I came home from the supermarket Sunday afternoon with my son as we were hunting for dinner, and caught my mom sitting out in the garden looking like she’s been busy. As we walked in and closed the gates with our grocery bags, I asked my mom what she was doing sitting out in the dark. She says, there was something in the garden my son has to see. We both looked around and couldn’t make out what she was on about until something budged in the flower shrub. It was dark and all I could make out was a little thing moving and I asked her, if that was a lost kitten or a darn big rat!
Taking a closer look, it revealed the tiniest puppy I’ve ever seen. I just remembered my neighbour promised my son a puppy. I had to pry and pluck it out of the bush as it clung  for dear life. My son was already jumping up and down with excitement that it was startling the poor rodent looking mutt.
It’s really a cute precious puppy though, don’t get me wrong. I call it a wonder mutt. It makes you wonder what it is and where on earth it is! It’s so small it can just disappear in a heap of shoes. I was looking at it from afar and I swear, I thought it was a pootie tat, I did …I did see a pootie tat! I picked it up and it looked like a guinea pig. I gave it a bath and it turned into a rat. Then again, it has such pointy ears… it now looks like a bat! Haha…
Now, that night … I was making chowder with corn salsa for dinner and my son declares the puppy’s name as Chowder. I was thinking more of Salsa, but my son has the last word. I may just have to try some jedi mind tricks to convince him change its name. Wish me luck on that!
The chowder turned out so good, I have to thank Bobby Flay for suggesting chowder topped with corn salsa! It was absolutely delish. I had it with some crackers, a salad and chilli feta cheese. Chowder, the puppy, is whining and whimpering at the moment. She wants to play out in the garden and chase some grass! It is half past 1o’clock in the morning and I wish she would just go nap!
CREAMIEST CORN CHOWDER WITH CORN SALSA
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 pound potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and diced into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
4 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 8 ears)
1 bay leaf
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
Salt and pepper
Sour cream for garnish (optional)
1 can whole kernel corn
1 small green bell pepper
½ c chopped cilantro
Dash of cumin
Dried red chilli flakes or 1 jalapeno chile finely chopped and seeded
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the green onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, 2 cups of the corn, the bay leaf, and the broth.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and keep it at a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Puree the remaining 2 cups of corn and the milk in a blender or food processor, then stir it into the soup. Simmer the soup until it thickens slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and add salt and pepper to taste. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream, if desired. Serves 4 to 6. Tips: Choose ears of corn with bright green husks that are tightly closed. The ends of the corn silk should be golden brown, not pale — an indication that the corn was picked too early.
- To easily remove corn silk from the kernels, hold the ear in one hand and rub downward with a wet paper towel.
- To remove corn kernels for a salad or salsa, stand an uncooked ear in a shallow bowl and use a sharp, thin-bladed knife. For chowder, add another step: reverse the knife and run the dull side down the ear to press out the rest of the corn and its milk.
Photo Credit: Wheels and Lollipops
Photo Credit: kwbridge
Photo Credit: Betty Crocker Recipes
Photo Credit: sandrablogrecipe