here).  So you may see a lot of their food on my blog! 

 

I called ahead a few nights ago so I could pick up dinner on the way home from work.  You can order online for pickup if you want – this is actually the first time I did carryout (I love their atmosphere, so usually I dine in). 

I normally order the fresh rolls, but I thought I’d try something different this time.  I got the Tiger Shrimp Baby Noodle Salad, a Beef Pho soup, and Pork Banh Mi – lots of different types of meats!

 

The food was ready just as I walked in so it was super convenient.  I carefully drove home with the blue bag in my passenger seat and we enjoyed the meal very much.  Lance was especially a fan of the Banh Mi sandwich (he didn’t want to share!)

Bamboozle Tea Lounge is located at 109 N 12th St #101, Tampa, FL 33602 and open from 10:30am – 9pm Mondays through Fridays, 11am – 9pm on Saturdays, and 11:30am – 4pm for brunch on Sundays.

Atlanta Trip Part 3 – Folk Art, The Vortex, Leon’s, Sweetwater & Antico

The 3^rd day of our trip was mostly eating/drinking.  We loved Highland Bakery so much that we almost wanted to just return there for breakfast, but we decided to try something different, so we headed to Folk Art Restaurant – a Southern restaurant in the Inman Park area just east of midtown Atlanta.  There was plenty of parking – but it was mid-week, so they might fill up on weekends.  The design is rustic & industrial with bits of vintage Americana art. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started with a latte macchiato and Lance had his normal black coffee.  We shared a starter called The Randy – bacon dipped in pancake batter and fried.  It tasted like something that would be served at a carnival. 

 

I ordered the bananas foster waffles and Lance had the cinnamon pecan sticky bun French toast.  Both were super decadent and sweet – more like dessert than breakfast.  They were very generous with the toppings – almost too much so.  I think all the juices got soaked up in my waffle, so it wasn’t as crispy as I’d like.  The dishes were so indulgent we couldn’t even finish them (and we normally clear our plates). 

 

 

 

 

After that we walked to Little Five Points, an edgy area of town filled with graffiti and funky shops.  Most of it was overpriced thrift stores and smoke shops, but we did stop and have some drinks at The Vortex.  It is one of the easiest to spot buildings with a giant skull surrounding the front door.  The menu warns you that everything they serve is bad for you – and that if you’re easily offended, you shouldn’t dine there.  They claim that the customer is NOT always right, and that if you eat there, you should follow their rules. 

 

 

 

They have a pretty extensive drink menu – I tried the Apple Cobbler beer cocktail – a blend of Crispin apple cider with Well’s Banana Bread Beer, and Lance had the local Monday Night Brewing Blind Pirate Double IPA.  I didn’t really taste much of the banana bread in mine – it seemed like mostly cider.  I liked how the label on Lance’s beer had suggestions for what to drink the beer with – including cheese, spicy foods, salty foods, or “your mom”. 

 

 

Next we took a stroll around Decatur.  If I ever moved to Atlanta, it would be the area I’d want to live.  It seems like the equivalent of St. Pete to Tampa – an artsy district with lots of hipsters and great restaurants. 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at Leon’s Full Service for a small lunch.  We both had a cup of the daily soup - Shrimp Bisque.  It had very good flavor, but I wish it had more chunks in it.  The crispy toast it was served with paired perfectly.   

 

I tried “The Good Habit” fall cocktail – made with gin, cognac, spicy masala chai, vermouth, and lemon.  If you like chai tea, you would love this drink.  

 

And since we were on vacation, we split a dessert – tart cherry ice cream, candied bacon, cherry-whiskey syrup, served in a pork fat tuille cup.  The bacon was made from pigs that ate leftover grains from the local Jailhouse Brewery.  The dessert was very unique – sweet and savory – and the cherry and bacon paired nicely.

 

Next we headed to Sweewater Brewery to take a tour.  We saw online that they run 5:30 – 7:30 and that it gets pretty busy, so we showed up a few minutes early.  We were told to wait by the bar until they were ready to line us up for tickets, but they didn’t serve drinks until 6pm, so we spent the next 45 minutes watching all the employees enjoy beers while we stood around awkwardly. But then 6pm came around and it started getting crowded.  We got in line to get our tickets - $10 gets you a souvenir glass and 6 tasting tickets. 

 

 

We started sampling their beers – the higher alcohol volume beers took 2 tickets.  They had brewed a special blueberry beer flavored with Trix cereal – which I actually wasn’t a fan of, but I did like their Georgia Brown and Take Two Pils German pilsner. 

 

 

 

We took a tour of the brewery, which only took a few minutes.  They had several large steel vats with beer fermenting.  Their experimental vat was painted black & white with flames.  Employees can brew whatever they feel like in that one and test out new flavors. 

 

 

It seems like this brewery is where all the locals go to drink – and with the 6 drinks plus free glass for only $10, I can see why.  They also have a nice courtyard outside which was perfect for the cooler weather. 

Afterwards, we headed to Antico Pizza Napoletana – another restaurant I had seen recommended by nearly everyone who wrote about Atlanta food.  Even though it was a weeknight, the parking was insane and people were waiting out the door.  Luckily, the line moves quickly.  You order your pizza at the counter, and then it is freshly made in woodfired imported Italian pizza ovens.  The menu is pretty short – 10 types of pizza and 3 types of calzones.  We ordered the Lasagna pizza with meatball, ricotta, and romano. 

 

 

 

The seating is all communal, so we snagged two spots at one of the wooden benches.  Once the pizzas are ready, the servers carry them around on large metal trays and call your number, trying to find you in the busy restaurant.  They brought us our pizza and we were not disappointed!  It tasted so authentic and fresh – the crust was slightly charred which gave it nice flavor.  You could tell that they use quality ingredients and keep the recipes nice and simple.  They only have one size option, which was a pretty large pizza, but we devoured the whole thing in minutes. 

 

 

 

Antico is BYOB, so plenty of diners had their own beer or wine.  But we already had plenty to drink that day already.  We were in and out of there in a matter of 20 minutes, so despite the crowds, spaces are constantly opening up at the tables.  This is definitely a must visit when you’re anywhere near Atlanta. 

Check out the rest of my Atlanta posts to read about the rest of our Georgia dining experiences!

Folk Art Restaurant is located at 465 North Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 and is open 11am – 10pm Monday through Thursday, 8am – 11pm Fridays, 9am – 2pm and 2:30 – 11pm Saturdays, and 9am – 9pm on Sundays.    

The Vortex is located at 438 Moreland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 and is open 11am – 12am Sunday through Thursday and 11am – 2am Friday and Saturday.    

Leon’s Full Service is located at the Hilton Downtown at 131 E Ponce De Leon Ave, Decatur, GA 30030 and is open 5pm – 1am Mondays, 11:30am – 1am Tuesday – Thursday,   11:30am – 2am Friday and Saturday, and 11:30 am – 1am Sunday. 

Sweetwater Brewery is located at 195 Ottley Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30324 and is open Wednesday– Friday from 5:30 – 7:30 and Saturday - Sunday from 2:30 – 4:30.  

Antico Pizza Napoletana is located at 1093 Hemphill Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30318 and is open 11:30am – 11:30pm Monday through Friday, 11:30am – 12am Saturday, and closed Sunday.